Maimonides

The Life and World of One of Civilization's Greatest Minds

By: Joel L. Kraemer

Narrated by: Sean Pratt

This first definitive biography of Moses Maimonides, one of the most influential intellects in all of human history, illuminates his life as a philosopher, physician, and lawgiver.

Recalling such best sellers as David McCullough's John Adams and Walter Isaacson's Einstein, Maimonides is a biography on a grand scale, brilliantly explicating one man's life against the background of his time.

As a physician, Maimonides is associated with Hippocrates as a founder of modern medicine; his influence in philosophy is equal to that of Plato, Aristotle, Spinoza, and Kant; in religion, he is as significant as Moses, Martin Luther, and Saint Augustine; and as a lawgiver, he has been recognized by the United States Congress as one of the greatest alongside Hammurabi and Thomas Jefferson.

Now, in a dazzling work of scholarship, Joel Kraemer tells the complete story of Maimonides's rich life. Maimonides is at once a portrait of a great historical figure and an excursion into the Mediterranean world of the 12th century. Joel Kraemer draws on a wealth of original sources to re-create a remarkable period in history when Jewish, Christian, and Muslim traditions clashed and mingled in a setting alive with intense intellectual exchange and religious conflict.

Born in Muslim-ruled Spain in 1135, Moses Maimonides was deeply conversant with Arabic philosophy and literature. By the time he was thirty, he was known for his seminal works on the Jewish practices and law. In Egypt, his training as a physician earned him a place in the entourage of the great Sultan Saladin, and his books earned him respect and influenced generations of Christian, Muslim and Jewish thinkers.

©2008 Joel L. Kraemer (P)2009 Gildan Media Corp

Critic reviews

"There are few things all Jews can agree on, but one may be that there is no figure in Judaism in the last 1,000 years who is as revered as Moses ben Maimon (1135-1204), better known by the Greek form of his name, Maimonides. Joel L. Kraemer's extensive biography Maimonides brings this venerated rabbi and physician to life for a new generation." ( The Washington Post)

Thorough and scholarly

This is an amazingly well-researched and highly illuminating biography of one of the greatest thinkers in history. The author also provides abundant information about the world in which Maimonides lived. I cannot recommend this book to highly!

Much Too Long

But don't give up on it! It gets much better about half way through. Very well written with excellent narration. I'm so glad I stuck with it.

The man behind the legend is really nice!

My appreciation for Maimonides has been multiplied by this book, after learning about his life and achievements beyond the religious aspects. The man behind the legend is very interesting and amazing, giving the times and circumstances. Really worthwhile!

Perhaps better as a text

Would you try another book from Joel L. Kraemer and/or Sean Pratt?

Kraemer dropped so many references that while Pratt mentioned them, I had to pause frequently to look them up. I gained a lot of information, but I felt it would have been easier if I could have kept my notes with a text copy.

depth the the point of boredom

Is there anything you would change about this book?

More info on his writings, esp Mishnah torah and less on where he traveled and who he knew. The part of the role of a physician was insightful but I found the middle chapters to be a snooze.

Was Maimonides worth the listening time?

No