Adaptions and innovations: studies on the interaction between Jewish and Islamic thought and literature prom the early middle ages to the late twentieth century

摘要

Joel Kraemer, John Henry Barrows Professor Emeritus at the University of Chicago, is renowned for his work in two principal fields - the history of Islamic thought and culture, and the life of the leading Jewish philosopher of the medieval Islamic world, Moses Maimonides. The twenty articles presented in this excellent volume represent broadly these two particular areas of interest, being mainly concerned with the intersection of Jewish and Islamic ideas, with cross-pollination on a philosophical and literary level, and, to a lesser degree, with the approach taken by more recent Jewish scholarship of Islam.rnFittingly, given Kraemer's tremendous contribution to the field, a number of the studies focus upon Maimonides. These include Michael Schwarz on his use of the term al-fiqh, Sarah Pessin on his interpretation of the teacher's role, and an interesting piece by Miriam Galston on the modern relevance of Maimonides' legal writings. In tune with the theme of the volume, three studies deal specifically with Averroes and Maimonides: Alfred Ivry on 'conjunction' in both philosophers' works, Ralph Lerner on the call for philosophy, and Barry Kogan on the two philosophers' approaches to scripture. This last article, the longest in the volume, culminates in a convincing challenge to the traditional scholarly belief that Maimonides was unaware - at least before he wrote the Guide for the Perplexed - of Averroes' work.