Page:Mind (Old Series) Volume 11.djvu/111

 100 CRITICAL NOTICES : The unique position occupied by Maimonides is not entirely due to his philosophical superiority over other Jewish thinkers. Saadia, Ibn Gebirol, Behai, Jehudah Halevi, Ibn Ezra and Ger- sonides, are philosophers who at tunes excel Maimonides in breadth and even more frequently in subtlety. Yet only one of these is known to any but Jewish scholars, while the bulk of his own brethren as well as of cultured Europe have heard at least Maimonides's name. Maimonides would, in the first place, have been famous without writing the Guide. For in his great work, the Strong Hand, he had systernatised the literature of Judaism he had reduced to order the mass of Eabbinical history, ethics and law known as the Talmud. Maimonides was thus a Eabbi of the Eabbis, and had attained highest rank in Eabbinical coin- position. When, therefore, he compiled a systematic exposition of his philosophy, he spoke not so much from an individual stand- point as from the standpoint of Judaism ; it was not Maimouides who discoursed, but the author of the Strom/ Hand. Hence the violence, too, of the opposition which the Guide aroused. Ibn Ezra, like most eminent Jewish authors, dabbled in philosophy, but did not reduce his views to system ; Jehudah Halevi has the semblance of system without the reality ; Saadia is systematic but within limits too narrow to truly deserve the epithet. Maimo- nides was much exercised by this fault which, especially as re- gards the legal literature of his brethren, he strongly condemned. If space permitted, I think it would be easy to account for this deficiency, if such it be. The absence of a permanent home, and acceptance of the Bible as the whole philosophy of life, may be mentioned as contributory causes. It must not, however, be thought that the Guide can be unreservedly described as syste- matic : it is that, but only relatively to the author's objects. He clearly states his aims to examine into the metaphysical meaning of Scripture, to criticise the Kalam, to prove the doctrine of Crea- tion, and to investigate the relations between God and the Uni- verse ; aiid he fairly succeeds in carrying them out. ' ' In this work," he says, when half way through his task, "it is not my intention to copy the books of the philosophers, or to explain difficult problems, but only to mention those propositions which are closely connected with our subject." * Throughout, he adheres to his expressed intention 2 of addressing himself only to readers in whom might be presupposed a certain acquaintance with theo- logy and philosophy, but who might find themselves unable to re- concile their conflicting doctrines. A strange though not alto- gether unparalleled fact may be here noted, //::., that from the very part of the Guide which goes beyond the original design the "Appendix," as Dr. Friedlsender aptlterrns y it the author's work is best known. Joseph Ibn Akiiim had been at one time a personal pupil of the 1 ii. 9. 2 Cp. i. 6, 117 ff.