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This is the first critical edition of Epistles 15-21 of the Brethren of Purity, which explore the natural sciences and correspond to Aristotle's great works on philosophy of nature. Carla Baffioni illuminates the Epistles' relation to Greek philosophy, with particular focus on various doctrines of Ismaili origin that are echoed in the treatises.
List of contents
- Foreword
- Introduction
- Technical Introduction
- Epistle 15
- Epistle 16
- Epistle 17
- Epistle 18
- Epistle 19
- Epistle 20
- Epistle 21
- Appendices
- Bibliography
- Index
- Rasa 'il 15-21 (Arabic Text and Variants)
- Arabic index
About the author
Carmela Baffioni is a Senior Research Associate at the Institute of Ismaili Studies, having previously been Professor of the History of Islamic Philosophy and of the History of Muslim Philosophies and Sciences at the University of Naples 'L'Orientale' until 2012. Her publications include: several monographs on the transmission of Greek thought into Islam; translations of works by the Ikhwan al-Safa', al-Farabi, and Averroes, as well as al-Shahrastani; in addition, she has written a monograph on Aristotle's Meteorologica IV (1981), and books on the history of Muslim philosophy. Besides the Ikhwan al-Safa', her articles focus on al-Kindi, al-Farabi, Yahya ibn 'Adi, Avicenna, Averroes, and some Latin elaborations of Arabic heritage. She has translated books from German and Russian, and edited six collective works.
Summary
This is the first critical edition of Epistles 15-21 of the Brethren of Purity, which explore the natural sciences and correspond to Aristotle's great works on philosophy of nature. Carla Baffioni illuminates the Epistles' relation to Greek philosophy, with particular focus on various doctrines of Ismaili origin that are echoed in the treatises.
Additional text
The translation is distinguished by its clarity without any loss of precision, which makes reading it a pleasure. It is an admirable achievement that C. Baffioni was able to produce this volume of almost one thousand pages only three years after her edition of the logical parts of the Epistles. ... A large number of scholars within and outside Arabic studies will be grateful for this solid foundation for future work.
