Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 12.djvu/794

* MAIMENE. 706 MAIMONIDES. MAIMENE, niiiuc-na', or MAIMANA. A town in Northern AfglianisUin (Alaj): Afghanis- tan. J 3), about 180 miles northeast of Herat. Previous to 1874 it was the capital of an in- dependent khanate of the .same name, and an important commercial centre, with a popula- tion estimated at UO.OOO. In that J'ear, liow- ever, the city was captured and a large part of its inhabitants mas.sacred after a siege of si. months by the Afghans, who annexed the khanate to their territory. The town has now dwindled to a iUayc of about 2500 inhabitants. MAIMING (from maim, from OF. mehaigner, mahaifiiier. to maim, doublet of iiiai/livm : pos- sibly connected with Bret, machnna. to mutilate, or with OHG. maniiOn, inungalon, (Jcr. mangeln, to lack. Kng. munr/le). A modern statutory of- fense, generally consisting in the infliction of a permanent jjhysical injury to man or beast. In England the term is emi)loyed in the sense of mayhem (q.v.) when applied to injuries to hunum beings; but when ajiplied to malicious damage to cattle or other animals (see Malicious Damage Act, Neb. 18til, 24 and 2.5 Vict., c. 97, S§ 40. 41) it is used in the popular sense of mutilating. It bears this broader signification in n)0st .statutes in this country. The ofi'ensc is gen- erally dechu'od to be a felony when eonunitted against human beings or cattle, and a misdemea- nor when against other animals than cattle. Maim- ing one's self to escajie the j)erformance of some legal duty, or in order to excite sympathy and obtain alms, is punishable under many modern statutes. Consult: Bishop, Conimeniaries on the Law of Statutory Crimes (Chicago, 1001); Archbold's Pleading, Evidence, and I'ractice in Criminal Cases (London, 1900). MAIMON, mi'm.'.n. Salomon (17.54-1800). A .lewj^li (Icniian pliilnsophcr. horn in l^ithuania. Until 1770 lie devoted liimself to the Talmud, with promise of great ability; then he l)rokc with orthodox .Judaism by a critical commentary on the Moreh Xrhorhim of Maimonides. In Berlin, where he went in 1773, he became interested in WolfV's metaphysics, and was well received by Mendelssohn. Maimon's most important work was the ecdectic ]'ersuch einer Trnnscendental- philosophic (1790). His autobiography, edited by Moritz in 1792, was translated into English by Murray (1888). MAIMONIDES, mlmOn'i-dOz. proj)er!y Moses BEN Maimon hkx .Iosei'II, Arabic Ani' Amram Musa ibn JIai.min Oreid Allah al-Kortobi (113.5-1204). A great .Jewish scholar and i>hiloso- pher. He was born at Cordova, March 30. 113.5. I.ittle is known of his early life. Tie received his first instruction from his father, himself a learned man, and later devoted iiimsclf to the study of Greek (Aristotelian) pliilosophy, the science of medicine, and theology, under the 7nost distinguished Arabic masters of the time. When Abd al-Mumin. the .Mmohade ruler, captured Cordova in 1148 (see Almohades). all .Tews and Christians residing there were forced to embrace Islam or emigrate. ilaimonidcs's family out- wardly adopted the Mohammedan faith, or rather renounced the jniblic jirofession of .Tudaism, hut after a time, finding no sign of a change, re- solved to emigrate. In 1159 they were at Fez, in 1165 at Acre, and thence by way of .Jerusalem they proceeded to Cairo, where the father died. Mainionides's great knowledge of medicine soon gained him the position of physician to Saladin, the Sultan of Egypt, and by virtue of his rabbinic learning in 1177 he became Kabbi of Cairo. He died December 13, 1204. His liody was carried to Tiberias and in course of time his tomb became a phice of pilgrimage. Mainionides's imjiorlance for the religion and science of Judaism and his inlluenee upon their development gained for him the title of a "second Moses.' His activity ex- tended over the range of Jewish studies — theology, exegesis, and philosopliy. Imbued with the spirit of (ireek speculation, and aciiuaintcd with tlic best of Arabic thought, he endeavored to ex plain the Bible by the light of reason, and was the founder of a rational exegesis. When literal interpretation .seemed to jar upon the feeling of reverential awe clue to the Most High, he did not hesitate to substitute an allegorical inter- pretation. The most striking feature of his philosophical system is the close similarity to tliat of Averroes. It is a grand attempt to reconcile rabbinic Judaism with the prevailing Aristotelian system of thought, as modified hy Arabic philo.sophers. He diil'ers from Aristotle, however, in maintaining that creation by the divine will proceeded from nothing (rreatio ex nihilo) . He held to the freedom of the will, and condemned a life of asceticism, or dreamy al- beit pious contemplation. He taught that the body as well as the .soul should be developed and cared for. and hence the study of natural science and medicine is a matter of prime necessity. The soul, and the soul alone, is immortal, and Ihi' reward of virtue consists in its — strictly unbodily — liliss in a world to come; the punishment of vice is the 'loss of the soul.' Mainionides's first important work was an Arabic cnmmentary on the Mishna. called by him Sira;/ ( 'Illumination') and finished in 1108. It was translated into Hebrew, and for more than five centuries has been deemed so essential a part of the Talmud itself that no edition of the latter is considered complete without it. This was followed by the 'Book of Precepts.' in Arabic, which is to be considered as an introduction to the gigantic work which followed in 1180. in Ilelirew. under the title Misliiif Thora ('.Second T-aw': also called Yad Iia-Klin~(ikn, 'the Strong Hand'). It is a minute and systematic presentation of the .Tewish law as developed by the Talmud, and to it he devoted ten years of his life. The summit of his renown Jlaimonidcs attained in his Arabic Duhihit al-Hairin (Hebrew .1/ore yeb- iil.-him, 'Guide of the Perplexed'), a philosophical and rationalistic work on exegesis, finished C.1190. which led to a long and bitter contest be- tween the orthodox and liberal in .Judaism. His attempt to systematize the Talniudic precept also aroused opposition; and one result of it. unfore- seen by himself, was to increase the punctilious- ness in carrying out ceremonial observances. It was felt also that there was a lack of consistency between Maimonides the philosopher and Slaimo- nides the theologian, and it is indeed difficult to reconcile his rationalistic exegesis and hisuntram- nieled philosophical speculation with his attitude toward the minute ceremonies of rabbinic Juda- ism. Mnimonides's minor works include medical, mathematirnl. logical, and other treatises, legal decisions, theological disquisitions, etc. As early as the thirteenth century portions of his books in Latin translation were in use in European uni- versities, and the Guide of the Perplexed was