Greek Texts Translated into Hebrew

Abstract

Only few Greek philosophical texts by Aristotle and by some of his main interpreters were partially or totally translated into Hebrew during the Middle Ages in Spain, France, and Italy; all these translations were based upon the previous Arabic and Latin ones. In the twelfth century, part of chapter 1 of book I of Aristotle’s De anima was translated from the Latin translatio vetus. Some translations were made in the thirteenth century, from the medieval Arabic versions by Ibn al-Biṭrīq, Ḥunayn ibn Isḥāq, Isḥāq ibn Ḥunayn, Yaḥyā ibn ‘Adī, and ‘Īsā ibn Zur‘a. Aristotle’s Meteorologica was translated by Samuel ibn Tibbon; Themistius’ Paraphrase of book XII of Aristotle’s Metaphysics, and Pseudo-Aristotle’s Problemata Physica, were translated by Moses ibn Tibbon; Themistius’ Paraphrase of Aristotle’s De caelo et mundo, and Aristotle’s De generatione et corruptione and De anima, were translated by Zerahyah Hen; Aristotle’s Historia animalium, De partibus, and De generatione animalium were translated from Michael Scot’s Arabic-into-Latin version. Other translations were made in the fourteenth century, from the Arabic versions by Eustatius, Isḥāq ibn Ḥunayn, Thābit ibn Qurra, and Naẓīf ibn Ayman. Aristotle’s Posterior Analytics, Physics, and books I–X and XII of his Metaphysics, as found in Averroes’ Long Commentaries on them, were translated by Qalonymos ben Qalonymos; Qalonymos also translated Nicolaus Damascenus’ De plantis. Book I of Alexander of Aphrodisias’ De anima was translated by Samuel of Marseilles; the De intellectu ascribed to Alexander was translated as found in Averroes’ commentary on it; “Bryson”’s Economics was translated by David ibn Ya‘ish. All the translations of Aristotle or Pseudo-Aristotle’s works made in the fifteenth century were based upon the medieval Latin versions by William of Moerbeke, Durand of Alvernia, Leonardo Bruni, and John Argiropoulos. They include the Nicomachean Ethics, translated by Meir Alguadez; books I and III of the Economics, translated by an anonymous scholar; books I–IV of the Physics, translated and commented on by Judah Messer Leon; books I–XII of the Metaphysics, translated by Baruch ibn Ya‘ish. Baruch also translated the Nicomachean Ethics and the Economics, and might have translated Aristotle’s De anima, as found in the Latin version of Averroes’ Long Commentary on it.