Alexandre d'Aphrodise vs Jean Philopon: Notes sur quelques traités d'Alexandre “perdus” en grec, conservés en arabe

Abstract

In this paper, are included new data about three treatises ascribed in Arabic to Alexander of Aphrodisias. These treatises were thought to have no Greek correspondent. The author shows that one of them, (D.8a), is an adapted version – following the norms of “al-Kindi circle” – of Quaestio I 21, along with the later and more exact version of this Quaestio by Abū ‘Uṭmān al-Dimašqi (d. 900). He shows also that the two other treatises (D.9 and D.16) are, in contradistinction to the first, adapted versions of passages belonging in the De Aeternitate mundi contra Proclum of John Philoponus: respectively IV, 4–6 and IX, 11. Philoponus’ book was known to have been translated, into Arabic. But, except for some short fragments in al-Bīrūnī (d. 1048), it seems that it is the first time that important adapted extracts of it are put in light. Some points are made about the historical position of the epitomator of these passages. In Appendix II, another treatise ascribed to Alexander (D.27g) appears – provisionally – as a composite text, mixing elements coming from Philoponus and others from neoplatonic texts in Arabic. In Appendix III is analysed the use of D.16 by Miskawayh (d. 1030), and the use of D.27g by ‘Abdallaṭīf al-Baġdādī (d. 1231).

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