Maimonides, << my MON ih deez, >> Moses (1135-1204), was the most important Jewish philosopher of the Middle Ages. Maimonides tried to demonstrate the compatibility of philosophy, as taught by the ancient Greek thinker Aristotle, with the Jewish tradition.
Maimonides’s principal philosophical work, The Guide for the Perplexed, was written in Arabic and completed in 1190. It draws on Aristotle’s works as transmitted by Greek and Muslim commentators. The Guide influenced Christian Aristotelian theologians, notably Saint Thomas Aquinas. In 1168, Maimonides completed a commentary to the Mishnah, the written version of traditional Jewish oral law. Maimonides completed the Mishneh Torah in about 1178. It became one of the most important Jewish law codes.
Maimonides was born on March 30, 1135, in Cordoba, Spain. His Hebrew name was Solomon ben Maimon. Maimonides was a doctor by profession. However, he dedicated himself to the Jewish community in Cairo, Egypt, where he lived the last part of his life, and to furthering the study and practice of Judaism. He died on Dec. 13, 1204.
