“Reading Lobel’s book, one gets a vivid impression of scholarship as a joint venture and a communal affair. The reader will not find in her study breakthroughs and new directions that are going against the current of the main scholarly stream. Rather, the book presents thoughtful and stimulating discussions that elaborate, reinforce, and complement investigations made by other scholars in the field.”
— Ehud Krinis, Speculum: A Journal of Medieval Studies“…Moses and Abraham Maimonides: Encountering the Divine, offers us a far more nuanced comparison of Abraham and Moses Maimonides than we have previously seen. Lobel presents a valuable portrait of the interplay between Maimonides’s philosophy and his inner religious life and spiritual practices. …Lobel’s book provides an excellent comparison between the thought of Moses and Abraham Maimonides. Her contributions to the scholarship, though subtle and nuanced, are certainly important. It is definitely a worthwhile read for anyone interested in Moses or Abraham Maimonides. …She identifies nuanced differences and puts to rest facile oversimplifications. It is the start of the study, though, not the end. There remain important questions that, as Pines wrote, ‘“need further investigation.’””
— David Fried,
The Lehrhaus"The book explores how the mystical son Abraham integrates but creatively departs from the rational approach of his father. … The book achieves its mission to delineate how the father and son envision differently the encounter with the divine based on their respective rational and mystic commitments. This clearly written book draws on primary and secondary sources along with knowledge of Judeo-Arabic. Bibliographical references and indexes are included. This title is highly recommended for libraries with related academic collections."
— David B. Levy, AJL News and Reviews, July/August 2022
“Diana Lobel’s meticulous scholarship has enriched our
knowledge of the realm of the ‘between,’ particularly between philosophy and
mysticism, and between Jewish and Islamic thought. ... Lobel’s current
study, Moses and Abraham Maimonides: Encountering the Divine follows in
its predecessors’ tradition of meticulous scholarship, combined with sensitive
and incisive reading of a broad variety of primary sources and contemporary
academic research. The book, written in a clear and unencumbered style
(despite the technical terms and ideas with which it deals), makes a persuasive
case for understanding the differences between Moses Maimonides and his son
Abraham.”
—Raphael Jospe, Author, Torah and Sophia: The Life and
Thought of Shem Tov ibn Falaquera; Jewish Philosophy in the Middle Ages;
and What is Jewish Philosophy?
“Professor Lobel tells an extraordinary story about Moses
Maimonides (1138-1204), the great Jewish Aristotelian philosopher, and his
brilliant son Abraham (1186-1237), who loved his father dearly, understood his
philosophy profoundly, and defended it against all critics, but chose for
himself the way of mystic enlightenment.”
—Warren Zev Harvey, Professor Emeritus, Department of Jewish
Thought, Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Author, Physics and Metaphysics in Ḥasdai
Crescas
“Diana Lobel’s elegantly written and deeply learned study of
a father and son, both of whom passionately sought to encounter the Divine,
makes one realize that had circumstances been kinder to Abraham Maimonides’
legacy, Jews might be accustomed to say ‘From Abraham to Abraham there arose
none like Abraham,’ in addition to declaring ‘From Moses to Moses there arose
none like Moses.’ Keeping our attention focused firmly on the texts,
Professor Lobel shows how Abraham Maimonides paid his father the ultimate
compliment by treating him as a model to be emulated, and not as a ‘rebbe’ to
be blindly copied. This book offers us a fascinating glimpse into two visions
of what it means to encounter the Divine.”
—Menachem Kellner, Chair, Dept. of Philosophy and Jewish
Thought, Shalem College, Jerusalem; Wolfson Professor of Jewish Thought
Emeritus, University of Haifa; Author, Maimonides’ Confrontation with
Mysticism
“Diana Lobel offers an intricate but accessible analysis of the Maimonidean Duo’s subtle reflections as they delve into evocative theological metaphors. They do so in dialogue with a constellation of influential but too little appreciated early medieval Jewish and Muslim sources, and with important connections/cross-references to Sufi spirituality… Lobel’s narrative pays welcome careful attention to richly metaphorical and allegorical discourse as an essential exegetical tool of both father and son.
Of particular importance is her frequent acknowledgement of Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (d. 1111), one of the most influential of major Muslim theological minds. The result is that this volume will have the added benefit of offering undergraduate and graduate religious studies students a fine introduction to the history of medieval Mediterranean Judeo-Islamic interreligious dialogue.
Lobel finishes with a succinct summary of similarities and differences between father and son: both speak of ‘worship that culminates in passionate love and awe.’ But father sees that consummation as mediated by ‘intellectual communion with the divine’ and leaving the seeker amazed at ‘what the intellect can and cannot fathom.’ Acknowledging the essential role of the affective dimension, son is persuaded that both divine Light and Name ‘offer a radiant glimpse of God’s exalted being.’”
—John Renard, Professor Emeritus of Theological Studies, Saint Louis University; author, Rumi: A Life in Pictures; author/translator, Knowledge of God in Classical Sufism: Foundations of Islamic Mystical Theology
