by Leo Strauss edited by Kenneth Hart Green introduction by Kenneth Hart Green
University of Chicago Press, 2013 Cloth: 978-0-226-77677-4 | eISBN: 978-0-226-77679-8 Library of Congress Classification B759.M34S76 2013 Dewey Decimal Classification 181.06
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC | REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
ABOUT THIS BOOK
Leo Strauss is widely recognized as one of the foremost interpreters of Maimonides. His studies of the medieval Jewish philosopher led to his rediscovery of esotericism and deepened his sense that the tension between reason and revelation was central to modern political thought. His writings throughout the twentieth century were chiefly responsible for restoring Maimonides as a philosophical thinker of the first rank. Yet, to appreciate the extent of Strauss’s contribution to the scholarship on Maimonides, one has traditionally had to seek out essays he published separately spanning almost fifty years.
With Leo Strauss on Maimonides, Kenneth Hart Green presents for the first time a comprehensive, annotated collection of Strauss’s writings on Maimonides, comprising sixteen essays, three of which appear in English for the first time. Green has also provided careful translations of materials that had originally been quoted in Hebrew, Arabic, Latin, German, and French; written an informative introduction highlighting the original contributions found in each essay; and brought references to out-of-print editions fully up to date. The result will become the standard edition of Strauss’s writings on Maimonides.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Leo Strauss (1899–1973) was one of the preeminent political philosophers of the twentieth century. He is the author of many books, among them The Political Philosophy of Hobbes, Natural Right and History, and Spinoza’s Critique of Religion, all published by the University of Chicago Press. Kenneth Hart Green is associate professor in the Department for the Study of Religion at the University of Toronto. He is the author of Jew and Philosopher: The Return to Maimonides in the Jewish Thought of Leo Strauss.
REVIEWS
“It is to the enduring credit of Leo Strauss that he effected a radical reconsideration of Maimonides. To be sure, philosophers have engaged Maimonides over the centuries, but none reached down so deep into his modus operandi. Strauss made clear the strategies pursued by Maimonides in his effort to convey discrete messages to different audiences, and that newly regained awareness of how Maimonides wrote—and hence needed to be read—gave rise to renewed vigorous debate.”
— Ralph Lerner, University of Chicago
“Since the appearance of Strauss’s writings, the small handful of academics familiar with Maimonides has expanded to a sizable group, including academics in medieval studies, religious studies, philosophy, and political science. For the debate about Strauss and his legacy, for coming to terms with Maimonides, and for broaching the dispute between reason and revelation, this collection is indispensable."
— Joshua Parens, University of Dallas
"If Maimonides allows readers a new beginning with respect to an understanding of philosophy, and if Strauss allows readers a similarly new beginning concerning Maimonides’ thought, then surely Green’s two impressive new volumes allow readers an analogous beginning concerning the thought of Leo Strauss as it pertains to the question of revealed Law and reason—or, as Strauss put it, 'Jerusalem and Athens.' . . . From his early Jew and Philosopher to his two new volumes, Green has argued in sustained fashion for the central importance of Maimonides to the thought of Strauss. These two books establish [that] beyond any doubt."
— International Journal for the Philosophy of Religion
“Do we need medieval wisdom, and to explore anew the foundations of modern rationalism? Green gives a resolutely positive answer to these questions in his comprehensive study on Leo Strauss’s lifelong exploration of Maimonides’s work. His study is written in a personal and pleasing style which makes it a fitting companion to his recent edition of Strauss’s complete writings on this twelfth-century Jewish leader, physician, and philosopher. . . . One more significant contribution by Green to our understanding of Strauss’s work and to the contemporary resources for thinking through the theologico-political problem.”
— Review of Politics
“[Strauss’s] numerous publications and lectures are required reading for any serious academic study of Maimonides and his works. . . . Now, thanks to the work of Green, all of those studies will be accessible in one beautifully edited volume.”
— Political Theory
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contents
Editor’s Preface
Acknowledgments
Editor’s Introduction
I - Point of Departure: Why Study Medieval Thinkers?
1. How to Study Medieval Philosophy
II - On Maimonides
2. Spinoza’s Critique of Maimonides
3. Cohen and Maimonides
4. The Philosophic Foundation of the Law
Appendix 4A
Appendix 4B
5. Some Remarks on the Political Science of Maimonide sand Farabi
6. The Place of the Doctrine of Providence according to Maimonides
7. Review of The Mishneh Torah, Book 1, by Moses Maimonides
8. The Literary Character of The Guide of the Perplexed
9. Maimonides’ Statement on Political Science
10. Introduction to Maimonides’ The Guide of the Perplexed
11. How To Begin To Study The Guide of the Perplexed
12. Notes on Maimonides’ Book of Knowledge
13. Note on Maimonides’ Treatise on the Art of Logic
14. Note on Maimonides’ Letter on Astrology
III - On Isaac Abravanel, the Last Medieval Maimonidean
15. On Abravanel’s Philosophical Tendency and Political Teaching
Appendix
Abbreviations
Sources and History of the Texts
Bibliography
Index
REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
If you are a student who cannot use this book in printed form, BiblioVault may be able to supply you
with an electronic file for alternative access.
Please have the accessibility coordinator at your school fill out this form.
by Leo Strauss edited by Kenneth Hart Green introduction by Kenneth Hart Green
University of Chicago Press, 2013 Cloth: 978-0-226-77677-4 eISBN: 978-0-226-77679-8
Leo Strauss is widely recognized as one of the foremost interpreters of Maimonides. His studies of the medieval Jewish philosopher led to his rediscovery of esotericism and deepened his sense that the tension between reason and revelation was central to modern political thought. His writings throughout the twentieth century were chiefly responsible for restoring Maimonides as a philosophical thinker of the first rank. Yet, to appreciate the extent of Strauss’s contribution to the scholarship on Maimonides, one has traditionally had to seek out essays he published separately spanning almost fifty years.
With Leo Strauss on Maimonides, Kenneth Hart Green presents for the first time a comprehensive, annotated collection of Strauss’s writings on Maimonides, comprising sixteen essays, three of which appear in English for the first time. Green has also provided careful translations of materials that had originally been quoted in Hebrew, Arabic, Latin, German, and French; written an informative introduction highlighting the original contributions found in each essay; and brought references to out-of-print editions fully up to date. The result will become the standard edition of Strauss’s writings on Maimonides.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Leo Strauss (1899–1973) was one of the preeminent political philosophers of the twentieth century. He is the author of many books, among them The Political Philosophy of Hobbes, Natural Right and History, and Spinoza’s Critique of Religion, all published by the University of Chicago Press. Kenneth Hart Green is associate professor in the Department for the Study of Religion at the University of Toronto. He is the author of Jew and Philosopher: The Return to Maimonides in the Jewish Thought of Leo Strauss.
REVIEWS
“It is to the enduring credit of Leo Strauss that he effected a radical reconsideration of Maimonides. To be sure, philosophers have engaged Maimonides over the centuries, but none reached down so deep into his modus operandi. Strauss made clear the strategies pursued by Maimonides in his effort to convey discrete messages to different audiences, and that newly regained awareness of how Maimonides wrote—and hence needed to be read—gave rise to renewed vigorous debate.”
— Ralph Lerner, University of Chicago
“Since the appearance of Strauss’s writings, the small handful of academics familiar with Maimonides has expanded to a sizable group, including academics in medieval studies, religious studies, philosophy, and political science. For the debate about Strauss and his legacy, for coming to terms with Maimonides, and for broaching the dispute between reason and revelation, this collection is indispensable."
— Joshua Parens, University of Dallas
"If Maimonides allows readers a new beginning with respect to an understanding of philosophy, and if Strauss allows readers a similarly new beginning concerning Maimonides’ thought, then surely Green’s two impressive new volumes allow readers an analogous beginning concerning the thought of Leo Strauss as it pertains to the question of revealed Law and reason—or, as Strauss put it, 'Jerusalem and Athens.' . . . From his early Jew and Philosopher to his two new volumes, Green has argued in sustained fashion for the central importance of Maimonides to the thought of Strauss. These two books establish [that] beyond any doubt."
— International Journal for the Philosophy of Religion
“Do we need medieval wisdom, and to explore anew the foundations of modern rationalism? Green gives a resolutely positive answer to these questions in his comprehensive study on Leo Strauss’s lifelong exploration of Maimonides’s work. His study is written in a personal and pleasing style which makes it a fitting companion to his recent edition of Strauss’s complete writings on this twelfth-century Jewish leader, physician, and philosopher. . . . One more significant contribution by Green to our understanding of Strauss’s work and to the contemporary resources for thinking through the theologico-political problem.”
— Review of Politics
“[Strauss’s] numerous publications and lectures are required reading for any serious academic study of Maimonides and his works. . . . Now, thanks to the work of Green, all of those studies will be accessible in one beautifully edited volume.”
— Political Theory
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contents
Editor’s Preface
Acknowledgments
Editor’s Introduction
I - Point of Departure: Why Study Medieval Thinkers?
1. How to Study Medieval Philosophy
II - On Maimonides
2. Spinoza’s Critique of Maimonides
3. Cohen and Maimonides
4. The Philosophic Foundation of the Law
Appendix 4A
Appendix 4B
5. Some Remarks on the Political Science of Maimonide sand Farabi
6. The Place of the Doctrine of Providence according to Maimonides
7. Review of The Mishneh Torah, Book 1, by Moses Maimonides
8. The Literary Character of The Guide of the Perplexed
9. Maimonides’ Statement on Political Science
10. Introduction to Maimonides’ The Guide of the Perplexed
11. How To Begin To Study The Guide of the Perplexed
12. Notes on Maimonides’ Book of Knowledge
13. Note on Maimonides’ Treatise on the Art of Logic
14. Note on Maimonides’ Letter on Astrology
III - On Isaac Abravanel, the Last Medieval Maimonidean
15. On Abravanel’s Philosophical Tendency and Political Teaching
Appendix
Abbreviations
Sources and History of the Texts
Bibliography
Index
REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
If you are a student who cannot use this book in printed form, BiblioVault may be able to supply you
with an electronic file for alternative access.
Please have the accessibility coordinator at your school fill out this form.
It can take 2-3 weeks for requests to be filled.
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC | REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE