Maimonides the Universalist

The Ethical Horizons of the Mishneh Torah

AvMenachem Kellner,David Gillis

Inbunden, Engelska, 2020

Del i serien Littman Library of Jewish Civilization

749 kr

Beställningsvara. Skickas inom 5-8 vardagar. Fri frakt över 249 kr.

Fler format och utgåvor

Häftad

574 kr

Beskrivning

Maimonides ends each book of his legal code the Mishneh torah with a moral or philosophical reflection, in which he lifts his eyes, as it were, from purely halakhic concerns and surveys broader horizons. Menachem Kellner and David Gillis analyse these concluding paragraphs, examining their verbal and thematic echoes, their adaptation of rabbinic sources, and the way in which they coordinate with the Mishneh torah’s underlying structures, in order to understand how they might influence our interpretation of the code as a whole—and indeed our view of Maimonides himself and his philosophy. Taking this unusual cross-section of the work, Kellner and Gillis conclude that the Mishneh torah presents not only a system of law, but also a system of universal values. They show how Maimonides fashions Jewish law and ritual as a programme for attaining ethical and intellectual ends that are accessible to all human beings, who are created equally in the image of God.Many reject the presentation of Maimonides as a universalist. The Mishneh torah especially is widely seen as a particularist sanctuary. This study shows how profoundly that view must be revised.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum:2020-11-04
Mått:163 x 239 x undefined mm
Format:Inbunden
Språk:Engelska
Serie:Littman Library of Jewish Civilization
Antal sidor:416
Förlag:Liverpool University Press
ISBN:9781906764555

Utforska kategorier

Mer om författaren

Professor Kellner is chair of the Department of Philosophy and Jewish Thought, Shalem College, Jerusalem and Wolfson Professor Emeritus of Jewish Thought, University of Haifa. David Gillis is an independent scholar and author of Reading Maimonides Mishneh Torah, also published by the Littman Library.

Recensioner i media

‘The book’s central thesis is convincing and well argued: that the codas to each book of the Mishneh Torah present a focus of vision that is moral and universal in nature… Maimonides the Universalist offers a provocative and intriguing invitation and guide to that masterwork, highlighting themes of universal resonance and significance.’ Diana Lobel, Speculum

Innehållsförteckning

Note on TransliterationIntroduction1. Knowledge: To Know Is To Love2. Love: Abraham, Moses, and the Meaning of Circumcision3. Seasons: Hanukah and Purim Reconfigured4. Women: Marital and Universal Peace5. Holiness: Commandments as Instruments6. Asseverations: Social Responsibility and Sanctifying God's Name7. Agriculture: Sanctifying All Human Beings8. TempleService: The Divinity of the Commandments9. Offerings: The Morality of the Commandments10. RitualPurity: Intellectual and Moral Purity11. Damages: Who Is a Jew?12. Acquisition: Slavery versus Universal Humanity13. Civil Laws: God of Aristotle in the God of Abraham14. Judges: Messianic UniversalismConclusionAppendix: Maimonides' Cosmic ParadigmBibliographyIndex of CitationsIndex of Subjects