Maimonides on the "Decline of the Generations" and the Nature of Rabbinic Authority

by Menachem Marc Kellner

Shows to what extent and in what fashion Jews are bound to accept the opinions and the pronouncements of religious authorities. Moses Maimonides, medieval Judaism's leading legist and philosopher, and a figure of central importance for contemporary Jewish self-understanding, held a view of Judaism which maintained the authority of the Talmudic rabbis in matters of Jewish law while allowing for free and open inquiry in matters of science and philosophy. Maimonides affirmed, not the superiority of the "moderns" (the scholars of his and subsequent generations) over the "ancients" (the Tannaim and Amoraim, the Rabbis of the Mishnah and Talmud) but the inherent equality of the two. The equality presented here is not equality of halakhic authority, but equality of ability, of essential human characteristics. In order to substantiate these claims, Kellner explores the related idea that Maimonides does not adopt the notion of "the decline of the generations", according to which each succeeding generation, or each succeeding epoch, is in some significant and religiously relevant sense inferior to preceding generations or epochs.

137 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1996

Reviews

[Michael Lewyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kellner addresses three issues:

1. What does the concept of "decline of the generations" mean and where did it come from? Some passages in the Talmud refer to the concept; however, the Talmud is not of one mind on this issue. The clearest passages suggest that the scholars of the Talmud's generation (or at least the best scholars) are inferior to the best scholars of earlier generations. Other passages are more ambiguous; some could plausibly be read to expand the concept by referring to all Jews, others could plausibly be read to oppose the concept altogether. (As other reviewers point out, Kellner does not discuss more recent commentators on this issue in great detail).

2. Does Maimonides support the idea of an inevitable decline of the generations? Kellner argues that he does not. Although Maimoinides nowhere directly criticizes the concept, he does express a variety of views that appear at odds with it. According to Kellner, Maimonides suggests that (a) miracles tend to be rare, one-time events; (b) rabbinic statements on non-halakhic matters are fallible; c) Messianic deliverance is likely to come about through apparently natural spiritual progress, rather than through sudden Divine deliverance; and d) the Torah may have mandated animal sacrifice only because Jews were not ready for more refined types of divine service- theories that, to Kellner, seem inconsistent with the concept.

3. If Maimonides rejects this concept, why does he follow halakha? Maimonides explains that at the time of the Mishnah and Talmud, Jewish populations were sufficiently compact that all Israel could agree on the wisdom and validity of these books. Thus, Maimonides sees Jewish law (to the extent the Torah is unclear) as based on consensus. In other words, Jewish law is based on consensus rather than on the early rabbis' innate superiority.

[Aracelly Friedman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the most comprehensive treatment of this important topic that I know of. Will be of great value to scholars and intelligent generalists who wish to understand the origins and limits of this doctrine. Written in a style that gets straight to the point, w/o much jargon or technical references. I highly recommend it.

[Avraham Deutsch · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well argued essay on maimonides thoughts about the decline of the generations.