Howard Kreisel is Associate Professor in the Jewish Thought Program at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

• Acknowledgments 1. Maimonides' Political Thought: Introductory Essay 2. The Practical Intellect 3. The Concept "Good" 4. Imitatio Dei 5. The Problem of Contradictions in Mainonides' Approach to Ethics 6. Intellectual Perfection, Knowledge of God, and the Role of the Law 7. The Love and Fear of God Appendix: Synopsis of the Book Notes Select Bibliography Index

"This is an excellent book, which deals with fundamental problems in Maimonides' moral, political, and legal philosophy. It is well written, based upon the most recent scholarship, and, most importantly, advances our understanding of the greatest of the medieval Jewish philosophers." — Daniel Frank, author of Commandment and Community: New Essays in Jewish Legal and Political Philosophy"This book makes a contribution of great value to Maimonides scholarship and to the study of religion by systematically presenting the evidence for a political interpretation of the life-work of one of the greatest Jewish theologians. This is an important corrective to the prevailing tendency to ignore the centrality of the practical intellect of Maimonides' anthropology, a tendency that leads to positing a false dichotomy between intellectual and practical conceptions of the best life for a human being." — Ehud Benor, author of Worship of the Heart: A Study of Maimonides' Philosophy of Religion

Howard Kreisel is Associate Professor in the Jewish Thought Program at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

• Acknowledgments 1. Maimonides' Political Thought: Introductory Essay 2. The Practical Intellect 3. The Concept "Good" 4. Imitatio Dei 5. The Problem of Contradictions in Mainonides' Approach to Ethics 6. Intellectual Perfection, Knowledge of God, and the Role of the Law 7. The Love and Fear of God Appendix: Synopsis of the Book Notes Select Bibliography Index

"This is an excellent book, which deals with fundamental problems in Maimonides' moral, political, and legal philosophy. It is well written, based upon the most recent scholarship, and, most importantly, advances our understanding of the greatest of the medieval Jewish philosophers." — Daniel Frank, author of Commandment and Community: New Essays in Jewish Legal and Political Philosophy"This book makes a contribution of great value to Maimonides scholarship and to the study of religion by systematically presenting the evidence for a political interpretation of the life-work of one of the greatest Jewish theologians. This is an important corrective to the prevailing tendency to ignore the centrality of the practical intellect of Maimonides' anthropology, a tendency that leads to positing a false dichotomy between intellectual and practical conceptions of the best life for a human being." — Ehud Benor, author of Worship of the Heart: A Study of Maimonides' Philosophy of Religion

Howard Kreisel is Associate Professor in the Jewish Thought Program at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

• Acknowledgments 1. Maimonides' Political Thought: Introductory Essay 2. The Practical Intellect 3. The Concept "Good" 4. Imitatio Dei 5. The Problem of Contradictions in Mainonides' Approach to Ethics 6. Intellectual Perfection, Knowledge of God, and the Role of the Law 7. The Love and Fear of God Appendix: Synopsis of the Book Notes Select Bibliography Index

"This is an excellent book, which deals with fundamental problems in Maimonides' moral, political, and legal philosophy. It is well written, based upon the most recent scholarship, and, most importantly, advances our understanding of the greatest of the medieval Jewish philosophers." — Daniel Frank, author of Commandment and Community: New Essays in Jewish Legal and Political Philosophy"This book makes a contribution of great value to Maimonides scholarship and to the study of religion by systematically presenting the evidence for a political interpretation of the life-work of one of the greatest Jewish theologians. This is an important corrective to the prevailing tendency to ignore the centrality of the practical intellect of Maimonides' anthropology, a tendency that leads to positing a false dichotomy between intellectual and practical conceptions of the best life for a human being." — Ehud Benor, author of Worship of the Heart: A Study of Maimonides' Philosophy of Religion