MAIMONIDES (Mösel ben Majnön). — Rabbi, philosopher, known by the abbreviation Rambam (R.M. B.M.), born on the eve of the Jewish Passover (30 March) 1135 in Córdoba, died in Egypt on 13 December 1204. His father, a disciple of the Talmudic school of Jishaq al-Fāsi, was a member of the rabbinical court. It was a period of flourishing spiritual life in Al-Andalus and Castile, with figures such as Ibn 'ERA (v.) and Judah Halevi (v.). The young M. acquired extensive knowledge in Hebrew and Arabic literature; but when he was 14 years old, the fanatical Almohads occupied the city, and the Jews were forced into exile or to convert to Islam (in 1148). Wandering, M. devoted himself to Arabic philosophy, astronomy, mathematics, and natural sciences, and especially to medicine. From Arabic sources, he learned Aristotelian philosophy.
Around 1160, he moved with his family to North Africa and settled in Fez. Here too, many Jews were forced to adopt Islam at least outwardly. A fanatic then circulated a writing in which it was claimed that a verbal adherence to Islam, even for those who continued to practice Judaism, constituted complete apostasy. Fearing that such a writing might turn verbal conversions into real ones, M. countered with his *Letter on Apostasy*, in which he argued that it was not a matter of embracing Islamic rites, but of pronouncing, temporarily, the formula of faith in Muhammad; apostasy, instead, meant the spontaneous renunciation of one's own convictions.
Soon after, M. and his family had to flee to Palestine (spring of 1165). After a perilous journey, they arrived in Acre. From there, they went to Jerusalem, and then to Hebron. From Palestine, they moved to Egypt, where they resided in Alexandria and later in Old Cairo (al-Fustāj). After the death of his brother David, M. took up the practice of medicine. From 1170 to 1180, he served as physician to the Egyptian sultan Saladin and his vizier. At the same time, he led the Jewish community of Cairo and was soon recognized as nāghīdh (or prince) among his Egyptian coreligionists. Many communities in the East sought his legal opinions, which were attributed binding authority. In 1168, after ten years of work, his friend completed the commentary on the Mishnah (v.) in Arabic. This work was repeatedly translated into Hebrew. Its purpose was to make the Mishnah intelligible independently of the discussion in the Gemara (v.). From the commentary, it is clear that dogmatics and ethics were of particular concern to him. In the final chapter of the commentary on the tractate Sanhedrin, he discusses the immortality of the soul and presents his thirteen articles of faith: 1) the existence of God as Creator, 2) the absolute unity of God, 3) His incorporeality, and 4) immutability, 5) His eternity and omnipotence, 6) the duty to serve only God, 7) the veracity of biblical prophecy and, in particular, the Mosaic revelation, 8) the inerrancy of the Torah, 9) its immutability, 10) God’s omniscience, 11) the justice of divine rewards, 12) the coming of the Messiah, and 13) the resurrection of the dead. In the introduction to the tractate *Abot*, M. discusses the soul and morality.
In Cairo, M. compiled a code titled *Mishneh Torah* (“Second Law”), which gathered all laws, dogmas, and ritual prescriptions. The code is written in clear Hebrew to facilitate religious practice: it is a compendium of the oral tradition as contained in the vast Talmudic literature. Completed in 1180, the work is divided into fourteen books; fourteen in Hebrew numerology corresponds to *yād* (hand), and thus the second title of the work is *Yad ha-Ḥazaqah* (“Strong Hand”). Chapter 1 (“Book of Knowledge”) is a philosophical exposition of Jewish dogmatics; the presentation is rationalistic in character: for M., messianism means human brotherhood.
M. wrote in Arabic a treatise on the 613 rabbinic commandments, sharply distinguishing between biblical and Talmudic prescriptions; Maimonides’ Code was much debated.
The principal philosophical work of M., which Gilson defines as “a true summa of Jewish scholastic theology,” is *Moreh Nevukhim*, “The Guide for the Perplexed” (v. GIUDAISMO). M. is also the author of various medical writings in Arabic.