Liber de Causis
Encyclopedia
The Liber de Causis was a philosophical work attributed to Aristotle
that became popular in the Middle Ages
, first in Arabic and Islamic countries and later in the Latin West. The real authorship remains a mystery, but most of the content is taken from Proclus
' Elements of Theology. This was first noticed by Thomas Aquinas
, following William of Moerbeke
's translation of the works of Proclus into Latin.
The original title in Arabic
was Kitāb ul-īḍāḥ li-Arisţūţālis fi'l-khayri'l-maḥd, "The book of Aristotle's explanation of the pure good". The title Liber de Causis came into use following the translation into Latin by Gerard of Cremona
.
for further secondary literature, see Schönfeld bibliography below.
Aristotle
Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology...
that became popular in the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, first in Arabic and Islamic countries and later in the Latin West. The real authorship remains a mystery, but most of the content is taken from Proclus
Proclus
Proclus Lycaeus , called "The Successor" or "Diadochos" , was a Greek Neoplatonist philosopher, one of the last major Classical philosophers . He set forth one of the most elaborate and fully developed systems of Neoplatonism...
' Elements of Theology. This was first noticed by Thomas Aquinas
Thomas Aquinas
Thomas Aquinas, O.P. , also Thomas of Aquin or Aquino, was an Italian Dominican priest of the Catholic Church, and an immensely influential philosopher and theologian in the tradition of scholasticism, known as Doctor Angelicus, Doctor Communis, or Doctor Universalis...
, following William of Moerbeke
William of Moerbeke
Willem van Moerbeke, O.P., known in the English speaking world as William of Moerbeke was a prolific medieval translator of philosophical, medical, and scientific texts from Greek into Latin...
's translation of the works of Proclus into Latin.
The original title in Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
was Kitāb ul-īḍāḥ li-Arisţūţālis fi'l-khayri'l-maḥd, "The book of Aristotle's explanation of the pure good". The title Liber de Causis came into use following the translation into Latin by Gerard of Cremona
Gerard of Cremona
Gerard of Cremona was an Italian translator of Arabic scientific works found in the abandoned Arab libraries of Toledo, Spain....
.
Text and translations
- Otto BardenhewerOtto BardenhewerBertram Otto Bardenhewer was a German Catholic patrologist. His Geschichte der altkirchlichen Literatur is a standard work, re-issued in 2008...
, Die pseudo-aristotelische Schrift ueber das reine Gute bekannt unter dem Namen Liber de Causis: Arabic text, German translation - Andreas Schönfeld, Liber de causis: Das Buch von den Ursachen, repr. 2005 Meiner Felix Verlag Gmbh ISBN 978-3787317059: Latin text, German translation
- Adriaan Pattin, Le Liber de Causis. Edition établie a l'aide de 90 manuscrits avec introduction et notes, in Tijdschrift voor Filosofie 28 (1966) pp. 90–203, Latin text
- Bernardo Carlos Bazan (tr.), Dennis J. Brand (ed.), The Book of Causes: Liber de Causis (English translation): 1st ed. 1984 Marquette University Press, 2nd ed. 2001 Niagara University Press
- Pierre Magnard, Olivier Boulnois, Bruno Pinchard and Jean-Luc Solere, La demeure de l'être. Autour d'un anonyme. Etude et traduction du Liber de Causis, Paris 1990, Vrin (French translation)
Commentaries
- Albertus MagnusAlbertus MagnusAlbertus Magnus, O.P. , also known as Albert the Great and Albert of Cologne, is a Catholic saint. He was a German Dominican friar and a bishop, who achieved fame for his comprehensive knowledge of and advocacy for the peaceful coexistence of science and religion. Those such as James A. Weisheipl...
, Liber de causis et processu universitatis a prima causa (Latin) - Sancti Thomae de Aquino super librum De Causis expositio (Latin)
Secondary literature
- Manuel Alonso Alonso, Las fuentes literarias del Liber de causis. Madrid 1945, Al-Andalus: revista de las escuelas de estudios árabes de Madrid y Granada
- Paloma Llorente Megías, Liber de Causis: Indice y Concordancia, Florence 2004
- Andreas Bächli-Hinz, Monotheismus und neuplatonische Philosophie: Eine Untersuchung zum pseudo-aristotelischen Liber de causis und dessen Rezeption durch Albert den Großen, 2002
- Cristina d'Ancona Costa, Recherches sur le Liber de causis, Paris 2002, Vrin
for further secondary literature, see Schönfeld bibliography below.
External links
- Andreas Schönfeld SJ: Bibliography on Liber de causis
- Latin: critical text of Adriaan Pattin (1966) revised by Hans Zimmermann 2001
- Arabic and German text: Bardenhewer edition
- Latin text (UBB Cluj)
- Latin text (Intratext)
- Editions (Bibliotheca Augustana)