"Maimonides and the Biblical Prophets" was a really interesting read though quite a difficult read at times.

CONS:
For me the difficulty was in the use of Hebrew words and phrases that were difficult for me to follow considering I do not have a working knowledge of the language.

PROS:
There were several aspects of the book that make it worth reading. For instance, as a biblical Christian, I am aware of many of the divergent views held by scholars and especially those spawned by the school of Higher Criticism beginning in the late 1800's. This book enlightened me to the fact that the same type of biblical interpretation exist in the orthodox Jewish community as well. The textbook like format of the book was also a plus. This makes it an excellent reference tool.

In summary, the the three star rating is not an indication that this book should be avoided but for me it is and indication that this is a book that warrants more than one read to fully understand and benefit from the material presented. ( )

Maimonides and the Biblical Prophets is a scholarly book aimed, not at a general audience, but at readers interested in amateur study of the prophetic books of the bible. Maimonides was twelfth-century Jewish philosopher and Torah scholar. Drazin examines biblical prophets and certain biblical stories and ideas in light of Maimonides' writings. Some basic understanding of both the biblical references and Maimonides' ideas would be helpful to a good appreciation of this book.

Drazin uses a textbook format that keeps the ideas well-organized but gives the narrative a herky-jerky flow. ( )

While not "easy or light" reading this book gives a detailed look at the Biblical Prophetic books as reasoned and reviewed in the manner of Maimonides. As a christian it is enlightening to read a Judaic interpretation of the "Old Testement" Mr. Drazin writes in a style that is easy to understand and poses interesting thought provacative questions in each chapter. I truly enjoyed reading this book and would highly recommend it to anyone in search of meaningful bible study. ( )

Rabbi Drazin does a good job of presenting a rational understanding of portions of the Nevi'im (Prophets). He connects current supersitions like the evil eye, to the prophets with a rational understanding of why these things or issues are not be a problem in today's day and age of reasoning. Unfortunately, many Orthodox Jews have carried over many tradtions and superstitions without thinking of why they are doing things. Many will not read this book because Rambam is seen as controversial due to his writings in Moreh Nevuchim (Guide for the Perplexed), Shmoneh Perakim (Eight Chapters), among others. But, if you prefer a rational, logical, understanding of the Torah and Tanach, you'll ike this book. ( )

In his introduction to Maimonides and the Biblical Prophets, Rabbi Israel Drazin tells us that the reason for writing the book is that the teaching of the biblical prophets is neglected in many Jewish schools because the books generate too many issues that Jewish educators don’t want to deal with. Rabbi Drazin found in Maimonides’ Guide of the Perplexed certain principles that he applies in his book to events in the biblical prophets to provide a rational explanation.
Rabbi Drazin does address a lacuna in Jewish education. Yeshivot and Jewish Day Schools spend little time and effort in the teaching of the prophets in comparison to the amount of time spent on studying chumash and Gemara. These books are extremely important to Jewish thought and are necessary in a world where Jews are bombarded with alternate interpretations of their own legacy. Even a casual glance at the shelves in a Jewish book store reveals the same priorities. Many of the books that are available are in Hebrew. There is a great need for good English books on the prophets.
I was, however, very disappointed in Rabbi Drazin’s book. I am not convinced that Maimonides’ Guide of the Perplexed represents his true views on such matters as prophecy, God’s role after creation, miracles and more. It seems that Maimonides was a very complex person whose body of writings presents starkly differing views of issues from one work to the next. I also did not find some of his rational explanations compelling. For example, in a chapter discussing the story of David and Bat Sheva, Rabbi Drazin makes the statement: “David acknowledged that his acts were wrong and repented, but none of the punishments were lessened.” The preceding paragraph detailed some of the tragedies that befell David during his lifetime. While the death of children is a heart-wrenching event, we don’t know whether David’s repentance caused the punishments to be lessened or not. There are a number of cases where Rabbi Drazin appears to leap to conclusions that prove his points, whether or not there is a logical framework that could lead to these conclusions. I also don’t like Rabbi Drazin’s interpretation of the theory Maimonides cites in his Guide of the Perplexed regarding God setting the world in motion and not intervening since creation. I’m familiar with the Watchmaker theory or the Intelligent Design theory apparently espoused by Maimonides. These theories have far ranging influences on society that may not be beneficial. ( )