Philosophy in Islamic World, Vol 1 - 8th-10th Centuries 9789004323162

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Philosophy in the Islamic World Volume 1: 8th-10th Centuries Edited by

Ulrich Rudolph, Rotraud Hansberger, and Peter Adamson English translation by

Rotraud Hansberger

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De septimanis; cf. Ullmann 1970 [*32: 32 (#20)]; GAS 111 40 (#14). *Pseudo-Hippocrates >Epistuiae; see GAS Ill 43 (#21); Ullmann 1970 [*32: 34 (#30)]. Testamentum; transl. Rosenthal; cf. Ullmann 1970 [*32: 33, #26J; GAS III 39 (::' +Secreta Hippocratis I Capsula ebumea; see GAS III 39 (#12b); Ullmann 1970-33 (#29)].

5.2.20

5.2.21

Hippolytus

Refutatio omnium haeresium; partially preserved in Pseudo-Ammoniu);,

Rudolph (D 7681); see Endress 1992 [*50: 30 n. 37; 146 n. 52]. Historia et sententiae de Ahiqar The Story ofAhi*ar; ed. Conybeare, Harris, Lewis [*32 ].

5.2.22

*Iamblichus 5.2.23 [ Commentary on the Categories]; F 248,23. [ Commentary on De lnterpretatione]; F 249,2. + Commentaria in Cannen aureum Pythagorae; ed. Daiber (D 215 8). 5.2.24

Isocrates ( Orat.) + Sayings; ed. Alon (D 436).

*John Philoponus 5.2.25 [In Aristotelis rneteorologicorum libros commentaria ]; G CAL 418 (#4). [In Ari.stotelis Libras de generatione et corruptione commentaria]; (#4). >In Aristotelis Physicorum libros commentaria; F 250,18; 255,2; ed. B_ '' (D 795); transl. Giannakis (D 354t); transl. Lettinck (D 7012); ed. and transl.. _­ corollaries on place and void by Giannakis (D 3542/1). 'i De aetemitate mundi contra Proclum; F 254, 25; frg. (from al-Birurii) e

Nicomachus Gerasenus fntroductio arithmetica; ed. Kutsch; cf. Endress 1992 [*50: 65 n. 20 ]. Olympiodorus (The Alchemist)

-:_'-E!� --rO xa-r' Evtpyrrnxv Zocr{µou; see Endress in: D'Ancona 2007 [*104: 327 n. 18].

i

*Olympiodorus (The Philosopher) [Commen tary on Pfnto's Sophist]; F 246,12.

_:_{Commentary on De Generatione et Corruptlone]; F 251,5.

-< + InAristotelis Meteora paraphrasis; F 251, 8; ed. Badawi (D 69n). '> (Commentary on De anima ]; F 251,13- 14.

OracuJa Chaldaica (Chaldean Oracles) ' Oracula; frg. ed. and transl. Tardieu, in: Tambrun-Krasker [•39: 157- 171].

Plato ··· hA v s.v. Plato Arabus (Gutas). No dialogue of Plato is known to have been fully

into Arabic, and none survives. Some portions of the more famous dialogues

rally translated, but for the most part the works of Plato were known in Arabic (a) the epitomes of Galen (for which see under Galen), (b) citations in the . of other authors who quoted him (notably Galen and Artstotle in Metaphysics XIII- XIV), and (c) doxographies and gnomologia, the most sigrtificant among , ls al-'.Amirl's (?) Al-Sa'ada wa-l-is'ad (for which see Arberry, D 736). Of the dia­ that were known the best, three were known by name, Laws (Gutas, D 3808), (Reisman, D 7457/4), and Timaeus (evidence of an abbreviated translation al-Biµ'lq in al-Kindl: Rescher, D 7483), and one anonymously, Phaedo (Rowson, ). For the Symposium, see Gutas (D 3817); for the Meno, see En dress (D 2642). For sayings see Gutas (D 3809).

132

Plotinus Enneades IV- VI; ed. and transl. Dieterici (D 804. 2340); ed. Badawi (D 806); Lewis (D 7155); see Endress 1992 ['50: 30 n. 35] and Adamson (D 218/,iS),

Plutarchus See Gutas [D 3818] 4944n5. [De cohibenda ira ]; F 254,8. [ On the Soul = De animae procreatione in Timaeo?]; F 254,8. [De capienda ex inimicis utilitate]; F 254, 7-8.

Pseudo-Plutarchus PlacitaPhilosophorum; see Aetius. [On training = Ilepl «aJOJSayings; ed. and transl. Gutas (D 3809); ed. and transl. Alon (D 438. 439).

Stephanus (Alexandrinus, Constantinopolitanus)

[ Commentary on the Categories]; F 248,20-21. Summaria Alexandrinorum [ On De anima ]; F 251,15-16.

5.2.49 Syrianus [Commentary on BookBeta ofthe Metaphysics]; F 251,31. *Thales

>Sayings; in Arabic gnomologia, cf. Gutas (D 3818). 5.2.51

*Themistius llepl LAia,; Syriac transl. ed. Sachau (D 7759). llEpl crpe-nj,: Syriac transl. ed. Mach (D 8613). [ Commentary on the Categories]: F 248,21.

[In Aristotelis Analyticarum priorum paraphrasis ]; F 249,8. Against Maximus, on the Reduction of the Second and Third Figure to thf_ ed. Badawi (D 8612). [In Aristotelis Analyticorum posteriorum paraphrasis]; F 249,12-13. [ Commentary on Topics]; F 249,23. [ Commentary on Poetics]; F 250,5. [In Aristotelis physica paraphrasis]; F 250,22. Commentary on De caelo; F 250,30; ed. Landauer (D 8604 ). [ Commentary on De generatione et corruptione]; F 251,6. In Aristotelis libros de anima paraphrasis; F 251,12- 18; ed. Lyons (D 8603); , transl. Giitje (D 3385). + Epitome ofAristotelian Zoology; ed. Badawi (D 8608); Ullmann 1972 [*33' + Commentary on Book Lambda of the Metaphysics; F 251, 30; ed. (D 8606); ed. Badawl (D 8605. 8607). [ Commentary on the Nicomachean Ethics]; F 252,3. [ On the Soul= De anima paraphrasis?J; F 253,27.

.RE BIRTH OF PHILOSOPHY AND THE TRANSLATIONS !NTO ARABIC

135

f +LettertoJulian, on Politics; F 253,26- 27 mentions two letters without indication

• of their identity; ed. Cheikho (D 8609); ed. Salim (D 8610 ); ed. Shahid (D 86n).

*Theon Smyrnaeus

•vita Secundi; ed. Perry (D 6991).

)>Sayings; in Arabic gnomologia, cf. Gutas (D 3818). Secondary Literatnre

of Reference [*1-*10] - 6.2 Studies [*15- *118]

.· . Works ofReference = Graf,_ Georg. Geschichte der christlichen arabischen Literatur, 5 vols. .. can City, 1944-1953. . 12 = The Encyclopaedia ofIslam: New edition. Ed. by Clifford Edmund Bosworth . a.l., n vols, 6 suppl. vols. Leiden, 1960-2005. = Sezgin, Fuat. Geschichte des arabischen Schrifttums, 17 vols. Leiden, a.M., 1967- 2015. ·

AL

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5 6

7

8

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10

6,2 15

16 17

18 19

zo 21 22

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= Worterbuch der Klassischen Arabischen Sprache, Ed, for the De Morgenliindische Gesellschaft by Anton Spitaler and Manfred Ullmann, in 5 parts. Wiesbaden, 1970- 2009. Elr = Encyclopaedia Iranica. Ed. by Ehsan Yarshater, vols 1 ff. London, 1982 ·· GAP = Grnndriss der arabischen Philologie, vol. 2: Literaturwissenschaft. Helmut Giitje, Wiesbaden, 1987; vol. 3: Supplement, Ed, by Wolfdietrich Wiesbaden, 1992. DPhA = Dictionnaire des philosophes antiques, Ed. by Richard Goulet, and Supplement. Paris, 1989 ff, Daiber, Hans, Bibliography ofIslamic Philosophy, 2 vols, Leiden, Boston, 1 ' Supplement (2007), GALex = A Greek andArabic Lexicon: Materialsfor a Dictionary ofthe Me . Translations.from Greek into Arabic. Ed. by Gerhard Endress and Dimitri . , · vols 1 ff. Leiden, 2002 ff. Encyclopaedia oflslam, THREE [EI Three]. Ed. by Marc Gaborieau et al., Leiden, 2007 ff, WKAS

,;i'

Studies Steinschneider, Moritz. Die hebraeischen Obersetzungen des Mittelalters Juden a/s Dolmetscher, Berlin, 1893, - Repr, Graz, 1956, Bergstrasser, Gotthelf. lfunain ibn Isl:,.ii/i, und seine Schule. Leiden, 1913. Nallino, Carlo Alfonso, "Tracee di opere greche giunte agli arabi perC' pehlevica," In A Volume ofOriental Studies Presented to Edward G, Browne C 60th Birthday. Ed, by Thomas Walker Arnold and Reynold Alleyne Nich Cambridge, 1922, 345-363. - Repr. in Raccolta di scritti editi e inediti, vol. 6.- - ----­ Maria Nallino, Rome, 1948, 285-303, Furlani, Giuseppe. "Di una presunta versione araba di alcuni scritti di Po · _·­ : di Aristotele." Rendiconti della Reale Accademia nazlonale dei Lincei: C · ) scienze moral1� storiche efilologiche, ser. VI, 2 (1926): 205-213. Gabrieli, Francesco, "L'opera cti lbn al-Muqaffa'," Rivista degli studi orie . . (1931- 1932): 197-247, Kraus, Paul, "Zu Ibn al-Muqaffa'," Rivista degli studi orientali 14 (1934): 1 Repr, in P, Kraus, Alchemie, Ketzerei, Apokryphen imfruhen Islam, Ed. bJ'! Brague, Hildesheim, 1994, 89- 108, Georr, Khalil Les Categories d'Aristote dans leurs versions syro�arabes, 1948, Sourdel, Dominique. Le vizirat Abbaside, 2 vols. Damascus, 1959-1960. Walzer, Richard, Greek into Arabic, Essays on Islamic Philosophy, Oxfo · · Cambridge, Mass,, 1963 (2nd ed,),

j$BI RTH OF PHILOSOPHY AND THE TRANSLATIONS INTO ARABIC

137

': Frank, llichard M. "The Neoplatonism ofJahm ibn �afwan;' Le Museon 78 (1965): , 5-424. - Repr. in Frank, Philosophy, Theology and Mysticism in Mediwal Islam 39 · (Tex ts and studies on the development and history of kaliim, I). Ed. by Dimitri 2005, no. 1x. ·'-' J Risii/afl!¢iii;, wigdiin ab'iid ma bayn a/-na:;irwa- markaz a 'midat al-gibalwaa'midat al-ifibiil, Istanbul, Siileymaniye, MS Ayasofya 4832, fols 66b-70; cf. .··· 1932 [*41: 370 no. 31].

Optics 1.3.6.3 95 Kitiib ilii ba'(j ibwanihifl Taqwim al-bata' wa-1-muskiliit allati li-Uqlidisfl . .. al-mawsum bi-l-Mana:;ir. - Ed. by Roshdi Rashed [*3,: 161-358]: "lipitre d.

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Y-usuf Ya'qub ibn lsl;tiiq al-Kindl sur la rectification des erreurs et des difficultes dues a Euclide dans son livre appele l'Optique:' - With French transl. and commentary. Kitiibfl 1-Su'ii'iit (al-iiamsiyya). - Ed. by Roshdi Rashed [*31: 359- 422 ]: Livre de Ya'qiib ibn Is}J.iiq al�Kindi sur Jes rayons solaires. - With French transl. and com­ mentary. - Ed. by Ya}:iyii HiiSiml, al-Kind[, Mattiri(l al-Sua � aqdam mabtuta 'arabiyyafll-man¾ir (al-marliyii al-mu�riqa). Aleppo, 1967, 34-55 [Facsimile ed. of a recent copy]. Risa/o.flI/!tiliifal-man¾ir [Lat.]: Liber]acob Alkindi de causis diversitatum aspectus et dandis demonstrationibus geometricis super eas. - Ed. by Axel Anthon BjOinbo, Alkindi, Tideus und Pseudo- Euklict Drei optische Werke. Leipzig, Berlin, 1912, 3 - 41, · (including] explanation by Sebastian Vogl, 42--70. - Ed. by Roshdi Rashed and Henri Hugonnard-Roche [*3,: 437- 536]: Livre de Jacob Alkindi sur Jes causes des diversites de la perspective et sur les demonstrations geometriques qu'il faut en donner, [with] Traduction de Jean Jolivet, Hourya Sinaceur, Henri Hugonnard­ Roche, Revision de Roshdi Rashed. Astronomy Kitabfl l -$inli'a al-'uemii. - Ed. by 'AzmI Tiihii al-Sayyid Al)mad. Cyprus, 1987. Music Kitii.b al-Mw;awwittit al-watariyya min diit al-watar al-wii(lid ilii g.at al-'aSarat al-awtiir. - Ed. by Zakariyyii'Yusuf [*27: 67-92]. •-·.· RisiilaflAgzii' /J.abariyyafll -milsiqf. - Ed. by Zakariyyii' Yusuf [ *27: 93-uo ]. - Ed. by Mahmud Al;tmad al-Hifni. Cairo, 1963. - Engl. transl. by Henry George Farmer 1956 [ *331]. - Rislilaflflubr sinii 'at al-ta'lif. - Edition and German transl. by Robert Lachmann ;' and Mahmud el-Hefni, Risiilafl flubr ta'lif [sic] al-alf,iin: Uber die Komposition __ der Melodien, mit Dbersetzung, Einleitung und Kommentar. Leipzig, 193L - Ed. · · by Zakariyyii' Yusuf [ *27: 45- 66]. - Engl. transl. by Carl Cowl, "The Risa/aj,flubr tii'lif [sic] al-alf,iin of Ja'qiib ibn lsl;iaq al-Kindl." The Consort 23 (1966): .1 29-166. ·. , Ristilafll-Lu�un wa-l-na(Jam. - Ed. byZakariyyii'Yiisuf, Ristilat al-Kindifll-Lu&un c wa- l -na(Jam [al-Kindi's Treatise on Melodies]. Baghdad, 1965. - French transl. by Amnon Shiloa)I 1974 [*336]. - Fragment ed. by Zakariyyii' Yusuf 1962 [ *332: 1u­ • 120 ]; under the title: al-Risiila al-kubriifl l-Ta'lif· 53- 78 (text 65-68). - Ed. by Mubahat Tiirker Kiiyel, in:Ara§fLrma 10 (1972)}' (with Turkish transl.). al-Madgal i/ii 'ilm [a/zkum] al-nugilm (al-Arba'iin biiban). - Excerpts Charles Burnett 1993 [*356].

Astrology

Astrometeorology 1.3.7.2 Risiilafl ('Ila{) a/zdiit al-gaww. - Ed. YusufYa'qub Maskunl, Risiilat Ya'qilb b. . . 118 al-Kindtfl Jfawiidit al-iJaww. Baghdad, 1965, 16 (Ms Fatih 5411). - Ed. by Rosenthal 1956 [*43: 29-30] (Ms Istanbul, Hamidiye 1446: incomplete). Genii Bos and Charles Burnett 2000 [*365: 411- 419]. 119 al-Risiila al-Kiifiyafl 1-iit ante nor any infinity in motion, power or other accidents. Infinity exists only tially, through the incremental increase of numerical series. Risiilafl!¢iii, taniih[!firm al-'iilam Explanation of the Finiteness of the Body of the World [to Al_,mad b. Mul),l al-tiuriisanl] Cf. McCarthy1962 [*4: 23/49 no. 111/299. 63 no. 8]; Engl. transl. by Adamson, Pu.• [*35: 68-72]. The fundamental argument of the treatise is one also found in o tises by al-Kindl: the idea of an infinite body is absurd, because if something ·• tracted from it the result can be neither finite nor infinite. But here simple geo diagrams are added, illustrating the definitions which are merely assumed as: in On First Philosophy.

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171

al-Ibiina 'an al-'ilia alfa'ila al-qariba li-1-kawn wa-lfasiid

ation of the Proximate Agent Cause of Generation and Corruption

carthy 1962 [*4: 33 no. 181. 66 no. 24]; Engl. transl by Adamson, Pormann 2012 · 155-172 ]; EngL transl. by McGinnis, Reisman ['74]. According to a concluding • , only the first part of a larger work (al-Fann al-awwal min kitab al-Kindlfl ilanets cause heat in the sublunar realm, despite themselves lacking any fiery ; they do so rather through friction exerted by the rotating spheres on tbe region Chapter 2: On various phenomena caused by the planets in the quadrants of the '::_-:- nly sphere. While the sun has a generally warming influence on the sublunar ele­ local and seasonal variations arise thanks to the complex relations of the plan­ ·- _:-motions, due to both forward and retrograde motion and their varying proximity earth as they travel on (cf. Bos, Burnett 2000 [•365: 15]). Chapter 3: On the moist :dry quarters of the year. Prognosis of changes in the weather in the four seasons \� the planets' interrelations in the zodiac. Chapter 4: On moisture and rain, and _ ',Onditions for changing weather depending on the seasons and the winds, based llations involving the moon, whose effect may be calculated in light of the etic 'proportion' of the sphere of the moon (following the phases of the moon) • sublunary spheres of earth and water (cf. Bos, Burnett 2000 [*365: 17]). Chapter . to find the times of moisture and rain for each locale; the main topic of practi­ ther forecasting.

i.

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Risiilafi 7/al [ al-]quwii [ al-mansilba ilii] l -as/Jii$ al-aliya al-diilla 'a/ii 1-matar On the Causes ofthe Powers Ascribed to the Higher Bodies, which Indicate Rain Extant only in Hebrew and Latin translations, but the Arabic title is gi lbn al-Na

/-'

196

As for God Himself, His existence is proven in On First Philosophy n c' implicitly by the fact that the world is created, by also explicitly on the ' that created things are always both multiple and unified, and thus s need of an external cause of their unity. This cause will be purely one, ; source of the unity, and hence being, of each created thing. In this al-Kindl gives the impression that God directly creates each thing. very brief work, possibly a fragment, headed On the True, First, Complete · (RisiilaJi l-Fii'il al-haqq a/-crwwal al-tiimm ), we are told that God is the -. of only one thing 'without an intermediary; and mediately the Creator' other things. However, this text and On First Philosophy agree in con · · · God to creation in similar terms: God is 'truly' one and an agent, where ·• ­ ated things are only 'metaphorically' one and agents. The reasoning is allel: that which is both one and many is only 'metaphorically' one; that is both agent and acted upon is only 'metaphorically' an agent. . Apart from the influence of Philoponus in the arguments ag · ·­ world's eternity, the dominant sources for al-Kindl's metaphysical were Neoplatonists and of course Aristotle himself. A good example is mentioned On the True Agent, which speaks of a single immediate e God which gives rise to further effects, and thus seems to endorse the emanation theory found in the Neoplatonic works produced in his · · D'Ancona 1992 [*197 ]). On the other hand one could also understand more Aristotelian way: perhaps the immediate effect of God is the he _ > tlieir motion, which become a cause for the further effects we see be · sphere of the moon ( this would bring the little treatise into line witli Proximate Agent Cause ofGenemtion and Corruption, Kitiib al-Ibiina 'an. alfa'ila al-qar[ba li-1-kawn wa-lfasiid). A similar fusion of Aristotelia · · Neoplatonism occurs towards the end of On First Philosophy. There, distinguishes the true One from intellect, as Plotinus would. He even in a very Plotinian passage which however seems rather tentative: 'O . _.. suppose that it [ sc. the intellect] is the first multiple, and that it is u _ _. some way, since it is a whole, as we have said; and that 'one' is said of the;,'" But unity in truth is not intellect' [*.57 : 87 ]. Yet he also makes sure to sh _ ___ the same doctrine of God's unity can prove that God is an unmoved that is, He is Himself incorporeal and immune to change, but the sou _ _ change and spatiotemporal motion [*51: 97 ]. Soul and Intellect 54 Neoplatonic influence is also apparent in al-Kindi's psychological w . his view the soul is an immaterial substance; in That There are In

197

ces (Risa/a ft annahu [tugad] tJawiihir /ii-agsiim), he argues for this · · imilating soul to the species of Aristotle's Categories. While that rather s tactic (on which Adamson, Pormann 2009 [*243]) does not appear er psychological works, he remains consistently committed to the idea 'the soul is a substance in its own right, which can survive the death of the ·• ·• This is the central theme of the doxographic Discourse on the Soul, which ' 'bes a broad agreement among ancient philosophers (Pythagoras, Plato, •. tie) regarding the nature of the soul as a 'divine, immaterial substance'. same doctrine is presupposed by al-Kindl's discussion of the Platonic of recollection (civ&�v� *365]; Magic [*371- •376]; Medicine and Pharmacology [*381-*389]; Various Wq , Natural Philosophy [*402-•403] - 6.9 Influence on Abu Ma'sar [·'411-•412]

f

6.1 1

Bibliography and Works ofReference Rescher, Oskar. "Notizen iiber einige arabische Handschriften aus B Bibliotheken." Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgen/iindischen Gese/lschaft 68 ( 47-63.

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GAL = Carl Brockelmann: Geschichte der arabischen Lltteratur, 2 vols; 3 suppl. vols. Leiden 1937- 1949 (2nd ed.). - Edition adapted to the supplement volumes. cannody, Francis J. Arabic Astronomical and Astrol.ogical Sciences in Latin Translation. Berkeley, 1956, 78-85. McCarthy, Richard Joseph. Al-tasiinif al-mansuba ii.ii fa:ylasaf a/-'Arab: Baf:,t bi-rnuniisabat il_ztifii/ Bagdiid wa-1-Kindi. Baghdad, 1382/1962. _ Ullmann, Manfred. Die Medizin im Islam. Leiden, 1970. GAS = Fuat Sezgin. Geschichte des arabischen Schrijltums . . . bis ca. 430 H., vol. 3: · Medizin, Pharmazie, Zoologie, Tierheitkunde. Leiden, 1970; vol. 5: Mathematik. Leiden, 1974, 255-259; vol. 6: Astronomie. Leiden, 1978; vol. 7: Astrologie, _ Meteorologie und Verwandtes. Leiden, 1979. , DPhA = Dictionnaire des philosophes antiques. Ed. Richard Goulet, 1 ff. and Supplement. Paris, 1989 ff. · Daiber, Hans. Bibliography of Islamic Philosophy, vol. 2. Leiden, 1999, 346-354 . (Index s.v. Kindl). - Supplement vol. (2007): 380-382.

Biography Fliigel, Gustav. Al-Kindl genannt der Philosoph der Araber, ein Vorbild seiner Zeit uruf. seines Votkes. Leipzig, 1857. Hauser, Friedrich. Ober da,s kitdb al /:lijal - das Werk Uber die sinnreichen Anordnungen - derBenU MUsd. Erlangen, 1922, 185-188. 'Abd al-Riiziq, Mu�\ara. "Abii Yusuf Ya'qiib b. Isl;,aq al-Kindl." al-Giimi'a al-Misriyya, Magallat Kulliyyat al-iidiib (Cairo 1933): 107- 148. Rosenthal, Franz. "Al-Kindl als Literat." Orientalia N.S. 11 (1942): 262-288. Rosenthal, Franz. Af:,mad b, a/-Tayyib as-Saraf.,sl. New Haven, Conn., 1943. Lecomte, Gerard. "Mul)ammad b. al-Gahm, gouvemeur philosophe." Arabica 5 (1958): 263-271. van Riet, Simone. "Le millenaire de Bagdad et d'al-Kindi." Revue philosophique de Louvain 6i ((1962] 1963): 111-115. Rescher, Nicholas. Al-Kind� an Annotated Bibliography. Pittsburgh, 1964 Sagadeev, Arnn Vladimirovic. "Novye publikatsii traktatov al-Kindi." Narody Azii /Afriki (1964): 168- 178. Hamarneh, Sarni Khalaf. "Al-Kindl, a Ninth-Century Physician, Philosopher, and Scholar." Medical History 9 (1965): 328- 342. ,,ff t>agom, Rene. "L'histoire d'al-Kindl, extraite du Kitab al-buhala' d'al-Gfil:iiz." j/ir&vue de l'Institutdes belies lettres arabes 38 (1975): 281-298. - Includes the Arabic

·ffoli,_:_- text.

.Martin, M. A. "Abu Yusuf Ya'qub al-Kindi (801-873)." In The Genius of Arab Ctvi/ization: Source ofRenaissance. Ed. byJohn R. Hayes. London, 1983 (2nd eel), 68-69.

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Endress, Gerhard. "Die wissenschaftliche Literatur." In Grundri4i} arabLschen Philo/ogle, vol. 2: Literaturwissenschaft. Ed. by Wolfdietrich and Helmut Gatje. Wiesbaden, 1987, 400�506; vol. 3: Supplement. Wie 1992, 3-152. Lecomte, Gerard. "Mul;iammad ibn al-Djahm." In EI 2 vn (1991) s.v. Butterworth, Charles E. "Al-Kindl." In Great Thinkers nf the Ea,;;tern Worfdf Major Thinkers and the Philosophical and Religious Classics ofChina, India, Ed. by Ian P. McGreal. New York, 1995, 439- 442. Lemay, Richard, ed. Abu Masar al-Bai{!i [Albumasar], Kttab al-Mudl;zal ilii. 'ilm af;,kam al-nuiJUm = Liber introductorii maioris ad scientiam Judi astrorum, 9 vols. Naples, 1995. Klein-Franke, Felix. "Al-Kindl:' In History of Islamic Philosophy, vol. 1. . " Seyyed Hossein Nasr and Oliver Leaman. London, 1996, 165- 177. Rudolph, Ulrich. ''Abil-Yf1Suf Ya'qilb Ibn-lsl)iiq al-Kindl." In Groj!,es Werk · ' der Philosophie, vol. 1. Ed by Franco Volpi. Stuttgart, 1999; 2004, 835-837. Travaglia, Pinella. Magic, Causality and Intentionality: The Doctrine of al-Kindl. Florence, 1999, 1 2 1 -130. - Includes a list of works. Endress, Gerhard. "Hofischer Stil und wissenschaftliche Rhetorik: Al-Kin . Epistolograph." In Islamic Philosophy, Science, Culture, and Religion: S Honor ofDimitri Gutas. Ed by :Felicitas Opwis and David Reisman. Leiden, 2011, 289-306.

Tenninology Gihiiml, Giriir [Gerard Jehamy]. Mawsu'at mw;tala/zat al-Kindl wa-A Beirut, 2002.

6,4 41 42 43

Textual Transmission ofal Kindi!s Works Ritter, Hellmut and Martin Plessner. "Schriften Ja'qilb ibn Isl)iiq al-Kl Stambuler Bibliotheken." Archiv Orientalni 4 (1932): 363-372. Rosenthal, Franz. "From Arabic Books and Manuscripts, II: Kindiana."fa the American Oriental Society 69 (1949 ): 149- 152. Rosenthal, Franz. "From Arabic Books and Manuscripts, VI: Istanbul Mat' for al-Kindl and as-Sara\)si."Journal of the American Oriental Society 76 (

27-31. 44

d)Uverny Marte-Therese. "Kindiana" Archives d'histoire doctrina/.e et Litt' moyen Uf}e 47 (1g80): 277-287.

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His Sources, Including Translationsfrom Greek Rosenthal, Franz. "On the Knowledge of Plato's Philosophy in the Islamic World." Islamic Culture 14 (1940): 387-422. Kutsch, Wilhelm. "Ein arabisches Bruchstuck aus Porphyrios (?) rrepl iiu;(ii,." Melanges de l'Universite SaintJoseph 31 (1954): 265-286. Walzer, Richard. Greek into Arabic: Essays on Islamic Philosophy. Oxford, 1962; Cambridge, Mass., 1963 (2nd ed.). Fa\)ri, Magid [Majid Fakhry]. "Al-Kindl wa-Suqra\." Al-Ab/_iiit 16 (1963): 23-24. Also in: M. Fa1)rl, Diriisiitfl ljikr al-'arab[. Beirut, 1977 (2nd ed.), 40-50. Moosa, Matti I. ''Al-Kindi's Role in the Transmission of Greek Knowledge to the Arabs:'Joumal of the Pairl and Ibn l:;lawqal. What was (;truly epoch-making about Abii Zayd's work, and hence gives rise to the notion of the 'Bal\)i School', is the resolute expansion of its interest beyond the nar­ �how boundaries of physical geography, to include climatic data, information on i'natural products, and their i nfluence on the 'geographie humaine' (cf. Tibbetts (11992 [*75: 110-115], Savage- Smith 2003 [*76: 113-121 )). The only work by Abii Zayd that is extant in its entirety discusses the !?hygiene of body and soul (Kitab Masiili/z al-abdtin wa-1-anfas [*76]). After WI"treating some general themes, like the elements, the physiological and organic ''Ji �,structure of m an, and climatology, the first part is dedicated to the conven!{tional topics of food, drink, scents, as well as sleep, bathing, gymnastics etc. ff(including an original chapter on the hygiene and therapeutic value of listen­ to musi c); the second part deals mainly with the psychological disorders of 10.wrath (fja,;lab), fear (yawf,faza1, sadness (/zuzn, lfaza� and obsessive thoughts (:(wasiiwis al-sadr wa-a!zad,t al-nafa). The basic concept of a correspondence �'between body and soul, which itself is again embedded in the system of all nat­ l!§l!ral things, is indebted to Galen's physiology, whereas various elements of Abii JY , fZayd's psychology (e.g. the cardinal virtues, tlie balance of the mean [i'tidal] fbetween two extremes, or the ty pology of psychological defects) can be traced ({iiack to al-Kindl's reception of Aristotelian and Platonic ideas. Notwithstanding 'i!F--these elements of the Hellenistic tradition, one should not fail to note Abii fZard's recurring references to ethos and etiquette of the princely court (fol­ f;jbwing traditional Iranian ideals ) and his 'non-technical', pleasing style, geared il:towards the ideals of Arabic adab. The same triad of (1) indigenous (Arabic-Islamic) components, (2) com po11:snents that take up Iranian ideas, and (3) categories of primarily Aristotelian (p:ovenience can be found in Abii Zayd's fragment on political theory (cf. l�orks [*77]), which may originate in either the Great or the Small Book on (fjvemance, and is quoted extensively in Abii l:;lay yan al-Taw l,ildi's Kitii.b

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al-Ba?ii'ir wa-l-gaya'ir. The passage defines governance (sryiisa) as an ($inii'a) whose aim is the well-being ( 'imara) of a country and the prote cti of its inhabitants. It names five causes ( 'ital) that constitute the creatioll the product called 'governance': matter (the subjects' concerns [umilr]), f, ( their well-being [ma?laha]), agent (the ruler's solicitude [ 'iniiya] for his S ·•···· jects' concerns), encl (perpetuation of that ma?laha), and instrument ( of incentives and deterrents [targib, tarhib]). The combination of the • Aristotelian causes with the Neoplatonic instrumental cause may go bi, " to al-Kindl's or al-Sara1).si's reception of Proclus' commentaries ( cf. In Ti ; I 263,19-30 Diehl; further Proclus, Elem. theol., 240-241 Dodds) or the pseu. ••· Aristotelian Theology. Abu Zayd furthermore prepares his analysis of g • nance with an analogous definition of the causes at work in architecture in medicine; while these latter two are also regarded as parallel cases in antiquity (on accouut of their practical focus, which in fact means that • do not qualify as proper sciences), the (not entirely smooth) parallelization" politics may well be Abu Zayd's own achievement. These late ancient eleme'• dominate his analysis; apart from them one should note, on the one hand, !if• · the use of traditionally Islamic terms of ma?laha and Lr

%&.

Bio-bibliographical Testimonies

al-Tawl_i1d1, Abu l:layyan 'All b. Mul_iarnmad (d. 414/1023). A(!liiq al-. Ma;alib al-wa2irayn al-$ii.hib Ibn 'Abbiid wa-Ibn al-'Amid. - Ed. by Mu]:, Tawlt al-Tangi. Damascus, 1385/1965, n5- 116. 344- 345. 411- 414. 446- 447. Abu l:layyan al-Tawl_i1d1. Al-Ba,ii'ir wa-l-g'a(!ii'ir. - Ed. by Wadad al-QaH. included in the criticism: Abu Zayd al-Bal\)l, the Shiite Abu Tammam al-Naysii.bfui (v), of the difference between 'unicity' (waf;zda) and 'point' (nuqta) (according j to Muqiibasiit § 74 [*203: 303]; cf. Aristotle, Posterior Analytics 87a26, Topics }' 108b24- -26, Metaphysics 1016b24-26; Kraemer 1986 [*403: 171]), of the meaning(j of 'substance' (fjawhar, Muqiibasiit § 86 [*203: 324-325]) and of the existence ! . of the vacuum (according to Muqiibasiit § 84 [*203: 321-322 ], cf. Kraemer 1986 °[ [*403: 184- 186]). There are furthermore discussions concerning the various meanings of the..;� homonym 'being'. These closely follow the Aristotelian Metaphysics, but also? exhibit some Neoplatonic colouring (matter as passive being, form as active, j because form-giving, being; and the eternal being that is always being in}! actuality (Muqiibasiit § 80 [*203: 313], Kraemer 1986 [*403: 178-179]). By con-Ji trast, the treatise on the manifold meanings of the 'One', which al-Sigistiinl/� according to al-Tawl,ldl's Muqiibasiit § 82 [*203: 315-317], dictated in his circle;(@, in 371/981, is entirely dependent on the Neoplatonic doctrine of emanation.t� Within the contemporary inter-religious discussion on monotheism, this topliJb divine things that are separate from matter.

I

4.3-4

Gnomologia

Kitiib A.dab al-J!rab wa-l-Furs ( Gaw[efiin &iraef) Ethical Sa:yings ofArabs and Persians (Perennial Wisdom) In some testimonials and manuscripts, the work is transmitted under the Persian: _ _ Giiwfrjiin &irad (Perennial Wisdom), after the 'testament' of Hosang (Ushan�), opens the collection, and texts by other Persian sages. Hence it has been printed u the equivalent Arabic title, al-l;likma al-&iilida (ed. Badawi 1952 [*281]; on this see the introduction pp. 54-63, text p. 5]). On the position of the work at the c wisdom literature cf. also § 9.1.3 'Gnomologia'. A collection of gnomological wisdom from the literary heritage of the Orient, in parts. i: l;likam al-Furs, i.e. wise sayings of the Persians [1- 88], starting with the tea

THE BEGINNINGS OF ISLAMIC PHILOSOPHY IN THE TRADITION OF AL-KINDi

329

of Hosang and other Persian sages, after the Giiwigan birag (cf. Arberry 1963 [*603]). Miskawayh refers to an Arabic translation from the Middle Persian by al-l;lasan b. Sahl (Jbn Zii.i;lanfarrii\) ), brother of the vizier al-Fa(il b. Sahl, as Miskawayh reports relying on al-Gal:ne [*281: 3] (Arberry 1963 [*603] refers to the astrologer al-Hasan b. Sahl b. Nawbal)t). Al-Hasan had made use of a translation that was read and explained to him by al-!Jidr b. 'All [*281: 20-22]. This and other texts of Persian wisdom literature con­ t.ained in the work are also documented in older strands of transmission, independently of Miskawayh's collection; some of them are transmitted separately, others in different contexts, thus in Ms Dublin, Chester Beatty 4819 (ed. Arberry 1963 [ *603] ), or in Pseudo­ Ibn al-Muqaffa', al-Adah al-sa(Jir, perhapsfollowing the Persian-Arabic tradition of 'All b. 'Ubayda al-Rayl)anl (d. 234/819) ( cf. Zakeri 1994 [*6n: 93-96]). ln Miskawayh's collection they were united with other gnomological traditions; but it is not appropriate to describe .. the whole collection as apocryphal (pace Khan 1998 [*614]). 2: lfikam al-Hind [89--100]. 3:lfikam al-'Amb [101- 208], including Luqman, Hasan al-Ba�n and sayings of the Su.fiyya.

,;:Jfikam al-Rum [m - 282], i.e. wisdom of the Greeks: Socrates, Hermes, Diogenes, Plato and his pupil Aristotle (including the latter's advice to Alexander), Pythagoras' Golden Verses, and the Tab/.et of Cebes. 5: lfikam al-isliimiyyin al-mu�datin, i.e. wise sayings by Islamic authors of recent times [285- 375], including Ibn al-Muqaffa' and al-Fii.rii.bl.

•. Wastyya Testament (On the Moral Ideal ofthe Philosopher)

a) The work is preserved under this title in Miskawayh's al-ljikma al-/J -'

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CHAPTER 5

76-79]). The degrees of happiness follow the grades of the good - health, wealth, honour, success, prudence - and are determined by them. (n1 3 [*273: 79-86]). The path of perfection leads in several steps from the first to the highest perfection, and finally to the utmost happiness, which is beyond the corpo­ real world. However, even the highest form of happiness needs to be mani­ fested externally in the actions of a virtuous life (Aristotle,NicomacheanEthics: 1098m6-17, 1099b26). As long as the happy person lives in the world of genera-• lion and corruption he will be subject to the Sil!Ile vicissitudes of fate as every, body else, but he will bear them with equanimity. But can we call a humm\:: being in this world truly happy, while his fortune can still turn, or can we dt{ that only after he has died? Happiness presupposes not only ethical perfection,· but also the completion of life, so as to bring it to maturity (here the text hairi a reference to Priam's fate, after Nicomachean Ethics I 10, 110084-14). Aristotl�• seems to presuppose the immortality of the soul and the completion of its; happiness after death, when he asserts that true happiness is by definition per,; manent and unchangeable, yet during their lifetime, humans inevitably expe:,( rience changes and misfortunes - so that no one ought to be called happy long as he lives. On the other hand, it would be absurd to say that a human,; being will only be absolutely happy once he dies. No, the truly happy person,j who always puts virtue into practice, preserves the foundations of happin� even when misfortunes arise (Nicomachean Ethics 1 12, noob18-1101a14; Tah,;J"tl>:' III 4 [*273: 86-91 ]). zcj The cardinal virtue of justice is nothing but the adherence to equal meas� ( musii:wiit), which is a reproduction of unity, and ultimately of divine unil}l% Absolute justice is seldom put into practice; oftentimes we can only obsel'\"� a fixed, even proportion, for instance in the execution of external justice the apportionment of reward, in the recompense of deserts, in trade, and � reparation for injustice (NicomacheanEthics v 4 - 5, 113oa30-1131a9). Accor� to Aristotle, the law (niimiis, v6µo- "-\t schools and the reqmrements a capable physician will have to fulfil. Chapter 9 explal�&l the medical curriculum and presents an account of the Summaria Aiexandrina�kl of the Galenic canon, i.e. of Galen's Sixteen Books, which goes back to Ibn Hindll( . 9--510] ). R$

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,\;& (2) The thought that God's attributes of omniscience, justice and mercy arii?* parallel to the attributes of knowledge, justice and sympathy or gentleness �j ways in which man can assimilate himself to God within a 'philosophical life' lsi� original with al-Ritzl. In order to support his idea, he refers to the Platonic doe}�¥ trine of the assimilation to God 'as far as it is possible for man' (cf. Theaetet,iidi 176b ), which was later picked up by Galen (De moribus [*32: 40,6-41,4], Diras,JJI . [*35: 201,12-202,4]: cf. Mattock 1972 [*65: 248-249]); just as in Neoplato ' i. \¼ and in Islamic thought since al-Kindl in the early 3rd/9th century (Druart 1 · • [*104: esp. 336-357] ) it here appears recast as a doctrine of the soul's liberati ·· ·· from the body, through increasing intellectual insight acquired in the cou > of the ascension to the divine, as well as through good actions (cf. Daiber 1. [*78: 327-328]). (3) The interpretation of 'nature' (Genequand 1984 [·*82: 123-125]) as necessity to prefer present pleasure - a necessity which obtains in this and is dictated by passion, and which man ought to counter with his reason" evokes the Platonic thought of a conflict between reason and desire (ct Phaedrus 246a-257a; al-Razl, al-Tibb [*48: 20-32, esp. 27,14-31,3; transl. 22 esp. 30-33]; Druart 1997 [*n3: 49-50 ]). Like the Platonic notion of the assi tion to God outlined above, it went on, in the 5th/11th century, to serve as a for tlie philosophical ethics of Miskawayh and, after him, of Ritgib al-!�£ (Daiber 1991 [*96: 182-187 ]). Miskawayh dedicates a separate chapter to ·. · virtue of justice (Tahdib [*9: 105- 134; transl. 95-ng]); following the Plato tradition, Aristotle's doctrine of the mean, as well as Plotinus ( cf. Enn. ur ..•. and 11 3,8) he describes it as the mean between two extremes and as harm ? of the parts of the soul, united in their obedience to reason (Daiber 1971 [•. · .< 39]); cf. p. 337 above. (4) This principle of the mean is also brought to mind when al-Raz[ emfl • sizes the virtue ofjustice and condemns tl,e philosophical life of pure as · cism, because excessive asceticism will lead to the demise of the world an& mankind. One text that Miskawayh used - a work ascribed to Plato which . survives in Arabic and as Syriac fragments (cf p. 84 above) - therefore ends . · · the conclusion that the perfection of happiness requires not only the goo the soul but also those of the body and 'of what surrounds the body'. Som ..... who has them all is more excellent tlian 'all those who possess virtue (only)..:. account of asceticism, poverty, separation and exile. (For) giving up the and relinquishing one's possessions may well be a magnificent thing, but at· same time it is something entirely imperfect' (Daiber 1971 [*61: 34 � Arab; . 31,58-60; comm. 39-40 ]). This text, which follows the Platonic-Aristoteli · · dition, has evoked criticism (Fakhry 1994 [*107: 71-77]; Adamson 2008 [• of Goodman's (1971 [*63: 5-26], 1972 [*64: 26- 48], 1996 [*38: 207] , 2015 [* classification of al-Razl as an 'Epicurean'. For despite structural parallels , ,,,()

C ,ABU BAKR AL-RAZI

405

;, more plausible to assume that al-Razl's pronouncements on pleasure and pain ', were first and foremost inspired by Plato's Timaeus - possibly the only work [, by Plato which he actually knew (Pines 1955 [*53: 60-61]). According to our )C bio-bibliographical sources, al-Razl apparently wrote an interpretation of this r text, together with Plutarch's commentary (see above, LW 023). We do not, as a matter of fact, know any Arabic version of such a commentary by Plutarch. I However, in his medical writings al-Rii.zl quotes Galen's commentary on the )" Timaeus (Pines 1997 [*39: 86 n. 116]); hence it is quite conceivable that he may 1f have encountered the views Plato expresses in the Timaeus on these matters in a compendium by Galen which is only extant in Arabic. Just as Plato's Timaeus, the compendium emphasizes the balance between ,; , " j:,. body and soul (Plato, Tim. 88b5-c6; Galen [*3,: 32,5-33,6]), while a lack of reason (&votct), divided into two types, 'insanity' (µav(c,) and 'ignorance' ( l of the appetitive soul, which God has given to mankind since it is nec­ t)essary for life and procreation (De moribus [*32: 26,6-27,5], Diriisiit [*35: ff190,22-191,20]; cf. Rosenthal 1965 [*55: 121- 122 ], Mattock 1972 [*65: 237 ]). If it )f•'' �lijecomes excessive, it will cause harm, and hence it must be kept under reglµlation of the rational soul which 'must love the beautiful [ and] hunger for !!ittuth' (De moribus [*32: 28,7, Engl. transl. 141,7-8], Diriisiit [*35: 192,11- 12 ]; cf. fi-!losenthal 1965 [*55: 124], Mattock 1972 [*65: 238]). Galen mentions Socrates !{!/!lld Plato as examples of people who 'have dedicated their lives entirely to ,e,,-,,rational soul' rather than to pleasure (De moribus [*32: 35,18-19], Diriisiit IJ:l'"ss: 192,19-20]; cf. Mattock 1972 [*65: 245]). - There is no doubt that al-Razl ltnew Galen's De moribus (probably in the unabridged translation by l:lunayn), 11\�ce in his Kltiib al-Sukuk 'a/ii Giili.niis he mentions the work and, taking up discussion in his al-Tibb al-rii/ziin[, [*48: 36,12-39,1; transl. 39- 40] empha­ �iizes in a critical tone that pleasure is not 'the intended good' ( al-Sukuk lf:41, 17,18- 19]).

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5.2 Epistemology: Philosophy versus Revelation A good philosopher is someone whose soul strives for knowledge, and whQJl} Le .>:. in his conduct, increasingly assimilates himself to God in justice and merc)'{,Jt: thus liberating his soul from the shackles of the body and letting it return "�!t to its divine origins. This is, first of all, reminiscent of Aristotle's distinction'h&"§ between theory and practice (Aristotle, Metaphysics 1026a:19; Topics 145814-18';· ·:li Nicomachean Ethics 1178b20-21). In accordance with Aristotle's view, 'pracf tice' is here identified with acting ethically (Nicomachean Ethics x 8). In '· Neoplatonic vein, the aim of such ethical actions is said to be the liberation the soul from the body - Plotinus (Enn. I 6) spoke of the 'purification' of soul. It is also termed the 'assimilation to God, as far as this is possible for human being'. This combination of Aristotle, Plato and Plotinus follows in th�·. footsteps of the Alexandrian philosophers of the 5th and 6th centuries, who, · · this respect, also inspired a short treatise on the classification of the scienc · · •·· by Qusta b. Luqii (Daiber 1990 [*92: 114. 116-117. 118- 119]). It is remarkable that al-RiizI only mentions logic ('logical demonstration mathematics, physics and theology in his definition of philosophy ( see above without providing an analysis of the practical part of philosophy; in urging th reader to act justly he only addresses ethics, while leaving out economics politics. Here al-RiizI deviates from the Alexandrians, who, following Aris (Metaphysics 1064b1-3; cf. Daiber 1990 [*92: 120]), divided philosophy into l. theoretical part on the one hand, whose subdivisions, progressing from the ible to the invisible, comprised physics, mathematics and theology, and int¢: practical part on the other, which was sub-divided into ethics, economics, · · politics (Gutas 1983 [*81: 261 ]). Apart from the marginally different order given to the subdivisions of theoretical part there is yet another aspect in which al-Riizl notably devi from the Alexandrian classification of philosophy: in al-Tibb al-rilf:,iini [� ' 43,5-6; transl. 45] he explicitly rejects 'grammar, poetry, correctness of spe · • {fa/iii/la) and eloquence' as proper parts of philosophy. This is a consequ . . .. arising from the Alexandrian division of the syllogism into five kinds, i.e. demonstrative, the dialectical, the rhetorical, the sophistical, and the po of whom only the first one is said to be true in every respect ( Gutas 1983 [ · 264], Daiber 1990 [*92: 115- 116]). .. Al-Riizl therefore modifies the Alexandrian concept of a 'philosopher', possesses theoretical knowledge, since he 'knows the conditions and mental mies of logical demonstration and is able to grasp and attain edge of mathematics, physics, and theology (al- Yim al-iliiht) in accor with human capacity'; in addition, he is guided in his actions by 'the j · · ment and principle of reason (al-'aqf) and justice (al-'ad/)' (see p. 404 ab ·•· .·.·

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The 'excellent philosopher' ( al-ragul aljaylasilf alja,;lil), who is superior to the majority of people, will, according to al-Riizi, achieve the control of reason . over passion to the greatest extent (al-Tibb [*48: 21,3-5; transl. 23]; cf. also Vallat 2015 (*128: 208-2u]). 'He who reflects (na;;ara) and exerts oneself (igtahada) is walking on the path of truth (muhiqq), even if he will not reach its furthest , as al-Riizi declares according to the report of his Ismaili opponent, Abu · limit' . l:liitim al-Riizl (A'lii.m [·•41: 303,2-3; *2: 12,18-19]); even a small amount of reflec­ .. tion is capable of liberating the soul from its unhappy state (kudilra) (A'ltim • . [*4,: 302,13- 14; *2: 12,7-8]; cf. Gutas 1988 [*88: 207-209]). ln his clispute with · Abu Bakr al-Riizl, Abu I;Iatim had reached a different conclusion: from the dis­ ... simila rity of people who can be separated in leaders and followers, teachers ·•. and learners, he had deduced the necessity for a prophet sent by God, to lead •• • and instruct the people (A'ltim [*41: 299,17-300,4; *2: 8,7- 16]; cf. Daiber 1989 ••• [*go: 91-92], 1996 [*m: 846-847]). Abt1 Bakr al-Riizi, on the other hand, had replaced people's need for guidance and their submissiveness to authority by active initiative, reflection, and the striving endeavour of the individual - the ' !!\'emphasizes that any attribute predicated of the divine being that is chosen by human i\'F,. �:'._: "reason and language must ultimately be inadequate; for this point he again refers to Gt> !!!.Gregory of Nazianzus. !f,.'.\i �{ Answer to 12 Questions.from Abu lfakim YusufIbn al-Bu/_zayri J\s,34.1 Jfcomposed in 387/997. The addressee, lbn al-Bul)ayrl ofMayyafariqin, is mentioned in t'S· 'ifi{Munta/,ab $iwdn al-/,ikma [*156: 144 Dunlop; 335 Badawi]: 'al-Bul!arf; there he asks lbn 'i}f ' �fr.Zur'a how it is possible to know 'the point, the now, and unity' even though they do �' ,,not fall under any of the ten categories (GCAL [*2: II 254 no. 4], Haddad 1971 [*272: 44 i1Cno. 4], Starr 2000 [*295: 344- 349]). 1. Christ's historical existence. 2. \1/hy did the Eternal create the world? (Answer: !!!(because of his perfect benevolence [gild]). 7. The existence of the angels. (Answer: t}in addition to the beings of the noblest form, i.e. reason, but of mortal matter, God ibfr }�tneeded to create beings that combine the form of reason with the noblest, imperishable substrate). 8. The reason for the incarnation (ta'annus) of God's word. 9. God's lfTrinity (an outline of Ibn Zur'a's doctrine of God's essence as thought thinking itself). gfio, The immortality of the rational soul after its separation from the body (the rational M,v.. f�'.(:80ul has a separate existence, with reference to Plato and Aristotle; according to St. l, l'aul, 1 Cor 15,12- 19, Christ gives Himself up to death in the rationally justified knowl­ ledge that He has an everlasting home).

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[ al- Igiiba] 'an radd Abi l -Qiisim 'Abd Allah b. A/lmad al-Bal/Ji 'a/ii l-nasarii fl kita al-musammii.Awifil al-adifla Reply to the Refa.tation ofthe Christian Doctrine in the BookAwii'il [also: 'Uyun] al-a · · · [fi usu[ al-dfn] (Principles [or core issues] of the Proofs [ concerning thefoundations religion]) by Abu 1 -Qiisim 'Abd Alliih b. A/,mad al-Ba/f}i Composed in l)u l-Qa'da 387/November-December 997) (GCAL [*2: II 254 no. 5],S 2000 [*295: 350-354]). The treatise is addressed to Abu l-Qasim al-Ballji (d. 319/931), a leading Mu' theologian of the time (cf. van Ess 1985 [*294] ). At the beginning of the text, contentious points are marked out as the main differences between Christianity a Islam: 1. the Trinity - Ibn Zur'a gives reasons for his distinction between God's essence and the plurality of the essential states (a/,wiil) or attributes; 2. the alleg, anthropomorphism (tasbih) of the Christian concept of God - God does not the corporeal nature of his creatures, but His creatures may participate in some of -' attributes, e.g. in existence; 3. the prophethood of Mul_lammad - this is rejected by Christians on the grounds that with Christianity, God has already revealed the m perfect religion and the perfect moral law; hence he has also laid out the most exc _•·. . lent course of action for each of the three parts of the soul, as well as the disposi (taqwlm) of the lower faculties towards reason. Maqiila of the truth of the Christian message, and possibly to convert him. (Text, trans and analysis in Starr 2000 [*295]).

,-'. - THE BAGHDAD ARISTOTELIAN'S

477

The treatise is divided in four 'points of difference between us and the Jews' ; (af-ma:wiiefi' allati baynana wa-bayna l-Yahiid), and deals with the following questions: f 1. On the abolition of the Mosaic law through Christian law. The law of nature ( (sunna /abi'iyya) and the law of reason (sunna 'aqliyya) are accompanied by the posi­ tT live law (sunna waef'iyya) that has been instituted (ta:wqif) by the Creator. The Jewish (and implicitly, the Islamic) law of justice (sunnat al-'adl) is presented as surpassed and abolished by the Christian law, which is the law of eminence (sunnat al-tafaefefu[). 2. On the arrival of Christ the Messiah, as it was predicted by the prophets and �;: :announced by signs. : 3. On God's unity and the Trinity. The author argues that it is valid to say: 'The

which require a predication of plurality'. Notwithstanding the one single essence, sev• era! individually different predications are required, since attribution is different from ;_:,, essence. A second argument refers to the concept of God as thought thinking itself, being at the same time intellect, intellecting, and intelligible, which, in religious Ian­ > - guage, translates as 'benevolent', 'wise', and 'powerful'. 4. On the hypostatic union of divine and human nature in Christ. In Christ1 t.wo

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;;_ constituted from the Eternal Son and the son born to Mary. The union (itti.fJ.ad, itti�lll) :J-" of God and man is possible only in the Son, not in the Father, who is separate intellect, £;',-nor in the Holy Spirit, who is the absolute object of intellection ( on the interpretation (( f the union in this text cf. Haddad 1971 ['272: 270-278]). [f o•· A further, appended question deals with the resurrection of the dead, in particular the general resurrection of all mankind; the author reports on a disputation with the llJew Abu l-ijayr Dawud b. Musag (Pines 1961 [*292: 156 n. 10 ]). :• The methods of proof employed in the text are called 'rational demonstration' ,�-0lJqiyiisiyya 'aqliyya) and 'scriptural proof (kitdbiyya $a/:zafiyya). Among the ancient [I:-'. personages called upon as witnesses, Galen appears several times (Pines 1961 [*292: : ft; 163-172])• ;Jt;> ii,

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f'. Maqalafi l-Mabahit al-arba'a 'an al-ittihad allagiyaqiilu bihi l -na$ara ,§U, the Four Scientific Questions applied to the Union [ ofthe three hypostases] in which �'.f' the Christians Believe

J:: : i!¾''Starr 2000 [·'295: 360- 364]. In the Alexandrian commentary tradition, the four ques/)(:'

jj:.tions (1) whether something is the case, (2) why it is the case, (3) whether a thing i\' exists, and (4) what kind of thing it is (after Arist. An. Po.,t. II 1, 89b24-5: Z�Touµsv -rtTTa:pa, TO 01'.'t, TO 3t&n, c:! e'.O"Tl, Tf f:O'Ttv) are prefixed to the philosophical prole.qom­ lfffia. Here they are applied to the union of the two essences in Christ, following the ti,:(.,',

IJt

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- !: ofthe Galenic works which his pupil Ibn Hindu integrated into his workM!f/;a� al-tibb, making use of his teacher's translation (cf. § 5.5). !h, In his Kitab al-$aydana, al-Biriinl quotes from Ibn al-ijarnmar's glosses on the �:},: fypomnema (Kunniis) by Paul of Aegina (al-Blriinl [*205: 29�4. 31,13]), and also evalu1 (fates his Kitiib al-A[jdiya [*205: Index s.v.]. In Kitab al-$aydana [*205: 536] as well as in !•Kitah al-Gamiihirft ma'rifat al-ifawiihir (c£ Ullmann 1970 (*316: 85]) al-Blriinl mentions i'atranslation or annotation by Abu 1-ijayr of the medical handbook composed by Aetius ff9fAmida.

i

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Itfc"l-4

Doctrine

!(4ifun al-l;;lammiir was an Aristotelian, following in the footsteps of his teacher j¾al;iya Ibn 'Adi (§ 7.2). For him, the concepts of Aristotle's doctrine of the 01p leateg�ries and of his hermeneu�cs, together with the methodology of �yl. lt°!listical demonstration, make 1t possible to nnderstand and solve philo­ [l�phical problems. Philosophy's claim to authority is based on their universal

Ii

488

validity, especially with regard to those questions that are contested between\'! Aristotelians and theologians, and between Christians and Muslims, In respecti! of the question whether the knowledge of God was necessary or acquired deduction ( a question that was controversial among Islamic theologians);ij) Abu l;layyan al-Taw}:tidi quotes Ibn al-1:;lammar as saying: 'It is necessary from:� the perspective of reason, but a deduction from the perspective of se�Il perception; each object of knowledge is determined either by reason on th;i!i basis of intelligibles, or by sense perception on the basis of the perceptible/� and thus leads us from the apparent to the hidden' [according to the form�;� for inductive proofs familiar from Islamic law and kaflim: qiyas al-siilud lila'fl! l -/jil'ib] (al-Muqiibasiit [*203: § 42, 174], based on this $iwtin al-hikma [*206: 15�1 Duulop; 353 Badawi]). . >,�� Ethical propaedeutics. With his treatise on the philosophical life {bnj?j al-1:;lammar follows the Platonic ideal of the rational soul that is guided towar� the contemplation of truth by temperance (uwq,po(J\)VYJ ). In this, he relies moni'/� closely on Plato's Republic and Phaedrus than did his predecessors ( al-Kin� Abu Bakr al-Razi) and contemporaries (cf. § 7.2 on Ya}:tya Ibn 'Adi, § 7.5 on lbill{ al-Sam}:t, § 54 on Miskawayh). Man's composite nature places him in the world� of the senses, but he may gain perfection through wisdom: the realization thaiij he owes his being to the intelligible One will free him from the fear of deanj,z,l and it is death which deprives him of the ability to perceive himself as a con1;i1! posite being (according to Abu l;layyan al-Taw}:tidi, Risa.lat al-I;layiit [*202: '71J 'V -?J, transl. Audebert 165-166]. The philosophical life does not preclude an acti�j life, as long as it preserves its self-sufficiency, as it would be the case with. • "'' self-reliant life of the farmer; however, it is not as a philospher-king that ·. .• philosopher can be of service to society, but at best through gaining with the noble elite. Logic and epistemology. Of this part of Ibn al-1:;lammar's work we only .···.· . sess glosses on the Organon and treatises on individual questions. The i ·.. ,. duction to Aristotle's Categories is closely connected to the Prolegomena of Alexandrian commentaries from the school of Ammonius and Olympiod ·.·. One topic is of more consequence than the others: the question of the logical status that ought to be assigned to essential accidents, which discussed between Ya}:tya Ibn 'Adi, Ibrahim Ibn Bakkus and Abu S . ..•. . al-Sigistani in the context of the definition of 'in the substrate' ( /;v urcoxEL ·· (Arist. Cat. 2, 1a24-25). Ibn al-1:;lammar restates it, together with his own . nation of the problem, in a work entitled On the Form of Fire [*215: 373 Georr, esp. 373,20] . Siding with Porphyry and most of the older com . . tors, and against Ibn 'Adi, Ibn al-1:;lammar regards the essential prope ·· a substance ( 01lf_-�.within the framework of an introduction to Aristotle: Aristotle's First Intellect is !fat the same time final cause and efficient cause, and is identified with the derni­ fj{urge of Plato's Timaeus. The Arabs knew that Ammonius made God, i.e. Aristotle's ffammoved mover, the efficient cause of the universe. While Arabic Aristotelians ii�ce al-Fara.bl argued for the unity of the Aristotelian world view and hence for lletemal creation, the early Islamic authors (a l K - indl) and the Christians of the 1(1.llaghdad school in the 4th/10th century sided with John Philoponus' refutation of eternity of the world. Both his Against Proclus and his Against Aristotle were lllnown in Arabic translations; Ibn '.Adi's school furthermore transmitted large parts Philoponus' commentary on Aristotle's Physk:s (cf § 7.5 on Jbn al-Sarnl;i). Two ifiijo\-llt\i/f his arguments for the contingency of creation remain part of the discussion: first argues that the present cannot possibly be preceded by an infinite series events; the second argues that a finite body cannot have infinite power, and l�ce has the possibility of non-existence (passing away), which is why it could

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If\ Aristotle. Physics [commentary]. - Ed. by 'Abd al-RaJ:,man Badawl, in: Aristiif� al-Tabt'a, tariJamatis/uiq blfun,:ryn, ma'asurii/ilbn al-Sam/iwa-Jbn 'Adfwa-M4J b. Yunus wa-Abf I-Farag Ibn al-Tayyib, 2 vols. Cairo, 1384-1385/1964-1965Maqdla $annafahii Aristufdfd/isft lfa starting from book VI 6, he resorted to Ibn al-Tayyib's explications (cf. L [ •416: 459- 472. 514. 527. 564-593]). The text consists in part of summaries of Aristotle's arguments, but in a: · .-­ · places Ibn al-Tayyib actually disagrees with Aristotle - very prominently,., · > of the question of the First Mover. In contrast to Aristotle, who claims

has always existed, Ibn al-Tayyib asserts that the things which are in

into being outside of time, through an act of the Creator. They are not asso

motion by nature. (Physics [*29,: 809]; cf. Lettinck 1994 (*416: 564]), 0 . . , Aristotelian model could not be brought into harmnoywith the Christian. · · by its commentator. Here and in other places Ibn al-Tayyib mentions argume' Rescher, Nicholas. "An Interpretation of Aristotle's Doctrine of Fu�R Contingency and Excluded Middle:• In Rescher, Studies in the History ofAraff&±i ! . Logic. Pittsburgh, 1963, 43-54. Rescher, Nicholas and Fadlou Shehadi. "Ya(lya ibn 'Adl's treatise 'On the Scientific Questions Regarding the Art of Logic'."Journal ofthe History ofldeasij (1964): 572-578. - Repr. in: N. Rescher, Studies in Arabic Philosophy. Pittsbur� 1967, 38-47. C'if'l Frede, Dorothea. Aristoteles und die 'Seeschlacht': Das Problem der contingt fatura in De interpretatione IX. Gottingen, 1970. - With bibliography, 126-181. Zimmermann, Friedrich W. Al-Fambfr; Commentary and Short Treatise -­ _ Aristotle's De interpretatione [*78]. Elamrani-Jamal, Abdelali. Logique aristotelicienne et grammaire arabe, documents. Paris, 1983. Endress, Gerhard. "Grammatik und Logik" [*81 ]. Black, Deborah L. "Aristotle's 'Peri Hem1eneias' in Medieval Latin and Philosophy: Logic and the Linguistic Arts:' In Aristotle and His Me Interpreters. Ed. by Richard Bosley and Martin Tweedale. Calgary, 1992, z5� . · ' Gihami, Girar (GerardJehamy). Al -Iskul(Y.Ya al-luiJaw(Y.Yafi ljalsafa al-'am .•. ' Beirut, 1994. Wisnovsky, Robert. "Ya(lya ibn 'Adi's Discussion ofthe Prolegomena to the of a Philosophical Text." In LJ

' Ji

F,:,\il:'1

147 149

152

153

-:i \

e

&t'..

THE BAGHDAD ARISTOTELIANS

515

Physics and Mathematics 7.5.5 16, Tiirker, Mubahat. "ibnil 's-Salal)'m De Coelo ve onun §erhlert hal 168 Baffioni, Carmela. ''Archimedean Influences on Yal)ya ibn 'Adi." Parole de /'Orient 24 (1999): 367- 376. 169 Baffioni, Carmela. "The Concept of 'Nature' in Yal,ya ibn 'Adi (a Compartson with the lkhwan al-Safa')." In Studies on the Christian Arabic Heritage in Honour of Father Prof Dr. Samir Khalil Samir S. I. at the Occasion ofHis Sixty-fifth Birthday. Ed. by Rifaat Ebied and Herman Teule. Leuven, 2004, 199-204. Bennett, David, and Robert Wisnovsky. ''A Newly Discovered Yal,ya lbn 'Adi Treatise AgainstAtomism." In D.Janos 2016 [cf. •137], 298--3n. Ontology, Metaphysics, Doctrine of the Intellect Pines, Shlomo. "La doctline de l'intellect selon Bakr al-Mawgili." In Studi oriental­ istici in onore di Giorgio Levi Della Vida, vol. 2. Rome, 1956, 350-364 Ttirker, Mubahat. "Yahya ibn-i 'Adi'nin varhklar hakkindaki makalesi." Ankara Universitesi di/ ve tarih-coiJrajj,afakilliesi dergisi 17 (1959): 145- 157. - On Maqata ft1 -MawiJudat. Dodds, Elie Robertson, ed. Proclus: The Elements of Theology: A Revised Text with Translation, Introduction and Commentary. Oxford, 1963 ( 2nd ed.). Pines, Shlomo. "Some Traits of Chrtstian Theological Wrtting in Relation to Moslem Kalam and to Jewish Thought." Proceedings of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities 5, no. 4 (1973): 105-125. Pines, Shlomo and Michael Schwarz. "Yal,ya Ibn 'Adi's Refutation ofthe Doctrtne of Acquisition (iktisab): Edition, Translation and Notes on Some of His Other

516

180 181

182

183 184 185 186

188 189 190

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Treatises." In Studia Orientalia memoriae D. H Baneth dedicata. Jerusalem, 1979t _-: 49-94. Samir, Khalil (Jja]I] Samlr). Le Traite de /'unite de Ya/zyd ibn 'Adi (893- 974) (MaqiUa Ji 1-Tawhid /i-Ya/Jyd Ibn 'Adi [Arab. text.]). Guniya, Rome, 1980. Platti, Emilio. "Intellect et revelation chez lbn '.Adi: Lecture d'une page d'un petit · traite." Orientalia Christiana Analecta 226 [Actes du deuxieme congres interna- --' tional d'etudes arabes chretienne& Ed. by Khalil Sarnir] (Rome 1986): 229-234 Samir, Khalil. "Science divine et thE!orie de la connaissance chez Yal)ya ibn (Adi. :;­ Textes edites et traduits.'" Anna/es de philosophic 7 (1986): 75- u5. Whittaker, John. "Proclus and the Middle Platonists: In Proclus, /ecteur et interprete des anciens. Ed. by Jean Pepin and Henri Dominique Saffrey. Paris, , i: 1987, 277-291. Holmberg, Bo. A Treatise on the Unity and Trinity of God by Israel of Kashkar ) (d. 872):Introduction, Edition and Word Index. Lund, 1989, 50-56. - Argues against"' the ascription to Yal,ya Ibn '.Adl. Boualwan, Kamal. "Ya]:iya ibn 'Adi's Conception of 'the One': Parole de /'Orient 28 ; (2003): 485-495. - In the context of Trinitarian theology (comparison with.!' Thomas Aquinas). Lizzini, Olga. "Le traite sur !'unite (Maqalah fi 1-Tawbld) de Yal,ya ibn '.Adi etf la troisieme maqalah de la Metaphysique du Kitab al-Shifa' d'Avicenne: De�•; finalites differentes dans !'analyse de !'Un." Parole de /'Orient 28: Actes du H""'.li Symposium Syro�Arabicum, etudes arabes chretiennes, vol. 2 (2003): 497-529� _, ;;,'/ van Ess,Josef. "Abu 'l-Qasem." In Eir [*5: I 359-363). :-;>� Starr, Peter. The 'Epistle to Bisr b. Fin/las (Maqiilah 'amilahii ila Bisr b. Finlµii;YJ.lfl ' """'' Commentary. Ibn Zur'ah (m. A. H. 398/A.D. 1008): Edition, Translation and

•�\l

Diss., University of Cambridge, 2000.

l'\11

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THE BAGHDAD ARISTOTELIANS

7.7 7.7 .1

311 312 313 314 315 316 317 318

7.7.2

< 325 \ 326 327

. 328 • 329 330

331

521

Ibn al-ljammar

Bibliography and Biography GAL [*i: I 236; S I 378]. Meyerhof, Max. Von Alexandrien nachBagdad [*13], 421 (35). GCAL [*2: II 156- 157 ]. GAS [*4: Ill 322- 323]. Daiber [*7], II Index s.v. Ibn al-Khammar. Ullmann, Manfred. Die Medizin im Islam. Leiden, 1970, 85. 95. 227. Endress, Gerhard. The Works ofYal:ryiiibn ¼d, [*18], §§ 1.23. 2.10. 2.n-- 13. 2.15. 3.32. 8.33. ijallrat, Sal)ban (Sahban Khalifat). Jbn Hindu: Siratuhu, iirii'uhu alfalsafiyya, mu'allafatuhu. Amman, 1995, 81-87.

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