Introduction to Maimonides: Same God Without Incarnation and Resurrection? HS-H 380; BA[V]ST; MRC-VM1e,VM3e,FM3,VM5c; MEd A/F) - Detailseite

Please note: The first class meeting will be on zoom and a zoom link can be found on the Moodle site for the course.

It is often difficult to consider Christian and Jewish theology—similarities, differences, reciprocal illuminations—given the complex, sometimes tragic history. In this course, we will study the work of Moses Maimonides, the most influential of medieval Jewish philosophers and an astonishingly modern thinker, in order to reflect on the nature of the transcendent, the cosmos, and possible interaction between the two. How does Maimonides’s philosophical theology reflect on classic philosophy and Christian theology? Where is there overlap, incompatibilities, and how can knowledge of one illuminate our understanding of the other two?

Readings will be in English and will include selections from The Guide for the Perplexed and The Mishneh Torah, both by Maimonides, and secondary literature by such philosophers as Moshe Halbertal, Herbert Davidson, Josef Stern, Isadore Twersky, Menachem Kellner, Alexander Altmann, among others.

The class will be given in English, but Prof. Pally understands German. Students may talk and ask questions in both languages.

Teilnahmevoraussetzungen: no pre-requisites

Moodle Passcode: perplexed

To earn a 'Schein', students must make one presentation to the class.

Students may speak to Prof. Pally about additional exams or papers to fulfill degree requirements.