Maimonides’ Arguments for Creation Ex Nihilo in the Guide of the Perplexed

Abstract

Maimonides’ arguments for creation ex nihilo are a centerpiece of The Guide of the Perplexed and, like many other issues discussed in the Guide, the question of whether the universe is created or eternal is still a matter of controversy, as is Maimonides’ real opinion regarding it. Then, as now, the Aristotelian theory of an eternal material universe seemed more plausible to many people than did the Biblical view of creation ex nihilo. While creation is the orthodox view in both Judaism and Christianity, the tension between those two explanatory models goes back a long way.Maimonides believed that prior to Abraham, the religion was Sabianism (paganism), believing in an eternal universe and worshipping the stars (Guide III, 29). Referring to the heretical views of Elisha ben Abuya, in the early Talmudic period, David Hartman argues as follows.