Maimonides, known after the initial letters of his Hebrew name as Rambam, is generally acknowledged to be the greatest Jewish philosopher, Talmudist, and codifier in the Middle Ages.
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Texts and Traditions
Various movements within the religion have been viewed heretical by those who disagreed with them.
Maimonides' theological principles were never unanimously embraced.
In the Torah, faith in God means trust, not belief in particular propositions.
Thinkers who believed they were unearthing existing wisdom, not creating new ideas.
It is difficult to speak of a single or official Jewish worldview, theology, or philosophy.
Modern Insights
A significant figure in the history of philosophy, excommunicated by the Jewish community.
Jewish thinkers have both embraced and directly reacted to foreign ideas and philosophies.
Herald of the Jewish Enlightenment.
The creation of a Jewish existentialism--and a Jewish state.
Heschel aimed to shock modern people out of complacency and into a spiritual dimension.
Major Thinkers
A Spanish poet, philosopher, and proto-Zionist.
Solomon Ibn Adret wrote numerous medieval responsa.
An introduction to the life and work of an early medieval spiritual leader.
Theologian who stressed the ethical center of Judaism.
A teacher, writer, and community leader who helped to shape modern Orthodoxy in America.
Books and People
Edited by Daniel Frank, Oliver Leaman, Charles H. Manekin
By Dan Cohn-Sherbok
His Duties of the Hearts stressed the inwardness of Judaism.
A Jewish sensibility encounters Western thought and ethics.
How much do you know about Jewish thinkers and thought?