The Guide for the Perplexed, Part 3: Free Audiobook and Listening Guide

The Guide for the Perplexed, Part 3, credited to Moses Maimonides, is available as a LibriVox volunteer audiobook. This guide identifies the recording, its source summary and its audio tracks.

About the work

The LibriVox catalogue summary, preserved with the recording, reads:

LibriVox recording of The Guide for the Perplexed, Part 3 by Moses Maimonides. (Translated by Michael Friedländer.) Read in English by Geoffrey Edwards. The Guide for the Perplexed, Part 3 (Arabic: دلالة الحائرين Dalālat al-ḥā'irīn דלאלת אלחאירין; Hebrew: מורה נבוכים Moreh Nevuchim) by Rabbi Moses ben Maimon the Sephardi (משה ברבי מימון הספרדי) who is commonly known as Maimonides and also referred to by the acronym Rambam (רמב״ם). The Guide was written in Judeo-Arabic using the Hebrew alphabet in the form of a three-part letter to the Rambam's student, Rabbi Joseph ben Judah of Ceuta. Maimonides says, "To give a full explanation of the mystic passages of the Bible is contrary to the Law and to reason; besides, my knowledge of them is based on reasoning, not on divine inspiration. I have not received my belief in this respect from any teacher, but it has been formed by what I learnt from Scripture and the utterances of our Sages, and by the philosophical principles which I have adopted. ... I ask you to study attentively the chapters which follow on this sublime, important, and grand subject, which is the pin upon which everything hangs, and the pillar upon which everything rests." Translated by Michael Friedländer who was principal of Jews' College. Cover: The Serpent Beguiled Me by cartoonist Robin Bougie and is released by him into the public domain (Summary adapted from Wikipedia and the text)

Recording facts

• Recording title: The Guide for the Perplexed, Part 3
• Author credits: Moses Maimonides
• Language: English
• Original MP3 tracks: 54
• Listed recording duration: 14:11:13

Catalogue topics

• philosophy
• God
• judaism
• plato
• Torah
• Moses
• aristotle
• jewish

Opening tracks: first 24 of 54

1. 01 - Introduction & I. The "Four Faces" are Human Faces with four different peculiarities — 8:49
2. 02 - II. The Ḥayyot and the Ofannim — 19:01
3. 03 - III. Further Explanation of the Ḥayyot and the Ofannim derived from Ezek. x. — 5:47
4. 04 - IV. The rendering of Ofan by Gilgal in the Targum of Jonathan — 7:01
5. 05 - V. The Vision of Ezekiel is divided into three stages: (1) Ḥayyot (=the Spheres); (2) Ofannim (=Earthly elements); and (3) the man above the Ḥayyot (=Intelligences) — 6:45
6. 06 - VI. On the Difference between the Vision of Ezekiel and that of Isaiah (vi.) — 4:00
7. 07 - VII. The Different Ways in which the Prophet perceived the Three Parts of the Mercabah (Chariot) — 11:48
8. 08 - VIII Man has the Power to Control his Bodily Wants and Earthly Desires — 23:41
9. 09 - IX. The Material Element in Man Prevents him from Attaining Perfection — 4:30
10. 10 - X. God is not the Creator of Evil — 9:52
11. 11 - XI. Man is the Cause of his own Misfortunes — 3:02
12. 12 - XII. Three Kinds of Evil : (1) That caused by the Nature of Man ; (2) Caused by Man to Man ; (3) Caused by Man to himself — 23:38
13. 13 - XIII. The Universe has No other Purpose than its own Existence — 28:35
14. 14 - XIV. It is the Will of the Creator that the Spheres regulate the Affairs of Mankind — 9:04
15. 15 - XV. Impossible Things are not ascribed to the Creator, but it is difficult to Prove the Impossibility in each Individual Case — 5:18
16. 16 - XVI. On God's Omniscience — 9:02
17. 17 - XVII. Five Theories concerning Providence — 35:16
18. 18 - XVIII. Every Individual Member of Mankind enjoys the Influence of Divine Providence in proportion to his Intellectual Perfection — 8:10
19. 19 - XIX. It is an ancient Error to Assume that God takes no Notice of Man — 12:13
20. 20 - XX. God's Knowledge is Different from Man's Knowledge — 11:53
21. 21 - XXI. The Creator's knowledge of His Production is Perfect — 5:38
22. 22 - XXII. Object of the Book of Job, and Explanation of the First Two Chapters — 18:56
23. 23 - XXIII. Job and his Friends Discuss the various Theories concerning Providence — 26:31
24. 24 - XXIV. On Trials and Temptations — 18:55

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