The greater part of the Commentary was not translated into Hebrew until after his death. The general introduction to this work and parts of the order Zeraʿim were translated by Jehudah al-Ḥarizi (1194); Moʿed by Joseph ibn al-Fawwal; Nashim by Jaḳob ibn Abbas; Neziḳin by Salomon b. Josef ibn Yaʿkub; Ḳodoshim by Nathanel ibn Almoli (or Almali); and Ṭohorot by an anonymous translator.[1] The commentary on Sanhedrin, Chapter X, was translated probably by Al-Ḥarizi, and also by Samuel ibn Tibbon.
In commenting on the tractate Abot, Maimonides had abundant opportunity to make use of his knowledge of Greek philosophy and particularly of Aristotelian ethics. To this tractate he prefixed an introduction of eight chapters, outlining in a general way a system of ethics based mainly on Aristotle's Nichomachean Ethics,[2] which Maimonides harmonized with rabbinical teachings. This introduction constitutes the most remarkable instance in medieval ethical literature of the harmonious welding of Jewish religious belief and tradition with Greek philosophy.
For the rendering into Hebrew of the Commentary on Abot and its introduction commonly called שמונה פרקים (The Eight
- ↑ For a detailed account of the translators and translations of the Commentary on the Mishnah, see HUb., pp. 923–926; Arab. Lit., pp. 201–202.
- ↑ To M., Aristotle was the "chief of philosophers." Cf. Munk, Guide, I, Chap. V, p. 46, and n. 1. See also Moreh, II, 17, 19, 24. He considered him to be almost on a plane with the prophets. See M.'s Letter to Ibn Tibbon, Ḳobeẓ II. M. refers to the Nichomachean Ethics in Moreh, II, 36, and in III, 49 (twice). On his dependence upon Eth. Nic., see Rosin, Ethik, p. 6, et al. M., however, does not slavishly follow Aristotle, and speaks disparagingly of those "who believe that they are philosophers," but who consider "it wrong to differ from Aristotle, or to think that he was ignorant or mistaken in anything" (Moreh, II, 15). In regard to Aristotle's theory of creation, he speaks of the absurdities implied in it (ib., II, 18, end). See A. Wolf in Aspects of the Hebrew Genius, London, 1910, pp. 141–142. On M.'s departure in the Peraḳim from the Aristotelian system, see Jaraczewski, ZPhKr., XLVI, pp. 12–13, 14–15, and 16. On M.'s dependence upon Aristotle, see M. Joel, Die Religions-philosophie des Mose ben Maimon (Breslau, 1859); Scheyer, Das psychol. System des Maimonides; Rosin, Ethik; Wolff, Acht Capitel; Yellin and Abrahams, Maimonides; Cohen, Charakteristik der Ethik des Maimunis, in Moses ben Maimon, I, all en passim; and Ludwig Stein in JE, II, pp. 47, 48–49.
