Early Quotations from Maimonides’s Guide of the Perplexed in the Latin Middle Ages

The paper focuses on the earliest quotations from the Latin translation of Maimonides' Guide. It is generally assumed that William of Auvergne was the first author to cite Maimonides, although no explicit quotation from the Dux neutrorum has yet been found. Inquiry into the question contributes to defining the window in which the Dux neutrorum started to circulate in Paris, and as a consequence establishes a time limit for its composition. Secondly, Maimonides’ thought was received at an early stage by Moneta da Cremona in his Summa adversus Catharos et Valdenses. This text is a crucial proof for the diffusion of the Latin Maimonides outside Paris. Until now, the earliest attestations of the Dux neutrorum have been found in the Parisian area, this being one of the main arguments in favor of a French composition. Pointing out a reception independent from that in Paris will contribute to a more precise image of the diffusion of Maimonides’ Latin oeuvre.