'For many years to come it is likely to remain a major reference volume for students of Maimonides.' Sarah Stroumsa, Jewish Quarterly Review 'These studies, however disparate, provide us with convincing evidence of the continuing importance of Maimonides' philosophy.' Marvin Fox, Times Literary Supplement 'Surely one of the best surveys both of Maimonides and of his historical context . . . an important contribution.' Oliver Leaman, Le'ela 'It is very apposite to have it now in paperback: less expensive, it will allow students to possess a volume that will acquaint them with high standards of scholarship, showing at the same time that although so much has been said and written about Maimonides, it is still possible to come up with new and interesting insights into his life and works, which continue to be interpreted very differently by different scholars.' Gad Freudenthal, Journal of Religious History Leading scholars have combined forces to produce this volume on the philosophy and legal views of Moses Maimonides (1138-1204) and the historical context in which he worked. The philosophical section examines Maimonides' ethical doctrine; his paradoxical life-style; his Guide of the Perplexed; his attitude to mysticism; his use of language; and his theory of astronomy. The legal section deals with law and medicine, the relation of Maimonides' legal thought to the Talmud; his doctrine of a just war; and his theory of redemption and Messianism. The history section examines Maimonides' accession to the position of head of the Jewish community in its historical context, at the time of the rise of the 'Ayyubid dynasty under Saladin. Contributors: Joel L. Kraemer, Lawrence V. Berman, Joshua Blau, Gerald J. Blidstein, Joseph Drory, Andrew S. Ehrenkreutz, Ithamar Gruenwald, Steven Harvey, Warren Zev Harvey, Arthur Hyman, Alfred L. Ivry, Tzvi Langermann, Ralph Lerner, Jacob Levinger, Aviezer Ravitsky, Isadore Twersky, Michael Winter

This comprehensive biography of Moses Maimonides follows the life of the great medieval Jewish philosopher and theologian from his birth in Spain to his move to Morocco, his travels in Palestine, and the last years of his life in Egypt. With academic rigor and deft scholarship, Joel Kraemer draws on primary sources to re-create a period of history in which the meeting of the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic traditions gave rise to an intense intellectual interchange and prolonged religious struggle for supremacy. Ultimately, this is as much an enthralling immersion into the Mediterranean world of the 12th century as it is a faithful rendering of Maimonides' life. "Esta completisima biografia de Moises Maimonides sigue la vida del gran filosofo y teologo judio medieval desde su nacimiento en Espana hasta su traslado a Marruecos, su viaje a Palestina y los ultimos anos de su vida en Egipto. Con rigor academico y exquisitez divulgativa, Joel Kraemer recurre a las fuentes originales para recrear ese periodo de la historia en el que el encuentro entre la tradicion judia, la cristiana y la musulmana dio lugar a un intenso intercambio intelectual y a una pertinaz pugna religiosa. En fin, este libro es tanto una inmersion en el apasionante mundo mediterraneo del siglo X11 como una fiel historia de la vida de Maimonides."

This authoritative biography of Moses Maimonides, one of the most influential minds in all of human history, illuminates his life as a philosopher, physician, and lawgiver. A biography on a grand scale, it brilliantly explicates one man's life against the background of the social, religious, and political issues of his time.
Maimonides was born in Cordoba, in Muslim-ruled Spain, in 1138 and died in Cairo in 1204. He lived in an Arab-Islamic environment from his early years in Spain and North Africa to his later years in Egypt, where he was immersed in its culture and society. His life, career, and writings are the highest expression of the intertwined worlds of Judaism and Islam.
Maimonides lived in tumultuous times, at the peak of the Reconquista in Spain and the Crusades in Palestine. His monumental compendium of Jewish law, the "Mishneh Torah," became a basis of all subsequent Jewish legal codes and brought him recognition as one of the foremost lawgivers of humankind. In Egypt, his training as a physician earned him a place in the entourage of the great Sultan Saladin, and he wrote medical works in Arabic that were translated into Hebrew and Latin and studied for centuries in Europe. As a philosopher and scientist, he contributed to mathematics and astronomy, logic and ethics, politics and theology. His "Guide of the Perplexed," a masterful interweaving of religious tradition and scientific and philosophic thought, influenced generations of Christian, Muslim, and Jewish thinkers.
Now, in a dazzling work of scholarship, Joel Kraemer tells the complete story of Maimonides' rich life. MAIMONIDES is at once a portrait of a great historical figure and an excursion into the Mediterranean world of the twelfth century. Joel Kraemer draws on a wealth of original sources to re-create a remarkable period in history when Jewish, Christian, and Muslim traditions clashed and mingled in a setting alive with intense intellectual exchange and religious conflict.