The Reasons of the Laws of Moses: From the "More Nevochim" of Maimonides

Townley, James. The Reasons of the Laws of Moses from the "More Nevochim" of Maimonides. With Notes, Dissertations, and a Life of the Author. London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green, 1827. xi, 451 pp. Reprinted 2001 by The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd. LCCN 00-066334. ISBN 1-58477-168-2. Cloth. $95. * "The laws and institutions of Moses constitute the earliest and most original system of ecclesiastical and civil jurisprudence and polity, with which the world has ever been favoured." (From the Preface). Maimonides' classic work of religious philosophy, the "More Nevochim" or Guide for the Perplexed contains an important section, The Reasons of The Laws of Moses, which was never fully translated into English until Townsley's translation, based on early Hebrew and Latin editions, which was originally published in 1829. Townsley's scholarly translation is supplemented by nine dissertations on the work, extensive notes and an index, and a biography of Maimonides [1135-1204], the medieval Jewish philosopher and jurist whose writings on Jewish law are highly regarded. Walker, The Oxford Companion to Law 797.