Maimonides (1138-1204) wrote his philosophical work Guide of the Perplexed in 1190 to disseminate truths as he saw them to fellow Jews who lacked his knowledge. He was particularly interested in demonstrating that the biblical and rabbinical writings are consistent with the rationalistic philosophy of the Greek philosopher Aristotle (384–322 B.C.E.). M. Friedlander, in his [...]
Biblical prophecy does not predict what will be Most people read the Bible literally without much thought. When the Bible has a prophet say that something will occur, they understand this as a vision from God of what will occur. However, the rabbis, or at least some of them, examined the Bible [...]
Maimonides’ Concealed True Teachings: Prophecy and Angels Even in his youth, philosophy was an integral part of Maimonides’ life (1138-1204). He wrote a volume on logic when he was still quite young – scholars are uncertain of the exact date, but suppose that he composed his first works in his early twenties. He [...]
Does God know us? The views of some Jewish philosophers Many Jews are convinced that Jews are judged by their behavior not by their beliefs. They can believe what they want as long as they harm no one.[1] Thus it is not surprising that there were famous Jewish [...]
By Israel Drazin Maimonides’ Important Idea about Prophecy The following essay is a shortened version from my book Maimonides and the Biblical Prophets Maimonides wrote his philosophical work Guide of the Perplexed in 1190 to disseminate truths as he saw them to fellow Jews who lacked his knowledge. He was [...]
By Israel Drazin Biblical prophecy does not predict what will be The view of traditional thinkers Most people read the Bible literally without much thought. When the Bible has a prophet say that something will occur, they understand this as a vision from God of what will occur. However, the [...]
Maimonides Essential Teachings on Jewish Faith & Ethics The Book of Knowledge & the Thirteen Principles of Faith Annotated & Explained By Rabbi Marc D. Angel, PhD Skylight Illuminations, 2012, 177 pages There are many divergent interpretations of the great sage Moses Maimonides (1138-1204). Some scholars, such as Leo Strauss of the University of Chicago [...]
Gersonides Judaism within the Limits of Reason By Seymour Feldman The Littman Library, 2010, 254 pages Levi ben Gershom, Gersonides in Latin, (1288-1344), was one of several great Jewish rationalistic philosophers. He lived in Provence, France, and wrote books on philosophy, science, and Bible commentary. He wasn’t as deep a thinker as Maimonides and [...]
