ABSTRACT
As a philosopher, Maimonides belongs to the Hellenistic tradition. Philosophy in its stricter sense began with the Greeks. This does not mean that there was not a great deal of wisdom before the Greeks. Indeed, the Greeks acknowledged the fact that they had learned wisdom from the Egyptians and Babylonians. As philosophers, Ibn Gabirol and Maimonides belong to the school tradition, just as Alexander of Hales, Albertus Magnus, St. Thomas and Roger Bacon continued it north of the Pyrenees with a Christian accent. All of these men tried to harmonize their respective religions with the philosophic tradition. In the end, however, Maimonides is more interested in removing anthropomorphic ideas concerning God than to prove his existence. The people that he is addressing believe in God, in the Bible, and in science. Maimonides is interested in clarifying their views. Clearly, the substance of Maimonides’ thoughts is much more Hellenic or Hellenistic than Hebrew.
