The Guide of the Perplexed

The classic translation of this most important medieval Jewish text, presented in one volume for the first time. The twelfth-century Arabic text The Guide of the Perplexed is a monument of biblical exegesis and is widely regarded as one of the most important works of Jewish philosophy. Written by the Sephardic Jewish rabbi Moses ben Maimon (commonly known as Maimonides), the Guide takes the form of a letter to a disciple who is perplexed by the attempt to square a literalist reading of scripture with reason, science, and tradition. Maimonides' instructive response proved liberative for generations of both Jewish and Christian philosophers and continues to inspire to this day.

Shlomo Pines's translation has served students and scholars for decades, and it is presented here, with Leo Strauss's influential introduction, in one volume for the first time.