This volume contains the Syriac text, edited for the first time, of the commentary on Aristotle’s Rhetoric by Bar Hebraeus (died 1286) in his Cream of Wisdom. The text is accompanied by an English translation, and the volume also includes an introduction, commentary, and three glossaries (Syriac, Greek and Arabic). Bar Hebraeus’ commentary is based on the lost Syriac version of Aristotle’s treatise, but the author also drew heavily on the commentary of Ibn Sina (Avicenna). The text therefore provides a unique insight into the nature of that lost version, and also exemplifies the way Bar Hebraeus blended the Aristotle of the Graeco-Syriac translation literature with the more recent philosophy of Ibn Sina.

This volume presents a panorama of Syriac engagement with Aristotelian philosophy primarily situated in the 6th to the 9th centuries, but also ranging to the 13th. It offers a wide range of articles, opening with surveys on the most important philosophical writers of the period before providing detailed studies of two Syriac prolegomena to Aristotle’s Categories and examining the works of Hunayn, the most famous Arabic translator of the 9th century. Watt also examines the relationships between philosophy, rhetoric and political thought in the period, and explores the connection between earlier Syriac tradition and later Arabic philosophy in the thought of the 13th century Syriac polymath Bar Hebraeus. Collected together for the first time, these articles present an engaging and thorough history of Aristotelian philosophy during this period in the Near East, in Syriac and Arabic.

The present volume brings together thirteen articles as so many chapters of a book, devoted to the history, methods, and practices of the commentaries that have been written on Aristotle’s Rhetoric. Examining both the linguistic and factual background, these contributions attempt to insert each of the commentaries into its particular historical, political, social, philosophical, and pedagogical context. The historical periods and geographical areas that arise – from Greco-Roman antiquity to Heidegger’s philosophy, from the Syriac and Arabic traditions to the Western world – make it possible, in sum, not only to indicate how the Rhetoric has been read and interpreted, but also to offer general perspectives on the practice of explicating ancient texts. Le présent volume rassemble treize articles envisagés comme autant de chapitres d’un livre et dédiés à l’histoire, à la méthode et à la pratique des commentaires à la Rhétorique d’Aristote. Mêlant l’approche matérielle et linguistique, ces contributions se proposent de réinscrire chacun des commentaires dans son contexte historique, politique, social, culturel, philosophique, et pédagogique particulier. Les périodes et les aires géographiques considérées ici—de l’Antiquité gréco-romaine jusqu’à la philosophie de Heidegger, des traditions syriaque et arabe au monde occidental—permettent, in fine, non seulement de suggérer des pistes de lecture pour la Rhétorique et l’histoire des interprétations de la Rhétorique, mais aussi de dessiner des perspectives plus générales sur la pratique du commentaire.

The present volume makes available for the first time the earliest translation of Aristotle into a Semitic language. It will open the way to a fuller understanding of the transformation of Greek logic in Syriac and Arabic.

"This Arabic-English translation of The Middle Commentary of Ibn Rushd, known in the West as Averroes, on Aristotle's Rhetoric makes available to English-speaking scholars and students of rhetoric, for the first time, one of the most significant medieval Arabic commentaries on Aristotle's famous rhetorical treatise"--

The two centuries following the rise of the Abbasid caliphate in 750 witnessed a wave of translations from Greek into Syriac and Arabic. The translation and reception of Aristotle's Rhetoric is a prime example for the resulting transformation of antique learning in the Islamic world and beyond. On the basis of a close textual analysis of the Rhetoric, this study develops elements of a comparative “translation grammar” of Greek-Arabic translations. Contextualizing the analysis with an account of the textual history and the Syriac and Arabic philosophical tradition drawing on theRhetoric, it throws new light on the inner workings of the “translation movement” and its impact on Islamic culture.

"Paramount examples of an extensive Arabic-Muslim tradition of textual commentary and rich corollaries to the Medieval Greek and Latin rhetorical commentaries produced in Europe. Each translation is accompanied by insightful scholarly introductions and notes that contextualize - both historically and culturally - the immensely significant work while highlighting comparative, multidisciplinary approach to rhetorical scholarship that offers new perspectives on one of the field's foundational texts."--Cover page 4.

Interest in ancient rhetoric and its relevance to modern society has increased dramatically over recent decades. In North America, departments of speech and communications have experienced a noticeable renaissance of concern with ancient sources. On both sides of the Atlantic, numerous journals devoted to the history of rhetoric are now being published. Throughout, Aristotle's central role has been acknowledged, and there is also a growing awareness of the contributions made by Theophrastus and the Peripatetics. Peripatetic Rhetoric After Aristotle responds to this recent interest in rhetoric and peripatetic theory. The chapters provide new insights into Peripatetic influence on different periods and cultures: Greece and Rome, the Syrian- and Arabic-speaking worlds, Europe in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, and the international scene today. Contributors to this volume include Maroun Aouad, Lucia Calboli Montefusco, Thomas Conley, Tiziano Dorandi, Lawrence D. Green, Doreen C. Innes, George A. Kennedy, Michael Leff, and Eckart Schutrumpf. This comprehensive analysis of the history of rhetoric ranges from the early Hellenistic period to the present day. It will be of significant interest to classicists, philosophers, and cultural historians.

Al-Fārābī and Aristotelian Syllogistics deals with an important chapter in the history of Aristotelian logic in early medieval Islam and offers a unique and comprehensive analysis of the writings of the outstanding Muslim philosopher Abū Nasr al-Fārābī (d. 950/51). The first part focuses on a wide range of subjects relating to syllogistic theory proper; the second part deals with its application in the context of Islamic law and theology, and concludes with an in-depth analysis of the way in which Aristotelian logic came to be integrated into Muslim political thought. The sections on syllogistic theory proper are especially important for those interested in the history of Arabic logic; the remaining sections are required reading for historians of Islamic law, theology, and Islamic political philosophy.