The Guide for the Perplexed

This has become one of my favourite non-fiction books. The Rambam (Maimonides) is an absolute giant of learning and explanations. In this volume, he presents many of the philosophical sides of Judaism which are rarely encountered.The text is divided into 3 books.The first book starts with discussing the use of homonyms in the Bible, especially in relation to describing God. The thesis that emerges is that it is only superficially that the Bible describes God as corporeal but the real doctrine precludes corporeality. The second topic discussed is the nature of esoteric study in Judaism and why it should only be taught in a restricted manner. The third topic is where Rambam protests against people using positive attributes to describe God and tries to prove that God is beyond such attributes. Then, he describes the Kalam argument (an Islamic school of thought that tried to prove the existence of God amongst other things) and points out his view of the flaws in it.The second book starts with a discussion of Aristotelian philosophy in terms of cosmology and metaphysics and compares that with Judaism, especially the mystical tradition. Rambam then gives his own view of the world structure which is at times very amusing in terms of what we know of science but still very interesting. Then, he describes the nature of prophecy and what exactly it meant to be a Biblical prophet.The third book opens with a hinted exposition of mystical passages in the Bible, such as Ezekiel's Chariot (Ezek Chap 1 and others). Then, he talks about God and the problem of Evil as well as providence. Finally, he describes the perfect worship of God as well as the purpose of most of the major commandments in the Torah. It is here that I could see why there was much opposition to the work from within the Jewish community - as he tends to provide unorthodox rationalisations that go against traditional expositions.As you cna see, he convers sooooo much that a serious believer or non-believer would wish to consider that it's an absolute gem. The translation is dense, both in language and print but at least it's accessible in terms of being in one volume as well as the price. If you can penetrate the at-times-archaic language, I think this book will greatly enrich your life.

This is volume one of a two volume set, so be sure to get both volumes. Volume one contains two interpretive essays, one by Leo Strauss and one by the translator, the former alone making this translation worthy of purchase, according to the Times Literary Supplement. Maimonides' work itself is an intentionally tangled web of reason, and casual readers will likely leave disappointed with its obscure style. Maimonides assumes a great deal of Scriptural knowledge and a familiarity with the most important commentators of his time. Nevertheless, for those willing to put in the effort both in learning the fundamentals of religion and in exploring an almost endless maze of logic, Maimonides will sketch the outlines of his view of philosophy and faith.

No one can deny that the Guide is the most important single work in the history of Jewish philosophy. Until this translation appeared it was available either in the original Arabic, a medieval Hebrew translation (difficult even for native Hebrew speakers) or in an unacceptable English translation (Friedlander). This translation is wonderful and if at times it is difficult it is because it tries to copy the ambiguities of the original. The only thing I could say against the edition is that the introductions of Pines (somewhat) and Strauss (totally) are idiosyncratic and not so helpful for the reader who does not share their views on Maimonides/

There is no translation of Maimonides' Guide which compares to this, and, although Pines is known to side more with the Strausian school, his views are rarely if at all worked into this translation. For Maimonidian studies, this is a must buy.