The Cultures of Maimonideanism

As Robinson (history of Judaism, U. of Chicago Divinity School) points out, it is ironic that Moses Maimonides, the influential 12th century Jewish philosopher-theologian who has been characterized as elitist, beget many popular movements. In this important contribution to Jewish thought, international scholars focus on the diverse aspects of Maimonideanism. The authors of 16 papers address the themes of why Maimonides emerged as a cultural hero, and how his Guide of the Perplexed and Mishneh Torah influenced even opposing interpretations by anti-Maimonideans of the canonical texts in light of subsequent periods' debates and ideologies. The papers (with one exception) were presented at the namesake Eighth European Association for Jewish Studies summer colloquium in 2007 at Wolfson College, Oxford. Annotation c2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

James T. Robinson, PhD (2002) in NELC, Harvard University, is Assistant Professor of the History of Judaism at the University of Chicago, The Divinity School. He has written extensively on medieval Jewish philosophy and exegesis, including Samuel Ibn Tibbon's Commentary on Ecclesiastes, The Book of the Soul of Man (Mohr Siebeck, 2007).