Converts, Heretics, and Lepers
Subtitle: Maimonides and the Outsider
Edition: 1 edition
Publisher: University of Notre Dame Press
Published: November 1, 2007
Language: eng
Format: Paperback
Number of pages: 368
ISBN-13: 9780268025922
Subjects: Jewish studies; Medieval & Scholastic philosophy; History Of Judaism; Medieval Philosophy; Religion; Religion - Judaism; Judaism - Sacred Writings; History & Surveys - Medieval; Judaism - History; Religious; God (Judaism); Other (Philosophy)
Description: James Diamond's new book consists of a series of studies addressing Moses Maimonides' (1138-1204) appropriation of marginal figures--lepers, converts, heretics, and others--normally considered on the fringes of society and religion. Each chapter focuses on a type or character that, in Maimonides' hands, becomes a metaphor for a larger, more substantive theological and philosophical issue. Diamond offers a close reading of key texts, such as the Guide of the Perplexed and the Mishneh Torah, demonstrating the importance of integrating Maimonides' legal and philosophical writings. Converts, Heretics, and Lepers fills an important void in Jewish studies by focusing on matters of exegesis and hermeneutics as well as philosophical concerns. Diamond's alternative reading of central topics in Maimonides suggests that literary appreciation is a key to deciphering Maimonides' writings in particular and Jewish exegetical texts in general. --Publisher description.