Sor 1 Judaism
Religious Tradition Depth Study – Judaism Significant People and Ideas
1. The contribution to Judaism of ONE significant person or school of thought, other than Abraham or Moses, drawn from: * Moses Maimonides
Explain the contribution to the development and expression of Judaism of ONE significant person OR school of thought, other than Abraham or Moses, drawn from: * Moses Maimonides
* Social and cultural background and influences: * Maimonides (aka Moshe ben Maimon or RaMBaM) was a religious rationalist (e.g. he rejected the literal interpretation of the Bible), philosopher and chief Rabbi of Egypt (appointed in 1178 at 42 y/o). His writings enriched Medieval Judaism by giving it a new philosophical language. * During his time Judaism faced two major threats:
1. Islam dominated Judaism; Jews were considered second-class citizens 2. The revival of classical learning and Greek philosophy which threatened Monotheism
Maimonides was a renowned Talmudist, his major contributions to Jewish law were his writings; of particular importance/significance are his three major books:
* The Mishnah Torah: * A legal work: a code of Jewish law with the widest-possible scope and depth gathering all the binding laws from the Talmud. ( a summary of the Talmud) * Composed of 14 books written in easy to read and understand Hebrew * It does not include debate, discussion, minority opinion etc as found in Talmud. * Many Jews felt it would lead to people no longer studying Talmud. * Provided and accessible reference to the code to determine right paths of behavior in any given situation * It was recognized as a monumental contribution to the systemized writing of Halakha. Throughout the centuries, it has been widely studied and its halakhic decisions have weighed heavily in later rulings. * Summary of contents: * 1st book: Book of knowledge contains laws concerning belief in God, idolatry, repentance
1. The contribution to Judaism of ONE significant person or school of thought, other than Abraham or Moses, drawn from: * Moses Maimonides
Explain the contribution to the development and expression of Judaism of ONE significant person OR school of thought, other than Abraham or Moses, drawn from: * Moses Maimonides
* Social and cultural background and influences: * Maimonides (aka Moshe ben Maimon or RaMBaM) was a religious rationalist (e.g. he rejected the literal interpretation of the Bible), philosopher and chief Rabbi of Egypt (appointed in 1178 at 42 y/o). His writings enriched Medieval Judaism by giving it a new philosophical language. * During his time Judaism faced two major threats:
1. Islam dominated Judaism; Jews were considered second-class citizens 2. The revival of classical learning and Greek philosophy which threatened Monotheism
Maimonides was a renowned Talmudist, his major contributions to Jewish law were his writings; of particular importance/significance are his three major books:
* The Mishnah Torah: * A legal work: a code of Jewish law with the widest-possible scope and depth gathering all the binding laws from the Talmud. ( a summary of the Talmud) * Composed of 14 books written in easy to read and understand Hebrew * It does not include debate, discussion, minority opinion etc as found in Talmud. * Many Jews felt it would lead to people no longer studying Talmud. * Provided and accessible reference to the code to determine right paths of behavior in any given situation * It was recognized as a monumental contribution to the systemized writing of Halakha. Throughout the centuries, it has been widely studied and its halakhic decisions have weighed heavily in later rulings. * Summary of contents: * 1st book: Book of knowledge contains laws concerning belief in God, idolatry, repentance