This monument of rabbinical exegesis, written at the end of the twelfth century, has exerted an immense and continuing influence upon Jewish thought. It has also been a formative element in the thinking of leading Christian writers and philosophers down through the seventeenth century. The "Guide" is not a philosophical treatise. Rather, its aim is to liberate men from the tormenting perplexities arising from their understanding of the Bible according only to its literal meaning. This celebrated translation is now available in a two-volume Phoenix paperback edition. Professor Pines's work far excels any previous rendering of the "Guide" into a Western language. Maimonides claimed that every word he used was chosen with infinite care. To translate the original Arabic with its frequent Hebrew words and phrases therefore requires consummate skill. Professor Pines has preserved the linguistic flavor, the ambiguities and implications, and at the same time achieved verbal accuracy. This edition has the additional merit of providing extensive introductions by Professor Pines and the late Leo Strauss, a leading authority on Maimonides.
by Moses Maimonides
Translated by Shlomo Pines