Maimonides and the hermeneutics of concealment : deciphering scripture and midrash in the Guide of the perplexed / James Arthur Diamond.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Diamond, James Arthur.

Series:

SUNY series in Jewish philosophy

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Maimonides, Moses, 1135-1204. Dalālat al-ḥāʼirīn.

Maimonides, Moses.

Maimonides, Moses, 1135-1204.

Bible. Old Testament--Hermeneutics.

Bible.

Bible. Old Testament.

Midrash--History and criticism.

Midrash.

Hermeneutics.

Bible--Hermeneutics.

Interpretation of midrash.

Physical Description:

x, 235 pages ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Albany, N.Y. : State University of New York Press, [2002]

Summary:

Maimonides and the Hermeneutics of Concealment demonstrates the type of hermeneutic that the medieval Jewish philosopher Moses Maimonides (1138-1204) engaged in throughout his treatise, The Guide of the Perplexed. By comprehensively analyzing Maimonides' use of rabbinic and scriptural sources, James Arthur Diamond argues that, far from being merely prooftexts, they are in fact essential components of Maimonides' esoteric stratagem. Diamond's close reading of biblical and rabbinic citations in the Guide not only penetrates its multilayered structure to arrive at its core meaning, but also distinguishes Maimonides as a singular contributor to the Jewish exegetical tradition.

Contents:

Introduction: The Poetry of Midrash and Heterogeneity of Scripture 1

Chapter 1 Midrash on Midrash: Self-Reflexive Discourse in the Guide 13

Shir Hashirim Rabbah 1:8 and the Parabolic Method 13

Genesis Rabbah 9 and Flash Technique 20

Genesis Rabbah 27 and Prophetic Radicalism 23

Chapter 2 Intertextual Foils in the Guide: Jacob vs. The Married Harlot 29

Parabolic Precision vs. Parabolic Flourish 29

Solomon's Married Harlot as Foil to Jacob 31

Chapter 3 "The Lord hath forsaken the earth": An Interlude on the Dilemma of Providence in Maimonides 43

Chapter 4 Divine Immutability and Providence: Chapters I:10-15

Prelude to the Secret of Jacob's Ladder 49

I:10 Punishment as Cipher for Pre-eternal Will 52

I:11 The Sitting of Indifference 53

I:12 Rising and the Role of Metatron 54

I:13 Standing on the Mount of Olives: The Intellectualization of a Messianic Vision 65

I:14 Adam: Situating Man in the Providential Scheme 71

I:15 Moses: The Paragon of an Elitist Providence 78

Chapter 5 The Seven Units of Jacob's Ladder and Their Message 85

1 "Ladder" 85

2 "Set up on earth" 88

3 "And the top of it reached Heaven" 89

4 "Angels of God" (elohim) 107

5-6 "Ascending and descending" 113

7 "And behold the Lord stood above it" 120

The Coalescence of Three Interpretations 123

Chapter 6 Chapter III:24 of the Guide: "Trial"

The Bridge between Metaphysics and Law 131

Trial Passages 135

Omission of a Trial Passage: Bitter Waters and Perfect Law 147

The Quarry of Efficient Causality 149

Chapter 7 Reflections on the Ultimate Verses of the Guide 151

Conclusion: Text and Prooftext: An Abrahamic/Mosaic Joint Venture toward Enlightenment 159.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 209-222) and index.

ISBN:

0791452476

0791452484

OCLC:

47168767