Allegories and Interpretation Between the Need of Hiding the Truth Signification and the Duty of its Elucidation According to Maimonides

Abstract

This study examines the position of Ibn Maimoun (Maimonides) on the significance of the concealment of the truth from the masses in "books of prophecy" by using allegory and symbolism, as well as how he alerts people of wisdom to the process of concealment. It discusses the conclusion that there is no way to escape the semantic tension between the exoteric and esoteric aspects of religious texts, which Ibn Maimoun expressed as perplexing. It finds that the only way out of this tension is through a rational understanding of the esoteric content of the religious text.