Aristotle One and Many. The Arabic Pseudepigrapha

Introduction

The present project is focused upon a group of seminal sources, part and parcel of the formation of intellectual discourse in the Middle Ages, and forming a common basis of understanding between the cultures on both sides of the Mediterranean, until today.

Medieval Aristotelianism

One of the prominent features of Medieval Aristotelianism, both Arabic and Latin, is the fact that Aristotle has been credited with writings that, albeit different in origin and sometimes of differing philosophical affiliations, circulated under his name.

Project Overview

The Project Aristotle One and Many: The Arabic Pseudepigrapha (ArOMa) is focused on the works falsely attributed to Aristotle in the Arabic philosophical literature translated or forged in the 9th-10th century.

Corpus of ‘Pseudo-Aristotelica Arabica’

The corpus of ‘Pseudo-Aristotelica Arabica’ includes two categories of texts:

A. Arabic versions of works falsely attributed to Aristotle already in Greek.
B. Medieval Arabic forgeries.

To these will be added:

C. Commentaries on such works (including abridgements, paraphrases, etc.).

Project Aim

The aim is to provide a new insight into the Arabic Aristotle through the first overall treatment of the Arabic Pseudo-Aristotelica, including:

1. An inventory of the manuscript sources.
2. Editions and translations of the most relevant items.
3. Tools and studies towards a better understanding of Aristotle’s reception in the Arabic-speaking world.

Also, the Latin versions of such pseudepigrapha will be taken into account.

Research Gaps

It is still uncertain how many works falsely attributed to Aristotle are mentioned in the Arabic sources, how many have survived or have been lost. Few have been edited or translated.

Contribution to Historiography

ArOMa fills this gap, adding a new dimension to the standard historiographical accounts. We expect to provide a more complex and unorthodox image of Aristotle’s facets, presenting an engaging and thorough history of Aristotelian philosophy during the centuries which correspond to the Latin Middle Ages.