Maimonides
(History of Medicine ... 5)
His Hebrew name was Moshe ben-Maimon, in Arabic he was Musa ibn Maymun. In Latin he became Maimonides. He was an important medieval Jewish philosopher, one of the greatest Bible scholars and physicians of the Middle Ages. He was born in Córdoba, Spain, in 1135, and died in Egypt in 1204.
He wrote so extensively that Abraham Joshua Heschel, a 20th Century Jewish philosopher, used to say that “if we did not know that Maimonides is the name of a man, we might think it was the name of a university.”
When the Almohads conquered Córdoba in 1148 Maimonides’ family escaped to Morocco an then the Holy Land and then Egypt, where he later became the Sultan’s physician. He wrote ten medical books, all published in Arabic. He described many conditions including asthma, diabetes, hepatitis, and pneumonia, and emphasized moderation and a healthy life style. His treatises became influential for many generations of physicians. He knew the Arabic translations of Greek and Persian medicine, and was influenced by Hippocrates, Galen and Avicenna. He did not, however, accept all of the published statements, often relying on his own observations. He was also a champion of medical ethics.
As a philosopher, he was influenced by Aristotle and attempted to reconcile Judaism and Greek philosophy. His concepts formed the basis for Tomas Aquinas’ reconciliation of Greek philosophy and Christianity.
His Hebrew name was Moshe ben-Maimon, in Arabic he was Musa ibn Maymun. In Latin he became Maimonides. He was an important medieval Jewish philosopher, one of the greatest Bible scholars and physicians of the Middle Ages. He was born in Córdoba, Spain, in 1135, and died in Egypt in 1204.
He wrote so extensively that Abraham Joshua Heschel, a 20th Century Jewish philosopher, used to say that “if we did not know that Maimonides is the name of a man, we might think it was the name of a university.”
When the Almohads conquered Córdoba in 1148 Maimonides’ family escaped to Morocco an then the Holy Land and then Egypt, where he later became the Sultan’s physician. He wrote ten medical books, all published in Arabic. He described many conditions including asthma, diabetes, hepatitis, and pneumonia, and emphasized moderation and a healthy life style. His treatises became influential for many generations of physicians. He knew the Arabic translations of Greek and Persian medicine, and was influenced by Hippocrates, Galen and Avicenna. He did not, however, accept all of the published statements, often relying on his own observations. He was also a champion of medical ethics.
As a philosopher, he was influenced by Aristotle and attempted to reconcile Judaism and Greek philosophy. His concepts formed the basis for Tomas Aquinas’ reconciliation of Greek philosophy and Christianity.
Maimonides stated unequivocally that God does not violate Nature’s laws and that miracles are natural phenomena whose explanations are unknown to us. After his death he was recognized as one of the greatest philosophers in Jewish history, but he met with intense opposition during his life.
The following prayer has a very special meaning to me:
The following prayer has a very special meaning to me:
“May there never develop in me the notion that my education is complete but give me the strength and leisure and zeal continually to enlarge my knowledge.”
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