Averroës—Muhammed Ibn Ahmed Ibn-Roschd, “the commentator,” “the last great thinker of the Moslem world in the West” (1120–1198), was an illustrious Moorish philosopher and physician best known by his commentaries and paraphrases upon Aristotle. It is said Averroës was recommended to the Calif as the fittest person to expound the works of Aristotle and make them accessible to all (“History of Classical Scholarship,” J. E. Sandys, Cambridge, 1903, p. 541).
References.—Renan, “Averroës et l’Averroïsme,” Paris, 1852; “Dict. of Philos. and Psychology,” by J. M. Baldwin, New York, 1901, p. 96; “Journal des Savants” for Feb. 1892, pp. 118–126 passim; Antonii, “Bibl. Hisp. Vetus,” Vol. II. pp. 240–248; Wüstenfeld, “Geschichte d’ Arab. A. V. N.,” 1840; “Engl. Cycl.,” Vol. I. pp. 448–449; Eloy, “Dict. Hist. de la Médecine,” Vol. I. pp. 220–221; Dr. Friedrich Ueberweg, “History of Philosophy,” tr. by Geo. S. Morris, New York, 1885, Vol. I. pp. 407–408, 415–417; Dr. W. Windelband, “History of Philosophy,” auth. tr. by Jas. H. Tufts, New York, 1893, pp. 317, 338; “Dictionnaire des Sciences Philosophiques,” par une société de savants, Paris, 1852, Vol. III. pp. 157–172.
“Euclide geometra e Tolommeo,
Ippocrate, Avicenna, e Galieno
Averrois che ’l gran comento feo.”
(Dante, “Divina Commedia,” Inferno, Canto IV.)
Augusta Th. Drane places Averroës at the head of all Arabic interpreters of Aristotle, and incidentally says it would be hard to determine his religion, for he scoffed alike at Christianity, Judaism and Mahometanism.
Avicenna—Abohalis, Ibn Sina, Al Rayis or “the chief”—(980–1037), “the greatest thinker of the Moslem world in the East,” a native of Aschena, near Bokhara, was the most celebrated physician of his day. In the “Journal des Savants” for March 1892, “l’Alchimie d’Avicenne” is very extensively treated of at pp. 179–189, and Avicenna is said (“Journal des Savants” for February 1892, pp. 118–128) to be the alchemist most frequently alluded to in the “Speculum Naturale” of Vincent de Beauvais. His writings were so highly esteemed that the Sultan of Egypt ordered them to be translated by the celebrated Jewish Rabbi, Maimonides—Moses Ben Maimon—(born at Cordova, in Spain, about A.D. 1132).
References.—Casiri, “Bibl. Arab. Hispan.,” Vol. I. p. 268; Hottinger, “Bibl. Quadrip.,” 1664, pp. 256, 261; “Dict. des Sciences Philosophiques,” Paris, 1852, Vol. III. pp. 172–178; S. Klein, “Dissertatio,” 1846; Houzeau et Lancaster, “Bibl. Gen.,” Vol. I. pt. i. pp. 469–470; “The Edinburgh Encycl.,” 1830, Vol. III. p. 107; “Engl. Cycl.,” Vol. I. pp. 449–450; Gilbert, “De Magnete,” Book I. chaps. i., viii., xv. and Book II. chap. ii.; Eloy, “Dict. Hist. de la Médecine,” Vol. I. pp. 223–227; Dr. Friedrich Ueberweg, “History of Philosophy,” tr. by Geo. S. Morris, New York, 1885, Vol. I. pp. 407, 412–413; Dr. W. Windelband, “History of Philosophy,” auth. tr. by Jas. H. Tufts, New York, 1893, p. 317; “New Gen. Biog. Dict.,” London, 1850, Vol. XII. p. 43; “Dict. of Philosophy and Psychology,” by J. M. Baldwin, New York, 1901, Vol. I. p. 97; “Lectures on Metaphysics and Logic,” by Sir Wm. Hamilton, London, 1860, Vol. II. pp. 167, 171; “Historical View of the Literature of the South of Europe,” by J. C. L. S. de Sismondi, London, 1846, Vol. I.
Duns Scotus, John, “Doctor Subtilis” (born about 1270, died in 1308), a very prominent schoolman, who was educated at Oxford, entered the Order of St. Francis, and became one of the great founders of scholastic thought. But little is known as to his origin, except that a monument, erected to his memory at Cologne during the year 1533, bears the following: “Scotia me genuit, Anglia me suscepit, Gallia me docuit, Colonia (Germania) me tenet.”