Eternity and emanatism in Maimonides’ Guide of the Perplexed

Abstract

One of the most puzzling themes of Maimonides’ Guide of the Perplexed, that many scholars have considered unresolvable, is the issue of the creation vs. the eternity of the universe. The solution to the dichotomy can be found in a conception of creation ab aeterno, the possibility of which is established in some of the most intricate passages of the book. Maimonides argued in favor of an esoteric sense that stems from a philosophical interpretation of Genesis. This tenet is linked to the conception of God’s will held by Maimonides, and also to emanatism, through which the author of the Guide explains God’s action on the universe.