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Rabbi Moses ben Maimon, known in Hebrew literature as the RaMBaM and in western culture since the Renaissance as Maimonides, is perhaps the most famous and resplendent figure of medieval Judaism. His fame is a direct result of the quality and quantity, scope and originality, magnetism and fascination of his writings. For Maimonides- born in Cordova, Spain (1135/8); died in Cairo (Fustat), Egypt (1204) - was a prolific author of amazing vigor and precision, of intellectual, moral and religious force of analytic sharpness and aesthetic delicacy. This is well known and generally appreciated often with a dash of gratuitous hyperbole. In truth his reputation needs no inflation or exaggeration for his stature is nearly sui generis and his commanding influence has been almost universally recognized. His literary oeuvre was not only remarkably comprehensive but also endlessly repercussive. He wrote epoch-making works in the central areas of Halakha and religious philosophy- an achievement that is unquestionably, almost overpoweringly, characterized by monumentality, using the term very literally. His works representing an unprecedented conjunction of halakhic authority and philosophic prestige, were extensively studied, meticulously annotated, frequently translated and intensively interpreted. Their influence direct as well as indirect reflected through many works in various genres by a host of authors, was global. His mighty historical imagine assumes heroic proportions rather early in his posthumous career, and it is this heroic figure which dominates the stage.
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