Maimonides, Spinoza And Us
Toward an Intellectually Vibrant Judaism
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- $20.99
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- $20.99
Publisher Description
A challenging look at two great Jewish philosophers, and what their thinking means to our understanding of God, truth, revelation and reason. Moses Maimonides (11381204) is Jewish histories greatest exponent of a rational, philosophically sound Judaism. He strove to reconcile the teachings of the Bible and rabbinic tradition with the principles of Aristotelian philosophy, arguing that religion and philosophy ultimately must arrive at the same truth. <Baruch Spinoza (163277) is Jewish history most illustrious heretic. He believed that truth could be attained through reason alone, and that philosophy and religion were separate domains that could not be reconciled. His critique of the Bible and its teachings caused an intellectual and spiritual upheaval whose effects are still felt today. Rabbi Marc D. Angel discusses major themes in the writings of Maimonides and Spinoza to show us how modern people can deal with religion in an intellectually honest and meaningful way. From Maimonides, we gain insight on how to harmonize traditional religious belief with the dictates of reason. From Spinoza, we gain insight into the intellectual challenges which must be met by modern believers.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Many books and articles are devoted to the biographies and ideas of the two great Jewish philosophers, Maimonides (1138 1204) and Spinoza (1632 1677). Angel comes up with the laudable notion of comparing and contrasting their views in a single volume. This is a bold venture, since he is an Orthodox rabbi and his predecessors in the Amsterdam Jewish community excommunicated Spinoza as a heretic in 1656, just two years after the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue was founded in New Amsterdam (now New York). Angel, born into Seattle's Sephardic community, became the New York synagogue's rabbi in 1969 and now serves as rabbi emeritus. Although he is respectful of many notions advocated by Spinoza, Angel makes clear his preference for the thinking of Maimonides. He explores what each of them had to say about faith, reason, God, Torah, superstition, and the relationship between Jews and non-Jews, invariably advocating the positions espoused by Maimonides. This thoughtful presentation will appeal to everyone interested in religion, Judaism, theology, and philosophy.
