Islamic Thought in the Dialogue of Cultures Themes in Islamic Studies
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Islamic Thought in the Dialogue of Cultures Themes in Islamic Studies VOLUME 7 The titles published in this series are listed at brill.nl/tis Islamic Thought in the Dialogue of Cultures A Historical and Bibliographical Survey By Hans Daiber LEIDEN • bosTON 2012 Cover illustration: Abū Gǎ ʿfar Ḫāzin al-Ḫurāsānī (first half of the 4th/10th c.) Masʾalat al-Handasa. A Treatise on Euclid’s Parallels Postulate, an Unknown Commentary on Euclid’s Elements. Copy from the year 867/1462. Daiber collection III ms. 137, text nr. 397, fols. 3v–4r Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Daiber, Hans, 1942- Islamic thought in the dialogue of cultures : a historical and bibliographical survey / By Hans Daiber. p. cm. — (Themes in Islamic studies ; v. 7) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-90-04-22227-4 (hardback : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-90-04-23204-4 (e-book) 1. Islamic philosophy—History. 2. Islamic philosophy—Influence. 3. Islamic philosophy— Greek influences. 4. Islamic philosophy—Bibliography. I. Title. B741.D25 2012 181’.07—dc23 2012015660 ISSN 1389-823X ISBN 978 90 04 22227 4 (hardback) ISBN 978 90 04 23204 4 (e-book) Copyright 2012 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands. Koninklijke Brill NV incorporates the imprints Brill, Global Oriental, Hotei Publishing, IDC Publishers and Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher. Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use is granted by Koninklijke Brill NV provided that the appropriate fees are paid directly to The Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Suite 910, Danvers, MA 01923, USA. Fees are subject to change. This book is printed on acid-free paper. CONTENTS Abbreviations ...................................................................................... ix Introduction ......................................................................................... 1 Chapter One: The Qurʾānic Background of Rationalism in Early Islam ....................................................................................... 5 Chapter Two: Theocracy Versus Individuality: The Dispute on Man’s Free Will and its Impact on a New Rational World-View in the 8th/9th Century ........................................... 21 Chapter Three: The Encounter of Islamic Rationalism with Greek Culture: The Translation Period and its Role in the Development of Islamic Philosophy ........................................... 43 3.1. Motives and Principles for the Selection of Translations from Greek into Arabic ........................................................ 43 3.2. The Syriac Share in the Early Greek-Arabic Translations ... 44 3.3. The Iranian Share and the Role of the Nestorians in the Translation Movement ................................................... 48 3.4. Ways of Transmission of Greek Sciences to the Arabs: From Alexandria to Baghad ................................................. 49 3.5. Themes of Early Arabic Translations ................................. 52 3.6. Ḥ unayn Ibn Isḥāq and his “School” ................................... 54 3.7. Qustạ̄ Ibn Lūqā ....................................................................... 55 3.8. Greek Natural Philosophy and Islamic World-View ...... 56 3.9. From Translation to Commentary and the Role of the Alexandrian School ................................................................ 59 Chapter Four: The Autonomy of Philosophy in Islam ............... 65 Chapter Five: The Encounter of Islamic Philosophy with European Thought: Latin Translations and Translators of Arabic Philosophical Texts and their Importance for Medieval European Philosophy. Survey and State of the Art .... 89 5.1. Introduction ........................................................................... 89 vi contents 5.2. Indispensable Research Material ............................... 91 5.3. The Arabic Aristotle in the Middle Ages ................. 94 5.3.1. Aristoteles Arabico-Latinus ......................... 94 5.3.2. Aristoteles Semitico-Latinus ........................ 95 5.3.3. Arabic-Islamic Determinants of the Picture of Aristotle in the Middle Ages ................... 101 5.4. Qustạ̄ Ibn Lūqā in Latin Transmission .................... 102 5.5. Liber de causis ............................................................... 103 5.6. The Arabic-Latin Alexander of Aphrodisias ........... 107 5.7. Other Channels of Philosophy from Islam to Europe ............................................................................ 109 5.8. The Latin Transmission of Kindī .............................. 112 5.9. The Latin Transmission of Fārābī ............................. 114 5.10. Ibn Sīnā in the Latin Middle Ages ... ......................... 118 5.10.1. The Latin Transmission of Ibn Sīnā ........... 118 5.10.2. “Avicennism” .................................................. 122 5.11. Ghazālī in the Latin Middle Ages ............................. 132 5.11.1. The Latin Transmission of Ghazālī ............ 132 5.11.2. Ramon Llull .................................................... 136 5.12. Ibn Rushd in the Latin Middle Ages ........................ 138 5.12.1. The Latin Transmission of Ibn Rushd ....... 138 5.12.2. “Averroism” .................................................... 143 5.12.3. Critique of “Averroism” and Trends of Research .......................................................... 158 Chapter Six: Assimilation of Islamic Philosophical Thought and Dissociation in the Latin Middle Ages ....................... 167 6.1. The Arabic-Latin Translations as Mediator of the Cultural Heritage of Islam .......................................... 167 6.2. A Pioneer of Alexandrian Exegesis of Aristotle: al-Kindī, the “Philosopher of the Arabs” ................. 168 6.3. An Interlude: The Peripatetic Fārābī ........................ 170 6.4. The Consolidation of Philosophical Doctrines about God, Soul and Intellect: The Contribution of Ibn Sīnā ..................................................................... 172 6.5. The Islamic Criticism of Philosophy: the Example of Ghazālī ...................................................................... 177 6.6. Ibn Rushd’s Return to the “Pure Aristotle” ............ 179 6.7. Latin “Averroism”? ...................................................... 185 contents vii 6.8. The Role of Islamic Philosophizing in the Middle Ages ............................................................... 187 Chapter Seven: Islamic Roots of Knowledge in Europe ............ 191 Chapter Eight: Manifestations of Islamic Thought in an Intertwined World: Past and Future Tasks of their Study .... 215 Bibliography ........................................................................................ 233 Index of Names and Subjects .......................................................... 245 Index of Ancient and Medieval Titles ........................................... 257 Index of Terms ................................................................................... 263 Index of Modern Authors ................................................................ 266 ABBREVIATIONS AAH Acta antiqua Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae. Budapest AAWG.PH Abhandlungen der Akademie der Wissenschaften in Göttingen, philologisch-historische Klasse Abr-n. Abr-nahrain. Department of Semitic Studies. University of Melbourne. Leiden AGPh Archiv für Geschichte der Philosophie (und Soziologie). Berlin AHDL Archives d’histoire doctrinale et littéraire du Moyen Âge. Paris AKM Abhandlungen für die Kunde des Morgenlandes ArScPh Arabic Sciences and Philosophy. Cambridge ASL Aristoteles Semitico-Latinus BEO Bulletin d’études orientales de l’Institut Français de Damas. Beyrouth BFPUL Bibliothèque de la Faculté de Philosophie et Lettres de l’Université de Liège BGPhMA Beiträge zur Geschichte der Philosophie (und Theologie) des Mittelalters. Texte und Untersuchungen. Münster BiblThom Bibliothèque thomiste. Paris BiOr Bibliotheca Orientalis. Leiden BPhM Bulletin de philosophie médiévale. Louvain BTS Beiruter Texte und Studien. Wiesbaden-Beirut CAG Commentaria in Aristotelem Graeca. Berlin EHS Europäische Hochschulschriften. Frankfurt/M. [etc.]. EI Enzyklopaedie des Islam. I–V and Supplement. Leiden; Leipzig 1913–1938. EI2 Encyclopaedia of Islam. 2nd edition. Leiden (etc.) 1960ff. EM Études musulmanes EnIr Encyclopaedia Iranica GAS Sezgin, Fuat: Geschichte des arabischen Schrifttums. Iff. Leiden 1967ff. IOS Israel Oriental Studies. Tel-Aviv IPTS Islamic Philosophy, Theology and Sciences. Texts and Studies. Leiden, New York, Kobenhavn, Köln x abbreviations JA Journal Asiatique JAOS Journal of the American Oriental Society. New Haven JNES Journal of Near Eastern Studies JPhST Jahrbuch für Philosophie und spekulative Theologie. Paderborn [etc.] JRAS Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland. London JSS Journal of Semitic Studies. Manchester MIDEO Mélanges de l’Institut Dominicain d’études orientales du Caire MM Miscellanea mediaevalia. Berlin MNAW.L Mededelingen der K. Nederlandse Akademie van Weten- schappen. Afdeling Letterkunde. Amsterdam MS Mediaeval Studies. Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies. Toronto MUSJ Mélanges de l’Université Saint-Joseph. Beirut NAWG Nachrichten der Akademie der Wissenschaften in Göttingen NSchol New Scholasticism.