31 h 19 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What happens when the Torah you love and the philosophy you study seem to tell different truths?
Moses Maimonides writes to Joseph, a gifted student caught between devotion to the Torah and Greek and Arabic philosophy. This long letter becomes an inquiry into God, scripture and reason. Rather than simply telling Joseph what to do, Maimonides asks how words and ideas shape what he believes.
Across three parts, The Guide for the Perplexed examines biblical language, the world's origin, prophecy, suffering and the reasons behind Jewish law. Maimonides argues that descriptions of God's body are figurative and explores what human reason can establish. His teaching unfolds slowly, with questions scattered across chapters that ask for close attention.
What you’ll discover
- A student's divided loyalties Follow Joseph's struggle to reconcile his love of Torah with his philosophical learning.
- Words beyond the literal Explore why Maimonides reads biblical images of God's hands and throne as figurative language.
- The limits of knowledge Consider his argument that we can say what God is not, rather than what God is.
- Hard questions about suffering Examine Maimonides' view that much evil grows from ignorance, rather than from God.
- Reasons behind the commandments Discover how Maimonides turns to history when exploring the purposes of Jewish law.
Who will love it
For readers who love big questions about God, scripture and reason, and anyone curious about medieval Jewish, Islamic and Christian thought.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- The book is a letter to a troubled student
- God has no body, so words must be figurative
- We can say only what God is not
- Reason can prove that God exists
- The world's origin is unproven, so tradition decides
- Prophecy is a gift that must be prepared for
- Most evil comes from ignorance, not from God
- The commandments have reasons, and history explains many
- The highest worship is knowing and loving God
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Le Guide des égarés
by Moïse Maïmonide · 1190
A student caught between Torah and philosophy turns to Maimonides to see how faith and reason can share one house.
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In short
The Guide for the Perplexed is a work of philosophy and Bible interpretation by Moses Maimonides, the physician and rabbi who was born in Córdoba and ended his life in Egypt. He wrote it in Arabic, using Hebrew letters, in the late twelfth century.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
The book is a letter to a troubled student
Maimonides opens with a dedication to Joseph, a student who had studied with him in Egypt and then moved away. Joseph had a sharp mind and a deep respect for the law. He had also met the philosophy of Aristotle and its Arabic interpreters, and he could not see how to hold both. Maimonides writes the book for readers like him, who trust the Torah and trust their own reason, and who feel pulled apart.
He states his main aim early. It is to explain the hard words and parables of the Bible, the ones that seem to say that God has a body, feels anger, or sits on a throne. A simple reader takes these words literally and ends up with a false picture of God. A proud philosopher may decide the whole Bible is childish. Maimonides wants to offer a third path, in which the text is honored and the mind is satisfied.
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What is The Guide for the Perplexed about?
It is a medieval treatise by Maimonides on how to reconcile Jewish faith with philosophy. It explains the Bible's difficult words about God, discusses proofs of God's existence, prophecy, evil, providence, and gives reasons for the commandments.
Who was The Guide for the Perplexed written for?
Maimonides wrote it for a student named Joseph, who trusted the Torah but was troubled by philosophy. In a wider sense it is meant for educated believers who feel torn between religious tradition and the demands of reason.
What does negative theology mean in Maimonides?
It is the idea that we cannot truthfully say what God is, only what God is not. Describing God by positive qualities would suggest parts or likeness to humans, so denials of weakness or ignorance come closer to the truth.
The author
Moses Maimonides
1135–1204 · Medieval Jewish philosopher
Medieval Jewish philosopher from Spain.
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