DOCSLIB.ORG

Volume 2 . Number 4 . December 2001

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Volume 2 . Number 4 . December 2001 Volume 2 . Number 4 . December 2001 Transcendent Philosophy An International Journal for Comparative Philosophy and Mysticism S. H. Nasr From The School of Isfahan to School of Tehran M. Damad Divine Attributes According to Suhraward¢ and Mull¡ ˉadr¡ M. Hajihosseini Theories of Knowledge in Islamic Philosophy: from Ibn S¢n¡ to Mull¡ ˉadr¡ Sajjad H. Rizvi Approaching the Study of Mull¡ ˉadr¡ Sh¢r¡z¢ (d. 1641): a survey of some doctoral dissertations Reza Akbarian The Principle of Primacy of ‘Existence’ over ‘Quiddity’ and its Philosophical Results in the Ontological System of Mull¡ ˉadr¡ Book Reviews Laxman S. Thakur, Buddhism in the Western Himalaya: A Study of the Tabo Monastery (Oliver Leaman) David Ray Griffin, Reenchantment without Supernaturalism (Ernest Wolf‐Gazo) Sabine Schmidtke, Theologie, Philosophie und Mystik im Zwölferschiitischen Islam des 9./15. Jahrhunderts: Die Gedankenwelt des Ibn Ab¢ Gumh£r al‐A¦s¡’¢ (um 838/1434‐35 – nach 906/1501) (Sajjad Rizvi) Antony Black, The History of Islamic Political Thought: From the Prophet to the Present (Oliver Leaman) John Walbridge, The leaven of the ancients: Suhraward¢ and the heritage of the Greeks (Sajjad Rizvi) Alparslan Açikgenç, Scientific Thought and its Burdens: An Essay in the History and Philosophy of Science (Oliver Leaman) Wilferd Madelung & Toby Mayer, Struggling with the Philosopher: A Refutation of Avicenna’s Metaphysics (Kiki Kennedy‐ Day) ‘Y¡d’, Sayyid Mashk£r °usayn, Mull¡ ˉadr¡ k¡ q¡bil‐e ‘amal falsafah (Sajjad Rizvi) Pascal Engel (ed) Précis de philosophie analytique (Oliver Leaman) Rachel Fell McDermott, Singing to the Goddess (Notu Hoon) John L. Esposito & John O. Voll, Makers of Contemporary Islam (Kiki Kennedy‐Day) Idoia Maiza Ozcoidi, La concepción de la filosofía en Averroes: Análisis crítico del Tahafut al‐tahafut (Oliver Leaman) Books Received From The School of Isfahan to School of Tehran S. H. Nasr, The George Washington University, USA Abstract With the establishment of Tehran as the capital of Persia, the intellectual centre of the country also shifted gradually to that city. Fat¦ ‘Alī Shāh invited the great master of ˉadrian philosophy, Mullā ‘Alī Nūrī, who lived in Isfahan to migrate to Tehran, but because of old age the latter refused the invitation, sending instead one of his foremost students, Mullā ‘Abd Allāh Zunūzī. Thus began the last major school of Islamic philosophy, the School of Tehran, which during the nineteenth century was the locus of activity of such great masters as Mullā ‘Alī Mudarris, the son of Mullā ‘Abd Allāh, Āqā Mu¦ammad Ri¤ā Qumsha’ī and Mīrzā Abu'l‐µasan Jilwah. Different strands of Islamic thought including the ˉadrian al‐ ¦ikmat al muta‘āliyah, the ishrāqī School, the peripatetic philosophy of the School of Ibn Sīnā and ‘irfan were taught and pursued in teaching circles and many new books were written some of which also contain new philosophical teachings based on the principles of the earlier schools. Most of the later masters of Islamic philosophy in the contemporary period in Persia were students of the School of Tehran, which in a sense survived until a few decades ago. It was also in the Scholl of Tehran that the main Islamic philosophical tradition first encountered modern European philosophy. The study of this School is therefore important not only for a better understanding of the total tradition of Islamic philosophy, but also very significant for a grasp of the development of philosophy in Persia during this century (of the Persian hijrī calender). The School of Isfahan in its Later Phase The remarkable revival of Islamic philosophy which took place in the early Safavid period under the aegis of Mīr Dāmād and its aftermath has now come to be widely known as the School of Isfahan. 1 This School produced a galaxy of important philosophers, chief among them Mullā ˉadrā, 2 but also including his teacher Mīr Dāmād, as well as Mīr Findiriskī, Mullā ˉadrā 's students such as Mullā Mu¦sin Fay¤ Kāshānī and a number of other important figures such as Mullā Rajab ‘Alī Tabrīzī, Mullā Shamsā Gīlānī, Āqā µusayn Khunsārī, Sayyid A¦mad ‘Alawī and Qā¤ī Sa'īd Qummī. 3 Towards the end of the Safavid period the religious atmosphere in Persia turned against philosophy and especially the School of Mullā ˉadrā. Still the teaching of philosophy continued in Isfahan under the direction of such masters as 'Ināyat Allāh Gīlānī, Mīr Sayyid µasan Tāliqānī and Mawlā Mu¦ammad Sādiq Ardistānī. The tragic life of this last figure exemplifies the plight of philosophy in Isfahan during the reign of Shāh Sul§ān µusayn at the end of the Safavid period. This outstanding ¦akīm and saintly man was a follower of the teachings of Mullā ˉadrā as one can see in the former’s short Persian treatise entitled Ja'l ("Instauration"). He is also known for a treatise entitled µikmat‐i ¥ādiqiyyah ("ˉadiqiyan Wisdom") which deals with the powers of the soul and is of a mystical character. Despite his great piety and saintly demeanor, however, he was driven away from Isfahan in the winter and lost one of his children to the bitter winter cold. Ardistānī, who is the last ˉadrian philosopher of the Safavid period, died in 1113/1701. Meanwhile, in the latter part of the Safavid period the influence of the School of Isfahan spread to other cities. Mullā ˉadrā himself spent the last decades of his life back in Shiraz. Mullā Mu¦sin Fay¤ retired to his hometown of Kashan where he continued to teach and where an entourage grew around him. Later in the Qajar period philosophical activity was to continue in Kashan with the appearance of the major intellectual figure, Mullā Mu¦ammad Mahdī Narāqī. Lāhījī settled in Qom where he and his son µusayn Lāhījī as well as the major expositor of gnosis, Qā¤ī Sa‘īd, taught. Yet, despite all the opposition to ¦ikmat in Isfahan during the latter part of Safavid rule and despite the devastation brought about by the Afghan invasion, ¦ikmat continued to survive in Isfahan and once the political situation settled down, it was in this city that philosophical activity and especially the teachings of Mullā ˉadrā's al‐¦ikmat al muta‘āliyah were revived. A number of philosophers were witness to the storm at the end of the Safavid period, chief among them Mullā Ismā‘il Khājū’ī (d.1173/1760). In one of his works he describes the devastation caused by the conquest of Isfahan and the suffering he underwent. His own life was endangered and many of his works were lost but he survived to continue to teach ¦ikmat and trained as important a student as Narāqī. 4 The major reviver of ˉadrian philosophy in Isfahan was, however, Mullā ‘Alī Nūrī who lived about a century and taught ¦ikmat in Isfahan for some seventy years until his death in 1246/1830‐31. No one after Mullā ˉadrā has done so much to propagate the teachings of al‐¦ikmat al muta‘āliyah, through the teaching of numerous important students and writing glosses, commentaries and annotations upon the works of Mullā ˉadrā including the Asfār. 5 Nūrī ’s most important students include his own son Mīrzā µasan Nūrī as well as Mullā ‘Abd Allāh Zunūzī, Mullā Mu¦ammad Ismā‘īl Darbkūshkī I¥fahānī, Sayyid Ra¤ī Lārījānī, Āqā Mu¦ammad Ri¤ā Qumsha’ī, Mullā Mu¦ammad Ja‘far Langarūdī, Mullā Āqā‐i Qazwīnī and many other well known figures. The origin of the School of Tehran is to be sought in the Isfahan of the early 13th/19th centuries and the circle of Mullā ‘Alī Nūrī. Even after the centre of philosophical activity shifted to Tehran, Isfahan remained a vibrant philosophical centre producing such famous philosophers as Jahāngir Khān Qashqā’ī and in more recent times Āqā Mīrzā Ra¦im Arbāb. Whether one can call the long period of philosophical activity stretching from Mīr Dāmād to someone like Arbāb or Jalāl Humā’ī, who died just two decades ago, "The School of Isfahan" is open to debate, 6 but certainly something of the earlier School of Isfahan survived after the Safavid period into the Qajar period and even into the contemporary era and served as the source for the School of Tehran which became central in Persia from the 13th/19th century onward. The School of Tehran represents both a continuity with the School of Isfahan as far as major philosophical issues and position are concerned, and discontinuity created by the fact that it was in Tehran where the Islamic philosophical tradition in Persia encountered Western thought for the first time and developed in certain directions that make it distinct from the School of Isfahan from which it originated. The Beginning of the School of Tehran Soon after the establishment of the Qajar dynasty in 1210/1796, Tehran which was then a small town was chosen as capital of Persia and grew rapidly into an important city that became not only the political and economic heart of Persia, but also its intellectual centre. Mosques and madrasahs began to be built and they attracted religious scholars to the city. In 1237/1821‐22 Mu¦ammad Khān Marwī built a major madrasah in the heart of what is now the old city and the king Fat¦ ‘Alī Shāh invited Mullā ‘Alī Nūrī to migrate from Isfahan to Tehran to become the central mudarris or teacher of the newly built school. Nūrī was then at an advanced age and had numerous students in Isfahan whom he could not abandon. He therefore declined the king's offer but instead sent one of his foremost students, Mullā ‘Abd Allāh Zunūzī to Tehran. Mullā ‘Abd Allāh established himself in the Marwī School during that very year and taught Islamic philosophy there for the next two decades until his death in1257/1841.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Antoine De Chandieu (1534-1591): One of the Fathers Of
    CALVIN THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY ANTOINE DE CHANDIEU (1534-1591): ONE OF THE FATHERS OF REFORMED SCHOLASTICISM? A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF CALVIN THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY BY THEODORE GERARD VAN RAALTE GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN MAY 2013 CALVIN THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY 3233 Burton SE • Grand Rapids, Michigan • 49546-4301 800388-6034 fax: 616 957-8621 [email protected] www. calvinseminary. edu. This dissertation entitled ANTOINE DE CHANDIEU (1534-1591): L'UN DES PERES DE LA SCHOLASTIQUE REFORMEE? written by THEODORE GERARD VAN RAALTE and submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy has been accepted by the faculty of Calvin Theological Seminary upon the recommendation of the undersigned readers: Richard A. Muller, Ph.D. I Date ~ 4 ,,?tJ/3 Dean of Academic Programs Copyright © 2013 by Theodore G. (Ted) Van Raalte All rights reserved For Christine CONTENTS Preface .................................................................................................................. viii Abstract ................................................................................................................... xii Chapter 1 Introduction: Historiography and Scholastic Method Introduction .............................................................................................................1 State of Research on Chandieu ...............................................................................6 Published Research on Chandieu’s Contemporary
    [Show full text]
  • Robert Holcot, O-P-, on Prophecy, the Contingency of Revelation, and the Freedom of God JOSEPH M
    Robert Holcot, O-P-, on Prophecy, the Contingency of Revelation, and the Freedom of God JOSEPH M. INCANDELA In a recent work, William Courtenay refers to the issues in Holcot's writings under discussion in this essay as "theological sophismata."1 That they are. But it is the burden of this essay to suggest that they are more: Holcot's interest in these questions had a funda- mentally practical import, and such seemingly esoteric philosophical and theological speculation was in the service of a pastoral program geared to preaching the faith to unbelievers. For someone in a religious order charged with this mission, questions that may initially appear only as sophismata may actually perform quite different functions when examined in context. Robert Holcot was best known in his own time as a comment tator on the Book of Wisdom. Wey writes that this work "made its author famous overnight and his fame held throughout the next two centuries."2 Wey also proposes that it was because of the rep- utation won with the Wisdom-commentary that Holcot's Sentences- commentary and some quodlibet questions were printed four times 1. William]. Courtenay, Schools and Scholars in Fourteenth Century England (Prince- ton: Princeton University Press, 1987), p. 303. 2. Joseph C. Wey, "The Sermo Finalis of Robert Holcot," Medieval Studies 11 (1949): 219-224, at p. 219. 165 166 JOSEPH M. INCANDELA between 1497 and 1518. His thought was also deemed important enough to be discussed and compared with that of Scotus and Ockham in a work by Jacques Almain printed in 1526.
    [Show full text]
  • An Introduction to Classical Islamic Philosophy Pdf
    An introduction to classical islamic philosophy pdf Continue A philosophy that is characterized by the Islamic tradition of aristotle's medieval Arabic view of student learning. Part of the series onIslame Beliefs Of God's Corooling Of the Prophets revealed the Books of Angels Day Resurrection Predestination Practices Of the Practice Of Faith Prayer Of The Alms giving Fasting Pilgrimage Texts and Science koran Sunna (Hadith, Syrah) Akida (credo) Tafsir (exegesis) Fiqh (law) Sharia (law) History Timeline Of Muhammad Ahl al-Bayt Sahab Rashidun Caliphate Imamat Spreading Islam Continuity Muhammad Culture and Society Of Academics Animal Calendar Children's Demographic Circumcision Economics Education Education Exorcism Feminism Festivals Finances LGBT Madras Islame Criticism of Islam Muhammad Koran Hadith Islam and other religions Islam Islamism and violence terrorism war Islamophobia Jihad Jihadism Glossary Islam portalvte Part series onPhilosophyPlatoKantNietzcheBuddhaConfuciusAverroes Branches Aesthetics Epistemology Ethics Legal Philosophy Metaphysics Philosophy Of the Mind Philosophy Political Philosophy Social Philosophy Periods Ancient Pre-Socratic Hellenistic Medieval Modern Modern Modern Tradition Analytical Non-Physivism Ordinary Language Continental Existentialism Phenomenonology Pragmatism Skepticism Skepticism The tradition of the region of African East Chinese Indians middle East Egyptian Western School tradition Aristotle Augustine Averroist Avicennist Hegelian Kantian Okkam Platonist Neoplatic Scottish Tomic Traditions of Religion
    [Show full text]
  • 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.
    [Show full text]
  • Post-Islamism a New Phase Or Ideological
    Post-Islamism A New Phase or Ideological Delusions? 2 Post - Islamism The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan The Deposit Number at The National Library (2018/12/6029) 324.2182 AbuRumman, Mohammad Suliman Post Islamism: A New Phase or Ideological Delusions?/ Mohammad Sulima- nAbuRumman; translated by William Joseph Ward. – Amman: Friedrich- Ebert-Stiftung, 2018 (232) p. Deposit No.: 2018/12/6029 Descriptors: /Religious Parties//Political Parties// Arab Countries/ ﻳﺘﺤﻤﻞ اﳌﺆﻟﻒ ﻛﺎﻣﻞ اﳌﺴﺆﻭﻟﻴﺔ اﻟﻘﺎﻧﻮﻧﻴﺔ ﻋﻦ ﳏﺘﻮ￯ ﻣﺼﻨﻔﻪ ﻭﻻ ﹼﻳﻌﱪ ﻫﺬا اﳌﺼﻨﻒ ﻋﻦ رأﻱ داﺋﺮة اﳌﻜﺘﺒﺔ اﻟﻮﻃﻨﻴﺔ أﻭ أﻱ ﺟﻬﺔ ﺣﻜﻮﻣﻴﺔ أﺧﺮ￯. Published in 2018 by Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Jordan & Iraq FES Jordan & Iraq P.O. Box 941876 Amman11194 Jordan Email:[email protected] Website:www.fes-jordan.org Not for Sale © FES Jordan & Iraq All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reprinted, reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means without prior written permission from the publishers. The views and opinions expressed in this publication are solely those of the original author. They do not necessarily represent those of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung or the editor. Translation: Industry Arabic Cover design: Yousef Saraireh Lay-out: Eman Khattab Printing: Economic Press ISBN: 978-9957-484-91-0 Foreword 3 Post-Islamism A New Phase or Ideological Delusions? Editor: Dr. Mohammed Abu Rumman 4 Post - Islamism Foreword 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword 7 Introduction 9 Chapter 1 — Post-Islamism: Problems of the Term and Concept 21 Study 1: From Islamism to Post-Islamism: An Examination of Concepts and Theses, Hassan Abu Hanieh 23 Study 2: “Post-Islamism”: Lessons from Arab Revolutions, Luz Gómez 57 Study 3: The Failure of Political Islam: Ideological Delusions and Socio- logical Realities, Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • An Analysis of Ibn Al-'Arabi's Al-Insan Al-Kamil, the Perfect Individual, with a Brief Comparison to the Thought of Sir Muhammad Iqbal
    v» fT^V 3^- b An Analysis of Ibn al-'Arabi's al-Insan al-Kamil, the Perfect Individual, with a Brief Comparison to the Thought of Sir Muhammad Iqbal Rebekah Zwanzig, Master of Arts Philosophy Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Faculty of Philosophy, Brock University St. Catharines, Ontario © May, 2008 JAMES A GffiSON LIBRARY BROCK UNIVERSITY ST. CATHARINES ON 'I I,, >-•• Abstract: This thesis analyzes four philosophical questions surrounding Ibn al-'Arabi's concept of the al-iman al-kamil, the Perfect Individual. The Introduction provides a definition of Sufism, and it situates Ibn al-'Arabi's thought within the broader context of the philosophy of perfection. Chapter One discusses the transformative knowledge of the Perfect Individual. It analyzes the relationship between reason, revelation, and intuition, and the different roles they play within Islam, Islamic philosophy, and Sufism. Chapter Two discusses the ontological and metaphysical importance of the Perfect Individual, exploring the importance of perfection within existence by looking at the relationship the Perfect Individual has with God and the world, the eternal and non-eternal. In Chapter Three the physical manifestations of the Perfect Individual and their relationship to the Prophet Muhammad are analyzed. It explores the Perfect Individual's roles as Prophet, Saint, and Seal. The final chapter compares Ibn al-'Arabi's Perfect Individual to Sir Muhammad Iqbal's in order to analyze the different ways perfect action can be conceptualized. It analyzes the relationship between freedom and action. \ ^1 Table of Contents "i .. I. Introduction 4 \.
    [Show full text]
  • The Prospects of Political Islam in a Troubled Region Islamists and Post-Arab Spring Challenges
    The Prospects of Political Islam in a Troubled Region Islamists and Post-Arab Spring Challenges Editor Dr. Mohammed Abu Rumman The Prospects of Political Islam in a Troubled Region Islamists and Post-Arab Spring Challenges Editor Dr. Mohammed Abu Rumman 1 The Hashemite Kingdom Of Jordan The Deposit Number at The National Library (2018/2/529) 277 AbuRumman, Mohammad Suliman The Prospects Of Political Islam In A Troubled Region / Moham- mad Suliman Abu Rumman; Translated by William Joseph Ward. – Am- man: Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, 2018 (178) p. Deposit No.: 2018/2/529 Descriptors: /Politics//Islam/ يتحمل المؤلف كامل المسؤولية القانونية عن محتوى مصنفه وﻻ ّيعبر هذا المصنف عن رأي دائرة المكتبة الوطنية أو أي جهة حكومية أخرى. Published in 2018 by Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Jordan & Iraq FES Jordan & Iraq P.O. Box 941876 Amman 11194 Jordan Email: [email protected] Website:www.fes-jordan.org Not for sale © FES Jordan & Iraq All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reprinted, reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means without prior written permission from the publishers. The views and opinions expressed in this publication are solely those of the original author. They do not necessarily represent those of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung or the editor. Translation: William Joseph Ward Cover and Lay-out: Mua’th Al Saied Printing: Economic Press ISBN: 978-9957-484-80-4 2 The Prospects of Political Islam in a Troubled Region Islamists and Post-Arab Spring Challenges Contributed Authors Dr. Mohammed Abu Rumman Dr. Khalil Anani Dr. Neven Bondokji Hassan Abu Hanieh Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • The World's 500 Most Influential Muslims, 2021
    PERSONS • OF THE YEAR • The Muslim500 THE WORLD’S 500 MOST INFLUENTIAL MUSLIMS • 2021 • B The Muslim500 THE WORLD’S 500 MOST INFLUENTIAL MUSLIMS • 2021 • i The Muslim 500: The World’s 500 Most Influential Chief Editor: Prof S Abdallah Schleifer Muslims, 2021 Editor: Dr Tarek Elgawhary ISBN: print: 978-9957-635-57-2 Managing Editor: Mr Aftab Ahmed e-book: 978-9957-635-56-5 Editorial Board: Dr Minwer Al-Meheid, Mr Moustafa Jordan National Library Elqabbany, and Ms Zeinab Asfour Deposit No: 2020/10/4503 Researchers: Lamya Al-Khraisha, Moustafa Elqabbany, © 2020 The Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre Zeinab Asfour, Noora Chahine, and M AbdulJaleal Nasreddin 20 Sa’ed Bino Road, Dabuq PO BOX 950361 Typeset by: Haji M AbdulJaleal Nasreddin Amman 11195, JORDAN www.rissc.jo All rights reserved. No part of this book may be repro- duced or utilised in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanic, including photocopying or recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Views expressed in The Muslim 500 do not necessarily reflect those of RISSC or its advisory board. Set in Garamond Premiere Pro Printed in The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Calligraphy used throughout the book provided courte- sy of www.FreeIslamicCalligraphy.com Title page Bismilla by Mothana Al-Obaydi MABDA • Contents • INTRODUCTION 1 Persons of the Year - 2021 5 A Selected Surveyof the Muslim World 7 COVID-19 Special Report: Covid-19 Comparing International Policy Effectiveness 25 THE HOUSE OF ISLAM 49 THE
    [Show full text]
  • PAULUS NICOLETTUS VENETUS, Sophismata Aurea
    PAULUS NICOLETTUS VENETUS, Sophismata aurea [Golden Sophisms] In Latin, decorated manuscript on paper Northern Italy, Reggio d’Emilia (Ferrara?) or Padua?, dated 1417 65 ff., complete (collation: i-iii12, iv-v10, vi9 [10-1, with last leaf of quire likely a cancelled blank]), on paper (a number of watermarks, respectively close to (1) Briquet, no. 2637-2638: “Basilic” (e.g. f. 7), Reggio-d’Emilia, 1404, Ferrara, 1406, Udine, 1402-1408; see also Briquet no. 2663: Ferrara, 1417; (2) Briquet, no. 809: “Arc” (e.g. f. 27), Siena, 1410: Lucca, 1423 [but also Cologne, 1419]; (3) Briquet, no. 11687:“Monts” (e. g. f. 57), Padova, 1408-1415 or Briquet, no. 11689, Florence, 1411-1421 or Pisa, 1416), written in a tight and highly abridged gothic bookhand by a single hand (except table of contents on f. 65v, by a different although contemporary hand), text in two columns, quire signatures, a few catchwords (e.g. fol. 24v), paper ruled in brown ink (justification 186 x 140 mm.), paragraph marks in red, some capitals struck in red, painted initials in red or blue throughout, some larger parti-colored initials in red and blue, a variety of contemporary or slightly later marginal annotations and corrections (worthy of in-depth study). Bound in uncovered pasteboard, spine reinforced with snippets of inscribed parchment, spine sewn on three raised thongs left apparent, covers and spine meant to subsequently receive a leather covering (unfinished), pastedowns lined with reused paper copied in a cursive bâtarde script in brown ink, containing excerpts from Italian notarial documents pertaining to the town of Novalino (?) (another form for Nodano, near Brescia?) and the monastery of San Pietro de Novalino and dated 1504 (Some foxing, a few waterstains, mostly marginal, first paper leaf darkened, perhaps due to past exposure, still completely legible).
    [Show full text]
  • Understanding Sufism
    Abstract This thesis addresses the problem of how to interpret Islamic writers without imposing generic frameworks of later and partly Western derivation. It questions the overuse of the category “Sufism” which has sometimes been deployed to read anachronistic concerns into Islamic writers. It does so by a detailed study of some of the key works of the 13th century writer Ibn ‘Ata’ Allah (d. 709/1309). In this way it fills a gap in the learned literature in two ways. Firstly, it examines the legitimacy of prevalent conceptualisations of the category “Sufism.” Secondly, it examines the work of one Sufi thinker, and asks in what ways, if any, Western categories may tend to distort its Islamic characteristics. The methodology of the thesis is primarily exegetical, although significant attention is also paid to issues of context. The thesis is divided into two parts. Part One sets up the problem of Sufism as an organizational category in the literature. In doing so, this part introduces the works of Ibn ‘Ata’ Allah, and justifies the selection from his works for the case study in Part Two. Part Two provides a detailed case study of the works of Ibn ‘Ata’ Allah. It opens with some of the key issues involved in understanding an Islamic thinker, and gives a brief overview of Ibn ‘Ata’ Allah’s life. This is followed by an examination of materials on topics such as metaphysics, ontology, epistemology, eschatology, ethics, and soteriology. In each case it is suggested that these topics may be misleading unless care is taken not to import Western conceptuality where it is not justified by the texts.
    [Show full text]
  • Preprint N°500
    2020 Preprint N°500 From Hesiod to Saussure, from Hippocrates to Jevons: An Introduction to the History of Scientific Thought between Iran and the Atlantic Jens Høyrup ROSKILDE UNIVERSITY MAX-PLANCK-INSTITUT FÜR Section for philosophy WISSENSCHAFTSGESCHICHTE and science studies Berlin FROM HESIOD TO SAUSSURE, FROM HIPPOCRATES TO JEVONS An introduction to the history of scientific thought between Iran and the Atlantic Jens Høyrup Preprint, April 2020 ©2020 Jens Høyrup In memory of Alex Novikoff whose Climbing Our Family Tree introduced me to scientific thinking at the age of six I promise nothing complete; because any human thing supposed to be complete, must for that reason infallibly be faulty Herman Melville, Moby Dick Jens Høyrup Section for Philosophy and Science Studies Roskilde University P.O. Box 260 DK-4000 Roskilde Denmark [email protected] http://ruc.dk/~jensh/ Greek alphabet V GREEK ALPHABET As a pretext for training the use of a dictionary of ancient Greek, the following pages contain a few words written in Greek letters. The four columns below show the corresponding alphabet – first the Greek minuscule, then the corresponding majuscule, then the name, and finally the approximate phonetic value (which does not always coincide with the phonetic value in modern Greek). αΑalpha a βΒBeta b γΓGamma g ( before γ, κ and χ; γγ thus as ng in English anger, γκ as nk in ink) δΔDelta d εΕEpsilon e (short) ζΖZeta z (i.e., voiced s) ηΗEta e¯ (long) θΘTheta þ (unvoiced th; originally t’) ιΙIota i (as i in English if or e in be, may thus be short or long) κΚKappa k λΛLambda l µΜMu m νΝNu n ξΞKsi ks οΟOmikron o (short) πΠPi p ρΡRho r (transcribed rh in initial posi- tion) σΣSigma s ςΣSigma s (used in final position) τΤTau t υΥYpsilon y (as German ü) φΦPhi f (originally p’) χΧKhi χ (as ch in German Ich; orig- inally k’) ψΨPsi ps ωΩOmega o¯ (long) The following double vowels may be taken note of: VI Greek alphabet αυ au ευ eu ου u (as English oo) Vowels in the initial position are marked by one of the two aspiration marks and .
    [Show full text]
  • Medieval Philosophy: an Historical and Philosophical Introduction
    MEDIEVAL PHILOSOPHY ‘Dr Marenbon’s book is an authoritative, comprehensive, yet accessible survey of medieval philosophy, written by an expert at the height of his critical powers. Not only does the book guide the reader through the diverse issues of medieval philosophy, but provides sagacious instruction and illuminating commentary on the central topics of its chosen period of study.’ Martin Stone, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium. ‘Marenbon has managed to write about an enormous array of topics in a lucid and accessible way. His prose is clear without being condescending, informative without being either patronizing or importunate. The beginner will find it approachable and unpretentious.’ Peter King, University of Toronto, Canada This new introduction replaces Marenbon’s best-selling editions Early Medieval Philosophy (1983) and Later Medieval Philosophy (1987) to present a single author- itative and comprehensive study of the period. An entirely new book, written in the light of the scholarship of the last twenty years, it will be the standard companion for all students of medieval philosophy. It gives a lucid and engaging account of the history of philosophy in the Middle Ages, discussing the main writers and ideas, the social and intellectual contexts, and the important concepts used in medieval philosophy. Medieval Philosophy gives a chronological account which: • treats all four main traditions of philosophy that stem from the Greek heritage of late antiquity: Greek Christian philosophy, Latin philosophy, Arabic philos- ophy and Jewish philosophy • provides a series of ‘study’ sections for close attention to arguments and shorter ‘interludes’ that point to the wider questions of the intellectual context • combines philosophical analysis with historical background • includes a helpful detailed guide to further reading and an extensive bibliography All students of medieval philosophy, medieval history, theology or religion will find this necessary reading.
    [Show full text]