The Guide for the Perplexed
The Guide for the Perplexed (Arabic: دلالة الحائرين, romanized: Dalālat al-ḥā'irīn, דלאלת אלחאירין; Hebrew: מורה הנבוכים, romanized: Moreh HaNevukhim) is a work of Jewish theology by Maimonides. It seeks to reconcile Aristotelianism with Rabbinical Jewish theology by finding rational explanations for many events in the text.
Maimonides' autograph draft of Dalālat al-ḥā'irīn, written in Standard Arabic with Hebrew script, from the Cairo Genizah | |
Author | Moses Maimonides |
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Original title | דלאלת אלחאירין |
Country | Ayyubid Empire |
Language | Judeo-Arabic |
Genre | Jewish philosophy |
Publication date | c. 1190 |
Published in English | 1881 |
Media type | Manuscript |
181.06 | |
LC Class | BM545 .D3413 |
Original text | דלאלת אלחאירין at Hebrew Wikisource |
Translation | The Guide for the Perplexed at Wikisource |
It was written in Judeo-Arabic, a dialect of Classical Arabic using the Hebrew alphabet. It was sent originally, part after part, to his student, Rabbi Joseph ben Judah of Ceuta, the son of Rabbi Judah, and is the main source of Maimonides' philosophical views, as opposed to his opinions on Jewish law.
Since many of the philosophical concepts, such as his view of theodicy and the relationship between philosophy and religion, are relevant beyond Judaism, it has been the work most commonly associated with Maimonides in the non-Jewish world and it is known to have influenced several major non-Jewish philosophers. Following its publication, "almost every philosophic work for the remainder of the Middle Ages cited, commented on, or criticized Maimonides' views." Within Judaism, the Guide became widely popular, with many Jewish communities requesting copies of the manuscript, but also quite controversial, with some communities limiting its study or banning it altogether.