ABSTRACT
Prominent Hispanic Jewish philosopher, physician, jurist, and rabbi. The philosophical writings of Maimonides influenced Jewish and non-Jewish thinkers throughout the medieval world and beyond. A significant contributor to medical literature, he is best known for clarifying Jewish law in his Mishneh Torah (The Torah Reviewed) and for addressing difficult religious and philosophical questions in his Guide for the Perplexed. He spent most of his life in Cairo, leading the Egyptian Jewish community and serving as court physician to Saladin’s grand vizier there, al-Fadil. He is regarded by many as the greatest of all Jewish philosophers, and his writings remain central to Jewish thought.
