ABSTRACT
Maimonides’s The Guide of the Perplexed was a defense of the unity and incorporeality of the god of the Hebrew Bible. A similar synthesis of Jewish and philosophical materials can be traced throughout his writings and is not particular to The Guide. The Guide is intended primarily for Jews who are familiar with the sciences and philosophy, yet who remain perplexed by the literal meaning of Jewish law. The work is dedicated to his disciple Joseph ben Judah, who had studied under him for some time. What is significant about The Guide that it represents one of the most comprehensive and coherent syntheses of Jewish law, biblical interpretation, and philosophy. The Guide is also distinctive in the way that it presents the interconnected strands of truth. Instead of systematic exposition, Maimonides offers the wisdom of a teacher imparting knowledge to a student in a work that contains various levels of meaning.
