Maimonides On Prophecy

Insights into the essence of God are revealed in Scripture through the visions and dreams of the prophets. In his monumental work, The Guide of the Perplexed, Maimonides set forth a brilliant and insightful explication of prophecy and its fundamental position within Jewish thought. Maimonides. on Prophecy: A Commentary on Selected Chapters of The Guide of the Perplexed is a penetrating analysis of several key sections of the Rambam’s influential and historic work.



David Bakan examines four specific sections of The Guide of the Perplexed: the Introduction to Part I, Maimonides’ explicit exposition of the two creation stories in Genesis (Maaseh Bereshit), commentary on the Sabbath and about the nature of God, and the Introduction to Part III and an exploration of Ezekiel’s visions (Maaseh Merkabah).



This volume makes especially notable contributions in previously undelineated areas. First, the author demonstrates that Jewish philosophy and Jewish mysticism are not distinct studies. Rather, they are influenced by one another and are both components of an identical pursuit, namely, the understanding of Jewish prophecy.



Secondly, Bakan’s examination of Maimonides’ theological techniques of analyzing prophetic dreams is based on the psychological interpretation of ordinary dreams developed by Sigmund Freud.



Finally, this volume reveals how Maimonides’ philosophy links the concepts of creation and the Sabbath. Bakan contends that Maimonides considered the two creation stories in Genesis as recounting two types of creation, the origin of the physical universe and the propagation of the human race, and that the Sabbath mediates between the two.



Maimonides on Prophecy is essential for all readers who seek to comprehend the writings of the Rambam.