<Li> I believe with perfect faith that there will be a revival of the dead at the time when it shall please the Creator, Blessed be His name, and His mention shall be exalted for ever and ever . </Li> <P> - Maimonides (See Birnbaum at p. 157) </P> <P> Rabbi Moses ben Maimon, better known as Maimonides or "The Rambam" (1135--1204 CE), lived at a time when both Christianity and Islam were developing active theologies . Jewish scholars were often asked to attest to their faith by their counterparts in other religions . The Rambam's 13 principles of faith were formulated in his commentary on the Mishnah (tractate Sanhedrin, chapter 10). They were one of several efforts by Jewish theologians in the Middle Ages to create such a list . By the time of Maimonides, centers of Jewish learning and law were dispersed geographically . Judaism no longer had a central authority that might bestow official approval on his principles of faith . </P> <P> Maimonides' 13 principles were controversial when first proposed, evoking criticism by Crescas and Joseph Albo . They evoked criticism as minimizing acceptance of the entire Torah (Rabbi S. of Montpelier, Yad Rama, Y . Alfacher, Rosh Amanah). The 13 principles were ignored by much of the Jewish community for the next few centuries . (Dogma in Medieval Jewish Thought, Menachem Kellner). Over time two poetic restatements of these principles (Ani Ma'amin and Yigdal) became canonized in the Jewish prayerbook . Eventually, Maimonides' 13 principles of faith became the most widely accepted statement of belief . </P>

Who put together the 13 principle beliefs in the torah