The article seeks to investigate the doctrine of prophecy in Maimonides'legal-philosophical production. The resulting perspective is far from uniform. In works intended for the Jewish people, the art of prophesying is presented as the exclusive prerogative of God's messengers, while impostors and false prophets are those who claim to inform us about future through the perverse practices of divination and magic. In the Guide of the Perplexed, the predictive forms find a scientific and rational explanation, as they are rooted in the faculty of the imagination: it is a matter of quantity of perfection with which the faculty is imbued that marks the difference.
Between Impiety and Holiness: The Art of Prophecy in Maimonides
Marienza Benedetto
2020-01-01
Abstract
The article seeks to investigate the doctrine of prophecy in Maimonides'legal-philosophical production. The resulting perspective is far from uniform. In works intended for the Jewish people, the art of prophesying is presented as the exclusive prerogative of God's messengers, while impostors and false prophets are those who claim to inform us about future through the perverse practices of divination and magic. In the Guide of the Perplexed, the predictive forms find a scientific and rational explanation, as they are rooted in the faculty of the imagination: it is a matter of quantity of perfection with which the faculty is imbued that marks the difference.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
