Del 0 - Littman Library of Jewish Civilization

Reading Maimonides' Mishneh Torah

Häftad, Engelska, 2023

AvDavid Gillis

559 kr

Beställningsvara. Skickas inom 7-10 vardagar. Fri frakt för medlemmar vid köp för minst 249 kr.

Finns i fler format (1)

Inbunden

1 159 kr

Skickas inom 7-10 vardagar

In this highly original study, David Gillis demonstrates that the Mishneh torah, Maimonides’ code of Jewish law, has the structure of a microcosm. Through this symbolic form, Maimonides presents the law as designed to perfect the individual and society by shaping them in the image of the divinely created cosmic order. The commandments of the law thereby bring human beings closer to fulfilling their ultimate purpose, knowledge of God. This symbolism turns the Mishneh torah into an object of contemplation that itself communicates such knowledge. In short, it is a work of art.Gillis unpacks the metaphysical and cosmological underpinnings of Maimonides’ scheme of organization with consummate skill, allowing the reader to understand the Mishneh torah’s artistic dimension and to appreciate its power. Moreover, as he makes clear, uncovering this dimension casts new light on one of the great cruxes of Maimonides studies: the relationship of the Mishneh torah to his philosophical treatise The Guide of the Perplexed. A fundamental unity is revealed between Maimonides the codifier and Maimonides the philosopher that has not been fully appreciated hitherto.Maimonides’ artistry in composition is repeatedly shown to serve his aims in persuading us of the coherence and wisdom of the halakhic system. Gillis’s fine exegesis sets in high relief the humane and transcendental purposes and methods of halakhah as Maimonides conceived of it, in an argument that is sure-footed and convincing.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum2023-03-01
Mått156 x 234 x 43 mm
Vikt880 g
FormatHäftad
SpråkEngelska
SerieLittman Library of Jewish Civilization
Antal sidor464
FörlagLiverpool University Press
ISBN9781802070330

Tillhör följande kategorier

Judiska heliga texter inom Filosofi och religion

List of tablesNote on TransliterationNote on Sources and ConventionsIntroduction: A Portrait of the ArtistThe Cosmic Model - Aggadah in Mishneh torah - Mishneh torah as Art: The History of an Idea - Defining Art - The Poet in Maimonides’ Republic - Necessities and Literary Invention - Art as Imitatio Dei - Maimonides and Modern Literary Theory - Literary Models: Hebrew as Genre - Structures of the Commandments - Summary: Philosopher, Statesman, Artist1In God’s ImageTwo Scholars - Man as Microcosm - Man as Microcosm in the Guide of the Perplexed - Intellectual Virtue and Moral Virtue - Moral Virtue in Mishneh torah 1: Preparation for Intellectual Virtue - Moral Virtue's Two Phases in Mishneh torah - Self-Knowledge and the Knowledge of God • In Maimonides’ Workshop • Virtue Ethics and Command Ethics: Abraham and Moses - Portrait of Perfection - Summary 2The ‘Great Thing’ and the ‘Small Thing’: Mishneh torah as MicrocosmThe Divide in Mishneh torah - How Many Spheres Make a Universe? - The Spheres and the Commandments - The Commandment as Form - From ‘Knowledge That’ to ‘Knowledge Of’ - Origin of the Commandments - Performance of the Commandments and Immortality - Fourteen - Some Contrasts - Summary 3EmanationMaimonides on Emanation - ‘According to Greatness and Degree’ - First and Second Intention - The Love–Awe Polarity - The Hierarchy of Holiness - The Flow of Form from the Book of Knowledge - The Sacrifice Paradox - Mikveh as Metaphor - Summary4ReturnThe Ladder of the Commandments and the Ladder of Prophecy - From Dystopia to Utopia - Loss and Restoration - Rationalizing the Commandments: Mishneh torah versus the Guide - Why Is ‘Laws of Mourning’ Where It Is? - Summary5From Theory to History, via Midrash: A Commentary on ‘Laws of the Foundations of the Torah’, 6: 9 and 7: 3The Problem of ‘Laws of the Foundations of the Torah’, 6: 9 - How to Read - The Problem of ‘Laws of the Foundations of the Torah’, 7: 3 - Theory and History in the Prophet’s Epiphany - Mishneh torah as Prophecy - Summary6Conclusion: Mishneh torah as ParableThe Lost Language of the Commandments - A Jacob’s Ladder - Literary Devices - The Problem of Obsolescence - Silver and GoldAppendix I: The Books and Sections of Mishneh torahAppendix II: Philosophical BackgroundOutline of Neoplatonism - The World According to Alfarabi and AvicennaGlossaryBibliographyIndex of CitationsIndex of Subjects

Reviews‘David Gillis proves, not that Mishneh Torah 'also' contains philosophy over and above its halakhic content (as is often claimed), but that the very structure of the entire work reflects both Maimonides’ Neoplatonism and his artistry. This work will surely force a paradigm shift in the way in which Mishneh Torah is read and studied. It is written with the confidence of a mature and seasoned scholar, and with the verve of a master stylist: just as Gillis shows that Maimonides brought artistry to bear on the composition of Mishneh Torah, so does Gillis himself bring artistry to bear on the writing of this exciting book.’ Menachem Kellner

Mer från samma författare

Maimonides the Universalist

Menachem Kellner, David Gillis, University of Haifa) Kellner, Menachem (Chair of the Department of Philosophy and Jewish Thought, Shalem College & Jerusalem and Wolfson Professor Emeritus of Jewish Thought

Häftad

649 kr

Maimonides the Universalist

Menachem Kellner, David Gillis

Antony Polonsky, and Chief Historian of the Global Educational Outreach Project at the Museum of Polish Jews in Warsaw) Polonsky, Antony (Emeritus Professor of Holocaust Studies, Brandeis University

Häftad

629 kr