The Commentary Tradition on Aristotle’s ’De generatione et corruptione’. Ancient, Medieval and Early Modern

243 Pages·1999·13.12 MB·English

by  J.M.M.H. Thijssen

S A
tudia rtistarum
Etudes sur la Faculté des arts
dans
les Universités médiévales
J .M .M .H . Thijssen
and H. A. G. Braakhuis
The Comm entary Tradition
on A ristotle’s
Degeneratione et corruptione
Ancient, Medieval and Early Modern
BUEPOLS

S A
tudia rtistarum
Studies on the Faculty of Arts
at
the Medieval Universities
In this book, a dozen distinguished scholars in the field of the history of philosophy
and science investigate aspects of the commentary tradition on Aristotle’s
De cfeneratione et corruptione, one of the least studied among Aristotle’s treatises in
natural philosophy. Many famous thinkers such as Johannes Philoponus, Albert
the Great, Thomas Aquinas, John Buridan, Nicole Oresme, Francesco Piccolomini,
Jacopo Zabarella, and Galileo Galilei wrote commentaries on it. The distinctive
feature of the present book is that it approaches this commentary tradition as a
coherent whole, thereby ignoring the usual historiographical distinctions between
the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and the seventeenth century.
Frans de Haas and Henk Kubbinga address the Greek commentary tradition on
De generatione et corruptione. Simone van Riet’s essay is devoted to the Latin version of
Avicenna’s third treatise of his Kitab al Shifa, which discusses Aristotle’s De generatione
et corruptione. James Otte traces the intricate history of the identification of the Latin
translator of Aristotle’s treatise as Burgund of Pisa. The essay by John Murdoch
explores the jortuna of atomistic arguments in the Latin commentary tradition.
Jürgen Sarnowsky, Henk Braakhuis, and Stefano Caroti examine various themes
in the commentaries that were produced by the so-called Buridan School, that is,
John Buridan, Albert of Saxony, Nicholas Oresme, and Marsilius of Inghen. The
article by Silvia Donati focuses on the influential commentary by the Expositor,
Giles of Rome. The final essay, written by Anita Guerrini, tackles Robert Boyle’s
attitude in The Origin of Forms and Qualities toward such Aristotelian key concepts as
forms, matter, qualities, and mixture. These essays are prefaced by a preliminary
survey by Hans Thijssen of Aristotle’s text, its Latin translations and its Greek,
Arabic and Latin commentaries.
ISBN 2-503-50896-0
9782503508962
9 782503 508962
Studia A rtistarum
Etudes sur la Faculté des arts dans les Universités médiévales
7
The Commentary Tradition on Aristotle’s
De generatione et corruptione
Ancient, Medieval, and Early Modem
Studia A rtistarum
Études sur la Faculté des arts dans les Universités médiévales
Sous la direction de
Olga Weijers Louis Holtz
Constantijn Huygens Instituut Institut de Recherche et d’Histoire des Textes
KNAW - La Haye CNRS - Paris
Studia A rtistarum
Études sur la Faculté des arts dans les Universités médiévales
1
The Commentary Tradition on Aristotle
De generatione et corruptione
Ancient, Medieval, and Early Modern
edited by
J. M. M. H. Thijssen
and H. A. G. Braakhuis
BREPOLS
typeset by
Typographica Academica Traiectina, Utrecht
This volume is dedicated to
the memory of Simone van Riet
©1999 BREPOLS PUBLISHERS, Turnhout
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise,
without the prior permission of the publisher.
D/1999/0095/85
ISBN 2-503-50896-0
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements........................................................................................... 7
Johannes M. M. H. Thijssen, The Commentary Tradition on Aristotle’s
De generatione et corruptione. An Introductory Survey....................... 9
Frans A. J. de Haas, Mixture in Philoponus. An encounter with a third
kind of potentiality..................................................................................... 21
Henk Kubbinga, Le concept d’è/.à'/iaxov chez Aristote et ses principaux
commentateurs grecs................................................................................. 47
Simone van Riet, Le De generatione et corruptione d’Avicenne dans la
tradition latine............................................................................................ 69
James K. Otte, Burgundio of Pisa. Translator of the Greco-Latin Version
of Aristotle’s De generatione et corruptione, translatio vetus............... 79
John E. Murdoch, Aristotle on Democritus’s Argument Against Infinite
Divisibility in De generatione et corruptione, Book I, Chapter 2 ......... 87
Silvia Donati, “Utrum, corrupta re, remaneat eius scientia.” Der Lösungs­
versuch des Aegidius Romanus und seine Nachwirkung auf spätere
Kommentatoren der Schrift De generatione et corruptione...................103
Henk A. G. Braakhuis, Scientific Knowledge and Contingent Reality.
Knowledge, Signification and (Natural) Supposition in Buridan’s
Questions on De generatione et corruptione...........................................131
Jürgen Sarnowsky, Albert von Sachsen und die “Physik” des ens mobile
ad formam....................................................................................................163
Stefano Caroti, “Generatio potest auferri, non differri.” Causal Order and
natural Necessity in Nicole Oresme’s Questiones super De
generatione et corruptione.........................................................................183
Anita Guerrini, Robert Boyle’s Critique of Aristotle in The Origin of
Forms and Qualities...................................................................................207
Bibliography......................................................................................................221
Index of Names..................................................................................................237
Index of Manuscripts........................................................................................239