Citation

Stein DES. J. Relig. Abuse 2005; 6(3): 49-74.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2005, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1300/J154v06n03_06

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

That the famous Rabbi Moses Maimonides (Egypt, 1178) condoned–or even recommended–spousal abuse has been widely reported. The present article finds that this standard, literal interpretation of the passage (Ishut § 21.10a) has little to support it. That reading ignores the text's figures of speech. And it fits neither the dynamics of the case, the legal history of the issue, nor the literary context. Rebutting the published “proof” that medieval legal experts read the passage literally, this article suggests that Maimonides' words may have implicitly taken a stand against spousal abuse. It concludes by pondering the meaning of the standard view's popularity.