Maimonides in 12th Century Egypt: Climbing the Social Ladder.
"There are few things all Jews can agree on, but one may be that there is no figure in Judaism in the last 1,000 years who is as revered as Moses Ben Maimon (1135-1204), Better known by the Greek form of his name, Maimonides."
Shaul, Magid. Review of Maimonides: The Life and the World of One of Civilisation's Greatest Minds. The Washington Post (January 2009).
IntroductionMaimonides was arguably one of the most influential Jewish figures in, and since the Middle Ages. Throughout his life he would find himself in tumultuous times and situations, offering him problems and opportunities alike. Maimonides was famous for writing the Misneh Torah, which was in a sense a concise codification of a variaty of Jewish law.
In 1668 Maimonides settled in Fustat, Egypt, then part of the Ayyubid dynasty under Saladin. The Egypt Maimonides lived in was generally quite tolerant, and provided a notable amount of opportunity for social mobility. Maimonides himself created a lot of opportunities for himself af well. But which of these two factors contributed most to Maimonides' social status? Fig. II: Almohad Dynasty ca. 1200.
Fig. III: Ayyubid Dynasty ca. 1188.
A Mediterranean Thinker?Maimonides has often been interpreted as a Jewish thinker based on his upbringing, active religion and title (rabbi, head of the Jewish community etc.). A more recent trend is interpreting Maimonides as a Mediterranean thinker instead. Since Maimonides was familiar with such a multitude of philosophical traditions in text hailing from the Mediterranean area (Greek, Jewish, Islamic), and took inspiration and lessons from those, he seems to have transcended the boundaries of his Jewish scope. Being able (and willing!) to connect with multiple cultures was an addition to Maimonides' network and, eventually, to his way up the social ladder in Egypt.
Fields of WorkNot many different area's of interest, professions and fields of work existed which Maimonides did not add to his own field of expertise. Aside of his noteworthy contributions to Jewish theology and philosophy, Maimonides acted as a court physician, wrote various texts about medicine (A Treatise on Poisons and their Antidotes), and acted as an enforcer of charity initiatives.
He for example played a part in liberating non-Muslim captives from crusaders in the Holy Land, pleading people of his community to raise funds to pay as a ransom. In addition to his written works on medicine, Maimonides also provided medical advice for the needy (fig.IV). A written source of a medical recipe exists, most likely produced by Maimonides himself. It should be noted that there are no signs of an agreement on payment in the contents of said letter. This does not necessarily mean Maimonides offered his advice for free, but his charitable ways were a known fact. Social Network Approach: Primary SourcesWhile the focus of this study is not centered around the theory of social network approach, it has proven to be a valuable addition to the research as a whole. It shouldn't come as a surprise that the head of the Jewish community of Fustat maintained (a) network(s) of many people, some of higher status and some of lower. Maimonides for instance maintained his ties with Al-Andalus throughout most of his life, eventually his Guide for the Perplexed, another famous work, would be translated by Samuel Ibn Tibbon, an intellectual from the Provence, while Maimonides himself was already living in Fustat.
A letter from the Cairo Geniza Archive, dating from the late 12th century. sheds some light on one of Maimonides' networks (fig.V). Concerning the payment of the earlier mentioned poll-tax. The letter reads: "Be so kind as to assist Isaac al-Dar'i, the bearer of this letter, for he is an acquaintance of ours...he and his son are now owing two payments of the poll-tax...please take steps to have this paid in your community."
This letter is written by Maimonides, on behalf of Isaac al-Dar'i and his son (and Maimonides' own business), adressed to the head of the Jewish community in Minyat-Zifta (another Egyptian town).
This particular source contributes greatly to the general research topic handled here. It shows how Maimonides acted through his community in order to erase the burden of the poll-tax. In addition to that it helps us create an image of how Maimonides acted throughout his network, forming a hub between the nodes being Isaac and the Jewish head of Minyat-Zifta. Other research methodologies can be rather abstract, and often not directly connected to the individuals which the research centers around. Taking a look at the Egyptian society as a whole from Maimonides' time causes one to overlook details. In short, such small actors provide us with details often overlooked in the larger image society shapes. This does not demolish their importance in, in this case, Maimonides' high social standing. Upon looking at the sum total of the smallest figures we see the whole. |
Fig. I: Portrait of Maimonides
Maimonides' PathBorn in 1135 in Córdoba, Al-Andalus, Maimonides would turn to the books at a young age. Some of his earliest known educational developments were steered by Jewish intellectuals from the Provence. Maimonides would maintain ties with his place of birth and the places he drew his earliest inspiration from throughout his life.
The life of Jews and Christians in Córdoba would change drastically after the abolition of their dhimma status (a status providing and protecting state security for non-Muslims) by the Almohads in 1148 (fig.II). Maimonides and his family chose to migrate from Al-Andalus to the Maghrib (present day Morocco). Settling in Fez would profit Maimonides' path to intellectual development. The center of learning for the Jewish people had been Iraq for centuries, however during the 10th century this center had shifted from the Middle-East to Al-Andalus and the Maghrib. The Almohad rule in the Maghrib is believed to have been less strict than their rule in Al-Andalus. In such environment Maimonides was able to study the Torah and exchange findings with other intellectuals (it was in the Maghrib where Maimonides wrote the Misneh Torah). In 1165 Maimonides would embark on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Not much later he would come into contact with Saladin, who was on his way to Egypt. Maimonides thus came into close contact with large Muslim forces, some of which would add to his educational development. Upon settling in Fustat, Egypt, Maimonides would come into service of Saladin himself as his court physician. This had become a necessity ever since the demise of his brother David (an India trader who provided Maimonides the financial backbone for his studies). The death of David caused Maimonides to grief so badly that he fell ill. Al-Qadi al-Fadil, an Egyptian elite and one of Saladins most valuable and loyal advisors, provided Maimonides with his financial aid during those times of grief. Maimonides and al-Fadil would become good friends and intellectual sparring partners, the first becoming the protégé of the second. Thereby Maimonides educated himself on Islamic culture, which he drew a lot of inspiration from. The Ayyubid rule was generally not hostile towards non-Muslim groups. Saladin eventually enabled Jews and Coptic Christians, two large non-Muslim groups in Egypt, to retain their social positions. Another apparent establishment in Egypt was charity, mostly controlled by the different communities living there. A third aspect of social mobility was the patron-client based political system which came into play under Saladin, enabling relations of friendship between noteworthy elite figures to help eachother up in the societal power structure. The relation between Maimonides and al-Fadil can be seen as such an example. An exception however was the poll-tax. The poll-tax was a payment required by all (military duty) capable men. During the previous Fatamid rule this tax did not include Jewish people, under Saladins rule it did. Taking these events in consideration, Maimonides lived in a world which provided him numerous opportunities, but aside of that he proved to be very capable of creating his own opportunities as well. What makes such manner of research valuable is the fact that one is urged to look at a society on one hand, and (a) historical actor(s) on the other. Fig. IV: Medical Recipe by Maimonides, manuscript particle
Figure V: Recommendation by Maimonides, letter particle
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Conclusion
This research has been an attempt to analyze which the greatest contributing factor was to the high social position Maimonides achieved in Egypt. In light of the information discussed above the following can be said.
While it is true that the world he lived in offered him an abundance of opportunities to climb the social ladder, Maimonides created most of these opportunities for himself. The social mobility as existent in Egypt under Ayyubid rule contributed to Maimonides' possibilities to climb up in society, but Maimonides' upbringing, his education, the vast amount of cultures and religions he took inspiration and ideas from, the powerful people he came into contact with, the various area's of interest and work he played a part in, were greater contributors to his social standing. He achieved his position because of who he was, the networks he maintained and his commitment to his various fields of expertise.
While it is true that the world he lived in offered him an abundance of opportunities to climb the social ladder, Maimonides created most of these opportunities for himself. The social mobility as existent in Egypt under Ayyubid rule contributed to Maimonides' possibilities to climb up in society, but Maimonides' upbringing, his education, the vast amount of cultures and religions he took inspiration and ideas from, the powerful people he came into contact with, the various area's of interest and work he played a part in, were greater contributors to his social standing. He achieved his position because of who he was, the networks he maintained and his commitment to his various fields of expertise.
D.M.
Further reading:
Cohen, Mark R. Poverty and Charity in the Jewish Community of Medieval Egypt. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2005.
Cohen, Mordechai Z. Opening the Gates for Interpretation: Maimonides' Biblical Hermeneutics in Light of his Geonic-Andalusian Heritage and Muslim Milieu. Leiden: Brill Publishers, 2011.
Davidson, Herbert. Moses Maimonides: The Man and his Works. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.
Kraemer, Joel L. Maimonides: The Life and World of One of Civilisation's Greatest Minds. New York: Doubleday Publishing Group, 2008.
Stroumsa, Sarah. Maimonides in his World: Portrait of a Mediterranean Thinker. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2009.
Primary sources:
Maimonides, Recommendation by Maimonides, letter, ca. 12th century; T-S 12.192, Cairo Geniza Archive.
Maimonides, Medical recipe written by Maimonides, manuscript, ca. 12th century; Mosseri I.115.1, Cairo Geniza Archive.
Figures:
Figure I: https://jewsforjudaism.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/maimonides_1.jpg
Figure II: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Almohads1200.png
Figure III: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dd/AyyubidGreatest.png
Figure IV: http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/Taylor-Schechter/fotm/march-2014/TSbigimage.jpg
Figure V: http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/Taylor-Schechter/gifs/T-S12_192.gif
Cohen, Mark R. Poverty and Charity in the Jewish Community of Medieval Egypt. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2005.
Cohen, Mordechai Z. Opening the Gates for Interpretation: Maimonides' Biblical Hermeneutics in Light of his Geonic-Andalusian Heritage and Muslim Milieu. Leiden: Brill Publishers, 2011.
Davidson, Herbert. Moses Maimonides: The Man and his Works. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.
Kraemer, Joel L. Maimonides: The Life and World of One of Civilisation's Greatest Minds. New York: Doubleday Publishing Group, 2008.
Stroumsa, Sarah. Maimonides in his World: Portrait of a Mediterranean Thinker. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2009.
Primary sources:
Maimonides, Recommendation by Maimonides, letter, ca. 12th century; T-S 12.192, Cairo Geniza Archive.
Maimonides, Medical recipe written by Maimonides, manuscript, ca. 12th century; Mosseri I.115.1, Cairo Geniza Archive.
Figures:
Figure I: https://jewsforjudaism.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/maimonides_1.jpg
Figure II: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Almohads1200.png
Figure III: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dd/AyyubidGreatest.png
Figure IV: http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/Taylor-Schechter/fotm/march-2014/TSbigimage.jpg
Figure V: http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/Taylor-Schechter/gifs/T-S12_192.gif