Hempher; only one of the thousands of male and female agents employed and sent forth to all countries by this ministry; entrapped a person named Muhammad of Najd in Basra; misled him for several years; and caused him to establish the sect called Wahhâbî in 1125 [1713 A.D.]. They announced this sect in 1150. Hempher is a British missioner who was assigned the task of carrying on espionage activities in Egypt; Iraq; Iran; Hidjaz and in Istanbul; the center of the (Islamic) caliphate; misleading Muslims and serving Christianity; by means of the Ministry of British Commonwealth of Nations.
#1233018 in Books 2011-02-03Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 6.10 x 1.20 x 9.20l; .0 #File Name: 1906764158364 pages
Review
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Best book ever rear about MaimonidesBy Alberto RodriguesMenachel Kellner was completely sucessful in his objective to share through this book a clean view of Maimonides though on Judaism; his world-view is cleared descripted and his neutrality as scientist is unquestionable. The book provides full understanding about what kind of Judaism Maimonides believed; lived and teached. For those who love the works of the Great Eagle; this book is a must read about it.0 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Milton W. BergGood background to the Philosophy of Rambam4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Insightful!By MichaelIn Maimonides' Confrontation with Mysticism; author Menachem Kellner presents a cogent argument showing that Maimonides didn't subscribe to the normative religious ("proto-kabbalistic" or mystical) view of his day. In other words; Maimonides didn't view the world through what Kellner refers to as an ontological/essentialist perspective; like his predecessor; Judah HaLevi (the Kuzari). Rather than viewing Judaism through a mystical lens (which had esoteric reasons for everything); Maimonides was grounded in reality; relying on reason and science to decipher the meaning of Torah and the commandments. The difference in perspective between Maimonides and the prevalent religious thought of his day includes (among many examples Kellner lays out) the role of the sacrificial cult in Judaism and the Hebrew language. For Maimonides; the sacrificial cult/system is an allowance that the Torah makes taking into account Israel's historical circumstance. In other words; the Torah allows sacrifices as a means of weening Israel from neighboring idolatrous practices (which have their own versions of religious sacrifice); with the goal for spiritual perfection. This is contrast to what would be considered proto-kabbalistic thought; which sees the sacrificial cult as essential - with intrinsic value; able to effect changes upon the supernatural - without regards to the historical or social circumstance in which the commandments regarding the sacrificial cult were given.The second example is the Hebrew language; which Maimonides views as conventional (and not that different from other languages); with the exception that it is called the "holy tongue" since it does not contain vulgar words or refer directly to human functions; but uses euphemisms to convey a point. Maimonides doesn't ascribe a magical function to the Hebrew language; in which one can effect change in the material and supernal worlds using the various mystical names of G-d. The proto-kabbalist view does ascribe such a magical function to the Hebrew language.The gulf between Maimonides' perspective and the normative religious perspective of his day was significant as these two examples suggest. This is not surprising since he viewed the normative religious viewpoint as having been tainted with superstitious and erroneous beliefs; and his goal was to rectify these errors by championing a vision of Judaism that would lead the individual to a true understanding of the Torah and hence; spiritual perfection.
