Book Reviews / Medieval Encounters 14 (2008) 124-152 133

Peter Adamson and Richard C. Taylor, eds. Th e Cambridge Companion to Arabic Philosophy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005. Pp. xviii, 448

Th e Cambridge Companion to Arabic Philosophy is a compilation of nine- teen chapters arranged for the most part in chronological order. Chapter one is an excellent introduction to Arabic philosophy. Chapter two elabo- rates on the translation of Greek philosophy into Arabic, particularly Neo- platonism. Chapters three to eleven present key Muslim philosophers in the eastern and western parts of the Islamic empire (chapter 5 names a sect, the “Ismaʿilis”). Chapters twelve to sixteen take a thematic approach, focusing on logic, ethical and political philosophy, natural philosophy, psychology, and metaphysics. Chapter seventeen looks at the rapport between Islamic and Jewish philosophy, the importance of which goes beyond the history of philosophy to reflect the paradigm of convivencia that became synonymous with Andalusia. Chapter eighteen reflects on translating Arabic philosophy into Latin, and its reception in Europe. Th e book culminates with chapter nineteen, entitled “Recent Trends in Arabic and Persian Philosophy.” Th is Companion has a good index, though not without minor challenges. Calo and Calonymus, as in “Calo the Jew”, “Calonymos ha-Nasi” and “Calonymos ben Calonymos” (p. 385) are indexed as “Qalonimus ben Qalonimus” (p. 361) without cross reference. Th ere is also a bibliography for further readings which is not intended to be comprehensive. Th e bib- liography, after an initial section for general readings, is divided in a way that corresponds to the chapters. Th e other tables include a list of the major philosophers in the Arab philosophical tradition that are arranged chrono- logically (p. xv), a list of Greek works translated into Arabic and/or Syriac, extant or not (pp. 22-23), and an extensive list of Arabic philosophical works translated into Latin before ca. 1600, “arranged according to the chronological order of the author in the Arabic original” (pp. 391-400). In what follows, I shall highlight some of the ideas presented in this work, along with some of my comments where applicable. In chapter one, the editors clarify the scope of the book, which focuses on the formative period of philosophy in Arabic. Th e explanation that “Arabic philosophy” is philosophy written in Arabic solves many prob- lems, but not all. Some of those philosophers who are included in this work, such as Al-Ghazzali, wrote in Persian too. None of the other options, such as “Islamic Philosophy” is without challenges. Ziai, in chapter nineteen,

© Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2008 DOI: 10.1163/138078507X254703 134 Book Reviews / Medieval Encounters 14 (2008) 124-152 addresses primarily “Persian” philosophy, though the title of the chapter includes “Arabic” philosophy as well. Th e problematic classification could be extended to “Jewish” philoso- phy. Is “Jewish” philosophy Arabic, based on its use of Arabic language up to Maimonides, or is it Hebrew, as in the post-Maimonidean period? Ste- ven Harvey, without explaining why, uses “Jewish philosophy” (p. 350), “Hebrew Philosophy” (p. 354) and “Jewish Th ought” (p. 363) in three of the subtitles in chapter seventeen, the title of which is “Islamic Philosophy and Jewish Philosophy” (emphasis is mine)! In chapter two, “Greek into Arabic: Neoplatonism in translation”, Christina D’Ancona discusses Plotinus’ development of Plato’s metaphys- ics that takes into consideration Aristotle’s criticism, and finally reaching the core of Plotinus’ philosophy, the doctrine of the three principles: One- Good, Intellect, and Soul. Th is doctrine plays “a pivotal role in the forma- tion of Arabic philosophy and lastingly influence[s] it.” (p. 13) D’Ancona’s discussion of how the Greek philosophical texts were translated, in addi- tion to the table of Greek works translated into Syriac and/or Arabic (pp. 23-24), which I consider an asset in itself, provided an excellent intro- duction to chapter three, “Al-Kindī and the reception of Greek Philosophy”. Peter Adamson’s introduction of Al-Kindī forms a continuum with the previous chapter. Al-Kindī, a contemporary of Hunayn Ibn Ishaq, had a circle of translators who specialized in Greek philosophical texts. Th e trans- lation project of the Christian family of Hunayn went beyond philosophy. Most importantly, it shows convivencia at work; Christians (elsewhere, Jews and others) and Muslims cooperated in this regard. Al-Kindī wanted to augment what the Greeks did not complete, and he tried to reconcile Aris- totelianism and Neoplatonism (p. 34) despite the fact that he did not know Plato well (p. 37). Furthermore, Al-Kindī, in asserting God’s absolute one- ness in “On First Philosophy,” maintained the same negative theology of the Muslim rational theologians, especially the Muʿtazilites (p. 48). In “Al-Fārāabī and the philosophical curriculum,” chapter four, David Reisman stated that not much is known about Al-Fārābī’s “personal cir- cumstances and the familial background” (p. 52). Yet, the very little known about him highlights once again the ethos of convivencia prevailing in that milieu; the Christian cleric Yuhanna b. Haylan was his teacher of the Aris- totelian Organon up to the Posterior Analytics. Al-Fārābī also had a prominent Christian student, Yahya b. ʿAdi (p. 53). Based on the Principles of Beings, Reisman successfully presents Al-Fārābī’s metaphysics and cosmology. He integrated “Aristotelian metaphysics of