The Theology of Aristotle

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The Theology of Aristotle was a paraphrase of parts of Plotinus' Six Enneads along with Porphyry's commentary into Arabic. It had a significant effect on early Islamic philosophy, due to Islamic interest in Aristotle. Al-Kindi (Alkindus) and Avicenna, for example, were influenced by Plotinus' works. The translator attempted to integrate Aristotle's ideas with those of Plotinus — while trying to make Plotinus compatible with Christianity and Islam — thus, yielding a unique synthesis.

The Theology of Aristotle, together with The Letter on Divine Science and The Sayings of the Greek Sage, a collection of fragments, form the Arabic Plotinus. They seem to have been adapted by Ibn Na'ima al-Himsi, a Christian and edited by Al-Kindi, a Muslim. See Before Essence and Existence: al-Kindi's Conception of Being.

There is also a longer version of the Theology. It's authorship is uncertain. According to Shlomo Pinès, it may have been written by Isma'ili. Paul Fenton, on the other hand, thought it may have been derived from Egyptian Jews.

[edit] Arabic Paraphrase of Aristotle's De Anima

Just as there is an Arabic paraphrase of Plotinus' Six Enneads, blending it with Aristotle's thought -- so also there is an Arabic paraphrase of Aristotle's De Anima, blending it with Plotinus' thought. Thus later Islamic philosophy and European philosophy which built on the Islamic texts were based on this Neoplatonic synthesis.

[edit] Further reading

Peter S. Adamson, Arabic Plotinus: A Philosophical Study of the 'Theology of Aristotle' (2002: London, Gerald Duckworth & Co. Ltd.) ISBN 0715631632
Paul Fenton (Author), "The Arabic and Hebrew Versions of the The Theology of Aristotle" in Pseudo-Aristotle in the Middle Ages: The ‘Theology’ and Other Texts, Jill Kraye, Charles B. Schmitt and W. F. Ryan (1986: London) ISBN 085481065X, 241-264.
Dimitri Gutas, Greek thought, Arabic culture : the Graeco-Arabic translation movement in Baghdad and early ʻAbbāsid society (2nd-4th/8th-10th centuries) (1998: London, Routledge) ISBN 0415061326
Shlomo Pinès, "La longue récension de la Théologie d'Aristote dans ses rapports avec la doctrine ismaélienne" in Revue des études Islamiques 22 (1954) 7-20.
Rüdiger Arnzen, Aristoteles' De anima : eine verlorene spätantike Paraphrase in arabischer und persischer Überlieferung (1998: Leiden, Brill) ISBN 9004106995.