Maimonides: Between Guide to the Perplexed and the Mishneh Torah

Rabbis, readers, and scholars have argued about the relationship between the Guide and the Mishneh Torah, between Maimonides the philosopher and Maimonides the rabbi. Leo Strauss declared that an irreconcilable conflict existed between the two, concluding that the true Maimonides was the philosopher. Yeshayahu Leibowitz, while agreeing with Strauss on the conflict, declared that the true Maimonides was Maimonides the rabbi.

This class examines the life and thought of Maimonides as reflected in both the Guide and the Mishneh Torah examining these conflicts while demonstrating that there exists no conflict, but that the texts demonstrate a clear level of coherence and integrity.

Instructor: Dr. Edward Queen