Maimonides

Maria Angeles Gallego

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 6.1.2: Middle-Eastern Arabic Writing and Culture: Classical and Post-Classical, 700-1300.
Vol. editors: Ziad Elmarsafy (King's College London), Claire Gallien (Université Paul Valéry Montpellier 3), Rita Sakr (Maynooth University), Anastasia Valassopoulos (University of Manchester)

Dates

Born c. 1135
Died 1204
Activity c. 1180-1204

Places

Born in Andalusia
Active in Spain

Activities

Primary

Philosopher
Religious writer

Resources

Maimonides' Works

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Moses ben Maimon (born Cordova 1135 or 1138 CE; died Fustat (Cairo) 1204 CE) is known as RaMBaM (acronym of Rabbi Mosheh ben Maimon) in Rabbinic literature, Abu Imran Musa ibn Abd Allah al-Kurtubi in the Arabic tradition, and as Maimonides in Western literature. He was one of the most prominent Jewish legal theorists and philosophers of all times. An old Jewish saying has it that “From Moses [the prophet] to Moses [ben Maimon], there was none like Moses”.

Maimonides was born in Muslim Spain (al-Andalus), in the city of Cordova, into a distinguished Jewish family, his father being a prestigious dayyan (rabbinic judge). He received his first education in his native town, from both Jewish rabbinic authorities and Muslim teachers, the former being responsible for his learning of Jewish

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2200 words

Citation: Gallego, Maria Angeles. "Maimonides". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 13 April 2007 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=2883, accessed 24 November 2024.]