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Author:   David Gillis
Publisher:   Liverpool University Press
Imprint:   The Littman Library of Jewish Civilization
Dimensions:   Width: 15.50cm , Height: 4.30cm , Length: 23.50cm
Weight:   0.880kg
ISBN:  

9781906764067

ISBN 10:   1906764069
Pages:   464
Publication Date:   08 January 2015
Audience:   General/trade ,  College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  General ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

List of tables Note on Transliteration Note on Sources and Conventions Introduction: A Portrait of the Artist The 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, Artist 1 In God’s Image Two 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    2 The ‘Great Thing’ and the ‘Small Thing’: Mishneh torah as Microcosm The 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   3 Emanation Maimonides 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 - Summary 4 Return The 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? - Summary 5 From Theory to History, via Midrash: A Commentary on ‘Laws of the Foundations of the Torah’, 6: 9 and 7: 3 The 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 - Summary 6 Conclusion: Mishneh torah as Parable The Lost Language of the Commandments - A Jacob’s Ladder - Literary Devices - The Problem of Obsolescence - Silver and Gold Appendix I: The Books and Sections of Mishneh torah Appendix II: Philosophical Background Outline of Neoplatonism - The World According to Alfarabi and Avicenna Glossary Bibliography Index of Citations Index of Subjects

Reviews

`A brilliant piece of work . . . it will have a major impact on the study of Maimonides and on the larger realm of Jewish and cosmopolitan scholarship . . . Gillis pries open a window that affords broad vistas of forests, valleys, mountains, and the heavens themselves.' - Lenn E. Goodman `Novel, fresh, and creative as well as cogently argued. It is an original contribution to the study of Maimonides in particular and of medieval Jewish thought in general . . . shows how philosophy informs the entire Mishneh Torah from beginning to end in an exquisite structure that is Aristotelian in number and Plotinian in order . . . Gillis does not just present purely theoretical theses but applies them in order to resolve some of the problems that have engaged both scholars and the rabbinic world in making sense of various anomalies, inconsistencies, and contradictions in the Maimonidean corpus.' - James A. Diamond `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

Author Information

David Gillis is an independent scholar and author of Reading Maimonides Mishneh Torah, also published by the Littman Library.

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