Studia Graeco-Arabica
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ENCYCLOPAEDIA JUDAICA, Second Edition, Volume 2 Lowers of Aristotle
aristotle lowers of Aristotle, at times as his critics, included, during the the question of *creation. Aristotle based his notion that the 13t and 14t centuries – Samuel ibn *Tibbon, Jacob *Anatoli, world is eternal on the nature of time and motion (Physics, Shem Tov ibn *Falaquera, Levi b. Abraham of Villefranche, 8:1–3; Metaphysics, 12:6, 1–2; De Caelo, 1:10–12) and on the Joseph *Kaspi, Zerahiah b. Isaac *Gracian, *Hillel b. Samuel impossibility of assuming a genesis of prime matter (Physics, of Verona, Isaac *Albalag, Moses *Abulafia, *Moses b. Joshua 1:9). In contrast to the Kalām theologians, who maintained the of Narbonne, and *Levi b. Gershom (Gersonides), their most doctrine of temporal creation, the medieval Muslim philoso- outstanding representative; from the 15t to the 17t century – phers interpreted creation as eternal, i.e., as the eternal pro- Simeon b. Ẓemaḥ *Duran, Joseph *Albo, the brothers Joseph cession of forms which emanate from the active or creative and Isaac *Ibn Shem Tov, Abraham *Bibago, *Judah b. Jehiel knowledge of God (see *Emanation). The task with which the Messer Leon, Elijah *Delmedigo, Moses *Almosnino, and Jo- Jewish Aristotelians were faced was either to disprove or to seph Solomon *Delmedigo. (The exact relation of these phi- accept the notion of the world’s eternity. Maimonides offers losophers to Aristotle may be gathered from the entries ap- a survey and refutation of Kalām proofs for creation and ad- pearing under their names.) vances his own theory of temporal creation (Guide, 2:17), for which he indicates the theological motive that miracles are Issues in Jewish Aristotelianism possible only in a universe created by a spontaneous divine Jewish Aristotelianism is a complex phenomenon, the general will (2:25). -
Medieval Jewish Philosophy and Its Literary Forms'
H-Judaic Lawee on Hughes and Robinson, 'Medieval Jewish Philosophy and Its Literary Forms' Review published on Monday, March 16, 2020 Aaron W. Hughes, James T. Robinson, eds. Medieval Jewish Philosophy and Its Literary Forms. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2019. viii + 363 pp. $100.00 (cloth), ISBN 978-0-253-04252-1. Reviewed by Eric Lawee (Bar-Ilan University)Published on H-Judaic (March, 2020) Commissioned by Barbara Krawcowicz (Norwegian University of Science and Technology) Printable Version: http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showpdf.php?id=54753 Among the religious and intellectual innovations in which medieval Judaism abounds, none sparked controversy more than the attempt of certain rabbis and scholars to promote teachings of ancient Greek philosophy. Most notable, of course, was Moses Maimonides, the foremost legist and theologian of the age. Not only did he cultivate Greco-Arabic philosophy and science, but he also taught the radical proposition that knowledge of some of its branches was essential for a true understanding of revealed scripture and for worship of God in its purest form. As an object of modern scholarship, medieval philosophy has not suffered from a lack of attention. Since the advent of Wissenschaft des Judentums more than a century and half ago, studies have proliferated, whether on specific topics (e.g., theories of creation), leading figures (e.g., Saadiah Gaon, Judah Halevi, Maimonides), or the historical, religious, and intellectual settings in which Jewish engagements with philosophy occurred—first in -
3 Al-Farabi, Avicenna, and Averroes in Hebrew: Remarks on the Indirect Transmission of Arabic-Islamic Philosophy in Medieval Judaism
3 Al-FArAbi, AvicennA, And Averroes in Hebrew: remArks on tHe indirect trAnsmission oF ArAbic-islAmic PHilosophy in medievAl JudAism James T. Robinson erhaps as early as the eighth century, in the Islamic East, the traditional Sanskrit tales about the Buddha’s enlightenment—about his recognition of his own mortality and training with an ascetic monk—were translated into Persian and Arabic. The Arabic version, entitled Bilawhar wa-Būdhāsaf, then served as Pthe basis for renderings into Georgian, Greek, Latin, Hebrew, and a long list of European vernacular languages.1 These renderings were, more often than not, not straightforward translations but adaptations, often introducing significant modifications into the frame narrative. The Greek version, for example, transformed Bilawhar—an ascetic teacher—into Barlaam, a saintly Christian monk, and his disciple Budasaf or Yudasaf—the Buddha—into Joasaph or Josaphat, a saintly Christian Neophyte.2 The Hebrew version is no less surprising than the Greek, when Bilawhar be- comes not a Jewish sage but a Neoplatonic philosopher, and his 1 For the Arabic and Persian versions, see D. Gimaret (1972); D. Gimaret (1971). See also S. M. Stern and S. Walzer (1971). For the Georgian and Greek versions, see: D. M. Lang (1957), idem (1966); John Damascene (1914). The Hebrew version was edited by A. M. Habermann (1951), with extensive apparatus and commentary. For the vernacular versions, see most recently the studies of the German and English versions: S. Calomino (1990); K. Ikegami (1999). 2 In fact, both Barlaam and Joasaph/Josaphat became Christian saints. 60 The Judeo-Christian-Islamic Heritage final lesson to his young disciple is not a lesson in religious prac- tice but an introduction to neoplatonic metaphysics, based on the Arabic versions of Plotinus—namely, that complex of texts associated with the Theology of Aristotle.3 This is one example of the indirect transmission of Greek and Arabic philosophy in medieval Judaism. -
1 Beginning the Conversation
NOTES 1 Beginning the Conversation 1. Jacob Katz, Exclusiveness and Tolerance: Jewish-Gentile Relations in Medieval and Modern Times (New York: Schocken, 1969). 2. John Micklethwait, “In God’s Name: A Special Report on Religion and Public Life,” The Economist, London November 3–9, 2007. 3. Mark Lila, “Earthly Powers,” NYT, April 2, 2006. 4. When we mention the clash of civilizations, we think of either the Spengler battle, or a more benign interplay between cultures in individual lives. For the Spengler battle, see Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1996). For a more benign interplay in individual lives, see Thomas L. Friedman, The Lexus and the Olive Tree (New York: Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 1999). 5. Micklethwait, “In God’s Name.” 6. Robert Wuthnow, America and the Challenges of Religious Diversity (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2005). “Interview with Robert Wuthnow” Religion and Ethics Newsweekly April 26, 2002. Episode no. 534 http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week534/ rwuthnow.html 7. Wuthnow, America and the Challenges of Religious Diversity, 291. 8. Eric Sharpe, “Dialogue,” in Mircea Eliade and Charles J. Adams, The Encyclopedia of Religion, first edition, volume 4 (New York: Macmillan, 1987), 345–8. 9. Archbishop Michael L. Fitzgerald and John Borelli, Interfaith Dialogue: A Catholic View (London: SPCK, 2006). 10. Lily Edelman, Face to Face: A Primer in Dialogue (Washington, DC: B’nai B’rith, Adult Jewish Education, 1967). 11. Ben Zion Bokser, Judaism and the Christian Predicament (New York: Knopf, 1967), 5, 11. 12. Ibid., 375. -
The Aristotelian Curriculum in Arabic and Hebrew
1 The Aristotelian Curriculum (Excluding Mathematics) In Arabic and Hebrew (occasionally also Greek, Syriac, Persian, Latin) Handout for “Aristotle in the Middle Ages,” James Robinson, U. Chicago, Winter 2013 General background: Christina d’Ascona, “Greek Sources in Arabic and Islamic Philosophy,” Stanford Encyc. of Philosophy Online: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/arabic-islamic-greek/ M. Zonta, “The Influence of Arabic and Islamic Philosophy on Judaic Thought,” Stanford Encyc. of Philosophy: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/arabic-islamic-judaic/ Dag Hasse, “The Influence of Arabic and Islamic Philosophy on the Latin West,” Stanford Encyc. of Philosophy: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/arabic-islamic-influence/ Tony Street, “Arabic and Islamic Philosophy of Language and Logic,” Stanford Encyc. of Philosophy: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/arabic-islamic-language/ J. McGinnis, “Arabic and Islamic Natural Philosophy and Natural Science,” Stanford Encyc. of Philosophy: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/arabic-islamic-natural/ Alfred Ivry, “Arabic and Islamic Psychology and Philosophy of Mind,” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/arabic-islamic-mind/ Amos Bertolacci, “Arabic and Islamic Metaphysics,” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/arabic-islamic-metaphysics/ Useful Resources: Arist. semitico-latinus: http://www.brill.com/publications/aristoteles-semitico-latinus Online dictionary of Arabic philosophical terms: http://www.arabic-philosophy.com/dict Hans Daiber -
Latin Averroes Translations of the First Half of the Thirteenth Century
D.N. Hasse 1 Latin Averroes Translations of the First Half of the Thirteenth Century Dag Nikolaus Hasse (Würzburg)1 Palermo is a particularly appropriate place for delivering a paper about Latin translations of Averroes in the first half of the thirteenth century. Michael Scot and William of Luna, two of the translators, were associated with the court of the Hohenstaufen in Sicily and Southern Italy. Michael Scot moved to Italy around 1220. He was coming from Toledo, where he had already translated at least two major works from Arabic: the astronomy of al-BitrÚºÍ and the 19 books on animals by Aristotle. In Italy, he dedicated the translation of Avicenna’s book on animals to Frederick II Hohenstaufen, and he mentions that two books of his own were commissioned by Frederick: the Liber introductorius and the commentary on the Sphere of Sacrobosco. He refers to himself as astrologus Frederici. His Averroes translation, however, the Long Commentary on De caelo, is dedicated to the French cleric Étienne de Provins, who had close ties to the papal court. It is important to remember that Michael Scot himself, the canon of the cathedral of Toledo, was not only associated with the Hohenstaufen, but also with the papal court.2 William of Luna, the other translator, was working apud Neapolim, in the area of Naples. It seems likely that William of Luna was associated to Manfred of Hohenstaufen, ruler of Sicily.3 Sicily therefore is a good place for an attempt to say something new about Michael Scot and William of Luna. In this artic le, I shall try to do this by studying particles: small words used by translators. -
1 the Image of Jacob Engraved Upon the Throne: Further Reflection on the Esoteric Doctrine of the German Pietists
1 The Image of Jacob Engraved upon the Throne: Further Reflection on the Esoteric Doctrine of the German Pietists Verily, at this time that which was hidden has been revealed because forgetfulness has reached its final limit; the end of forgetfulness is the beginning of remembrance. Abraham Abulafia,'Or ha-Sekhel, MS Munich, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek 92, fol. 59b I One of the most interesting motifs in the world of classical rabbinic aggadah is that of the image of Jacob engraved on the throne of glory. My intention in this chapter is to examine in detail the utilization of this motif in the rich and varied literature of Eleazar ben Judah of Worms, the leading literary exponent of the esoteric and mystical pietism cultivated by the Kalonymide circle of German Pietists in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. The first part of the chapter will investigate the ancient traditions connected to this motif as they appear in sources from Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages in order to establish the basis for the distinctive understanding that evolves in the main circle of German Pietists to be discussed in the second part. As I will argue in detail later, the motif of the image of Jacob has a special significance in the theosophy of the German Pietists, particularly as it is expounded in the case of Eleazar. The amount of attention paid by previous scholarship to this theme is disproportionate in relation to the central place that it occupies in the esoteric ruminations of the Kalonymide Pietists. 1 From several passages in the writings of Eleazar it is clear that the motif of the image of Jacob is covered and cloaked in utter secrecy. -
Tolerance & Intolerance
Initiative für Toleranzforschung TOLERANCE & INTOLERANCE AS CHALLENGE IN PAST AND PRESENT | CONFERENCE | 27–29 MARCH 2019 PROGRAMME WEDNESDAY MARCH 27TH 2019 15:00-15:30 WELCOMING REMARKS AND INTRODUCTION Giuseppe Veltri (University of Hamburg) and Jörg Rüpke (University of Erfurt) PANEL 1 15:30-16:30 CONCEPTUALIZING TOLERANCE What Toleration Is Not David Heyd (Philosophy, Hebrew University of Jerusalem) The Disapproval-Respect Model of Tolerance: a Social Psychological Approach Bernd Simon (Political Psychology, University of Kiel) 16:30-17:00 Coffee Break PANEL 2 17:00-18:30 TOLERANCE WITHIN RELIGIOUS CONTEXT AND URBAN ENVIROMENT Basis for Toleration in the Roman Word Mar Marcos Sánchez (Ancient History, History of Religion, University of Cantabria) Tolerance and Urban Religion Jörg Rüpke (Comparative Religious Studies, University of Erfurt) Theology of Stones. Reflections on the Christian City and the Place of Religious Minorities Christiana Facchini (History of Christianity and Religious Studies, University of Bologna) 19:30 Dinner (Restaurant) THURSDAY MARCH 28TH 2019 9:00-12:30 Time to visit Hamburg (guided tour or free) 12:30 Lunch (Schlueterstrasse 51) PANEL 3 13:00-15:30 TOLERANCE IN JEWISH AND ISLAMIC TRADITION Tolerance in the Fatimid Empire (909-1171) Serena Tolino (Islamic Studies, University of Hamburg) Between Belief and Unbelief: Paradigms of Tolerance in al-Ghazālī, Ibn Rushd, and Isaac Albalag Bakinaz Abdalla (Jewish Studies, MC Gill University) Institut für Jüdische Philosophie und Religion | Schlüterstraße 51 | 20146 -
In the Thirteenth Century, the Traditional Jewish Communities of Southern
SECONDARY FORMS OF PHILOSOPHY: ON THE TEACHING AND TRANSMISSION OF PHILOSOPHY IN NON-PHILOSOPHICAL LITERARY GENRES James T. Robinson n the thirteenth century, the traditional Jewish communities of southern France (called ‘Provence’ in Hebrew sources), where Talmud and Midrash had Ireigned supreme, were transformed into the leading centres of Jewish philo- sophy. There in Rousillon, Languedoc, Comtat Venaissin, and Provence proper, in the communities of Perpignan, Béziers, Carcassonne, Narbonne, Lunel, Mont- pellier, Arles, and Marseilles, Jews devoted themselves — with religious zeal — to the teaching of philosophical ideas. This cultural transformation in southern France, a transformation from tradi- tional Jew to philosopher, from yeshiva student to enthusiast of Aristotle, is really quite remarkable. Especially remarkable is the speed with which philosophical texts, ideas, principles, ideals, and aspirations spread throughout the region. By 1306, when the Jews were expelled from France, Greek and Arabic philosophical ideas were discussed freely and openly, in Hebrew and Romance, in every area of Jewish life and letters. How did this transformation take place? There were certainly many factors — sociological, political, economic, religious, and even geographical. The purpose of the present paper is to focus on the literary: the way that different literary genres and forms — different media, if you will — were used to teach and disseminate philosophy to the general public. In other words, the paper will focus on the popu- larization of philosophy in Provence, the creating of a literary foundation for philo- sophy within the traditional community, the creation of a philosophical culture. The paper will survey the main literary-pedagogical developments in thirteenth- century Provence: translation; reference works and study aids; popular literature, 246 James T. -
Notes Bibliographiques
NOTES BIBLIOGRAPHIQUES Shimeon BRISMAN. — History and Guide to Judaic Dictionaries and Concordan- ces, Hoboken (N.J.), Ktav Publishing House, 2000, XXIII + 337 pages («Jewish Research Literature», 3/1). M. Brisman a déjà fourni d’ambitieux répertoires: A History and Guide to Jewish Bibliography, Cincinnati, Hebrew Union College-New York, Ktav, 1977, répertoire des bibliographies d’études juives, y compris les catalogues de bibliothèques, par thèmes, chaque ouvrage faisant l’objet d’une notice détaillée et annotée; Judaic Encyclopedias and Lexicons, Cincinnati, H.U.C., 1987 («Jewish Research Litera- ture», 2), répertoire des encyclopédies et lexiques d’études juives, par thèmes, cha- que chapitre étant couvert dans l’ordre chronologique et chaque ouvrage faisant l’objet d’une notice. Dans l’ouvrage en recension, chaque entrée donne lieu à une notice et à des no- tes. Ce volume ne couvre que les dictionnaires (ce qu’un sous-titre eût plus commo- dément indiqué), le t. 2, à venir, devant traiter des concordances; les lexiques et glossaires anciens (XIe-XVIIIe s.) y tiennent presque autant de place que les moder- nes. Outre les dictionnaires de l’hébreu, sont aussi inclus les dictionnaires de l’ara- méen, du yiddish et du judéo-espagnol, d’où le titre («Judaic»). Neuf chapitres, p. 1-155 et notes p. 265-312, retracent l’histoire de chaque sous-genre: lexicogra- phie hébraïque du moyen âge (Xe-XIe s.); lexicographes juifs du moyen âge (XIIe- XIVe s.); gloses et glossaires (XIe-XVIIe s.); Élie Lévita et les hébraïsants chrétiens (XVe-déb. XVIIe s.); lexicographie hébraïque moderne (XVIIIe-milieu du XXe s.); la résurrection de l’hébreu parlé (fin XIXe-fin du XXe s.); dictionnaires d’araméen et talmudico-rabbiniques (XIXe-XXe s.); dictionnaires à sujets divers (d’un intérêt particulier: dictionnaires d’abréviations, vocabulaires spécialisés et techniques, mots étrangers ou rares [travaux d’I. -
Views of Western Scholars on George Sarton's Introduction to the History
International Journal of Business and Social Science Vol. 5, No. 7(1); June 2014 Views of Western Scholars on George Sarton’s Introduction to the History of Science Nabihah Liyana Salan Roziah Sidik @ Mat Sidek Department of Arabic Studies and Islamic Civilization Faculty of Islamic Studies Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Selangor, Malaysia. Abstract This article discusses an outstanding founder figure of the discipline of history of science, namely George Sarton who contributed many works, including books and articles. His most notable success is the three-volume Introduction to the History of Science. This work contains biographies of great scientists throughout time including scientists of the Islamic civilization. In fact, the writing of this work bears references to sources of authority in the Islamic civilization. This work has also been given a distinctive evaluation by Western scholars. Thus, the purpose of this article is to examine Western scholars’ views on Sarton’s work, Introduction to the History of Science. The research methodology used is a qualitative approach by content analysis as reference sources are document in form. Besides that, a hermeneutic approach is also used to make interpretations of the work. The scope of this research focuses on the work Introduction to the History of Science and Western scholars’ views on it. Research results find that Introduction to the History of Science had received a positive response from Western scholars such as E.G.B. and Francis R.Johnson even though George Sarton had in fact referred to authoritative sources in Arabic language, particularly when discussing scientific figures in the Islamic civilization. -
Para Construir La Verdad: La Lógica Como Nexo Entre La Tradición Judeo- Árabe Y La Visión Deleytable
ARTÍCULOS Anales del Seminario de Historia de la Filosofía ISSN-e 1988-2564 http://dx.doi.org/10.5209/ASHF.61531 Para construir la verdad: La lógica como nexo entre la tradición judeo- árabe y la Visión deleytable Michelle M. Hamilton1 Recibido: 12 de julio de 2018 / Aceptado: 30 de septiembre de 2018 Resumen. Un glosario de términos hebreos y sus equivalentes en romance, recopilados de un tratado sobre la lógica y la filosofía compuesto por Maimónides (al-Maqālah fi-ṣināʻat al-manṭiq), circulaba en hebreo aljamiado entre judíos y/o conversos empapados en el humanismo castellano del siglo XV. Este glosario se incluye en una colección de textos que también contiene varias obras literarias de autores conversos, entre ellas, la Visión deleytable de Alfonso de la Torre, extractos de la traducción de las sentenciae de Séneca realizada por Alfonso de Cartagena, y otros tres glosarios de términos de índole aristotélica. La existencia de esta colección en el MS Parma 2666 en la Biblioteca Palatina, Parma, Italia, es testimonio de que lectores judíos y/o conversos del siglo XV (los que podían leer el hebreo aljamiado) leían e interpretaban la Visión deleytable en el contexto de la tradición filosófica árabe- hebrea que se conocía en la España del siglo XV en traducciones hebreas y latinas. En este artículo examino cómo el vocabulario filosófico elaborado en al-Manṭiq y asequible en romance en el glosario en MS Parma 2666 refleja la epistemología maimonidiana, tal como sobrevivía en un círculo intelectual de conversos/judíos –lectores de la Visión– partícipes de la traducción de las obras de Maimónides y de sus fuentes en el siglo XV.