Moses Ben Maimon (Latin: Maimonides, Arabic: Abu Imran Musa ibn Maymun ibn 'Ubayd Allah)

Jewish jurist, physician and philosopher, b. 30 March 1135 (Córdoba), d. 13 December 1204 (Egypt).

Moses Maimonides was from a prominent family of Córdoba, which at the time of his birth was ruled by the Almoravid dynasty. But the golden age of the Arab empires, which guaranteed religious freedom to Christians and Jews, was coming to an end - in 1148, when Moses was 13 years old, Córdoba was captured by the north African Berber dynasty of the Almohads, who forced everyone to convert to Islam or leave the city.

The Maimons chose to continue to practice their faith in secret, but after 11 years the double life proved too difficult, and in 1159 the family moved to Fez in Morocco in the hope that as strangers they could disguise themselves easier.

Moses took up his education again, following Jewish studies with Rabbi Judah ibn Shoshan, and studying Greek philosophy and medicine. In 1165, however, the Rabbi was accused of practicing the Jewish faith, found guilty and executed. The Maimons fled to Palestine and then to Cairo, where the sultan guaranteed freedom of religion.

Soon after the arrival in Cairo Moses' father died and his brother David, a jewellery trader, drowned in a shipwreck with the loss of the family fortune. Moses Ben Maimon decided to make use of his medical training and soon built himself such a reputation that he became the court physician to the sultan. He also maintained a private practice and lectured at the public hospital.

Throughout his life Maimonides kept an intense interest in philosophy and science and from the age of 16 produced many books and treatises. His major works were carefully composed and took many years until completion. Among them are:

• Kitab al-Siraj ("Commentary on the Mishna"), begun at the age of 23 and completed 10 years later. Written in Arabic, the work is an introduction and commentary to the Jewish collection of decisions in law from the times before the 3rd century known as Mishna. The introduction contained aspects of general philosophy in relation to Jewish law.
• Mishne Torah ("The Torah Reviewed"), begun at the age of 33 and completed after 10 years. Written in Hebrew, it was a complete compendium of Jewish law and gained great importance.
• Dalalat al-ha'irin ("The Guide of the Perplexed"), begun in 1176 and completed 15 years later. Originally written in Arabic, the work was translated into Hebrew during Maimonides lifetime as More nevukhim. Its theme is the reconciliation between science, philosophy and religion under what the author called a more rational Judaism. The work became known throughout Europe through translations into Latin and many European languages.

In addition to his philosophical and legal writings Maimonides also published works on medical problems. Amongst these is a work on general health rules dedicated to the sultan, which was well ahead of its time in its attitude to preventative health care.

Maimonides' acceptance of Greek philosophy and plea for more rationality caused opposition already during his lifetime. After his death Rabbi Solomon of Montpellier declared the Guide of the Perplexed a heretical book and had it burnt in 1233.

Reference

Ben Zion Bokser (1994) Maimonides. Encyclopaedia Britannica 15th edition.

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