Commentaries On Aristotle
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Commentaries on Aristotle refers to the great mass of literature produced, especially in the ancient and medieval world, to explain and clarify the works of Aristotle. The pupils of
Aristotle Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by Plato, he was the founder of the Peripatetic school of phil ...
were the first to comment on his writings, a tradition which was continued by the
Peripatetic school The Peripatetic school was a school of philosophy in Ancient Greece. Its teachings derived from its founder, Aristotle (384–322 BC), and ''peripatetic'' is an adjective ascribed to his followers. The school dates from around 335 BC when Aristo ...
throughout the
Hellenistic period In Classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Mediterranean history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the emergence of the Roman Empire, as signified by the Battle of Actium in 3 ...
and the
Roman era In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 BC ...
. The
Neoplatonists Neoplatonism is a strand of Platonic philosophy that emerged in the 3rd century AD against the background of Hellenistic philosophy and religion. The term does not encapsulate a set of ideas as much as a chain of thinkers. But there are some ide ...
of the late
Roman empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediterr ...
wrote many commentaries on Aristotle, attempting to incorporate him into their philosophy. Although Ancient Greek commentaries are considered the most useful, commentaries continued to be written by the
Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
scholars of the
Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
and by the many
Islamic philosophers Muslim philosophers both profess Islam and engage in a style of philosophy situated within the structure of the Arabic language and Islam, though not necessarily concerned with religious issues. The sayings of the companions of Muhammad contained ...
and Western
scholastics Scholasticism was a medieval school of philosophy that employed a critical organic method of philosophical analysis predicated upon the Aristotelian 10 Categories. Christian scholasticism emerged within the monastic schools that translate ...
who had inherited his texts.


Greek commentators

The first pupils of Aristotle commentated on his writings, but often with a view to expand his work. Thus
Theophrastus Theophrastus (; grc-gre, Θεόφραστος ; c. 371c. 287 BC), a Greek philosopher and the successor to Aristotle in the Peripatetic school. He was a native of Eresos in Lesbos.Gavin Hardy and Laurence Totelin, ''Ancient Botany'', Routledge ...
invented five moods of
syllogism A syllogism ( grc-gre, συλλογισμός, ''syllogismos'', 'conclusion, inference') is a kind of logical argument that applies deductive reasoning to arrive at a conclusion based on two propositions that are asserted or assumed to be true. ...
in the first figure, in addition to the four invented by Aristotle, and stated with additional accuracy the rules of
hypothetical syllogism In classical logic, a hypothetical syllogism is a valid argument form, a syllogism with a conditional statement for one or both of its premises. An example in English: :If I do not wake up, then I cannot go to work. :If I cannot go to work, then ...
s. He also often differed with his master,Brucker 1837, pages 349-53 including in collecting much information concerning animals and natural events, which Aristotle had omitted. During the early
Roman empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediterr ...
we find few celebrated names among the
Peripatetic Peripatetic may refer to: *Peripatetic school, a school of philosophy in Ancient Greece *Peripatetic axiom * Peripatetic minority, a mobile population moving among settled populations offering a craft or trade. *Peripatetic Jats There are several ...
philosophers.
Nicolaus of Damascus Nicolaus of Damascus (Greek language, Greek: , ''Nikolāos Damaskēnos''; Latin: ''Nicolaus Damascenus'') was a Greek historian and philosopher who lived during the Augustus, Augustan age of the Roman Empire. His name is derived from that of his b ...
wrote several treatises on the philosophy of Aristotle; and
Alexander of Aegae Alexander of Aegae (Greek: ) was a Peripatetic philosopher who flourished in Rome in the 1st century AD, and was a disciple of the celebrated mathematician Sosigenes of Alexandria. He was tutor to the emperor Nero.Suda α 1128 He wrote commentari ...
also wrote commentaries on Aristotle.Whewell 1837, pages 271-5 The earliest commentaries which survive, are those written in the 2nd century by
Adrastus In Greek mythology, Adrastus or Adrestus (Ancient Greek: Ἄδραστος or Ἄδρηστος), (perhaps meaning "the inescapable"), was a king of Argos, and leader of the Seven against Thebes. He was the son of the Argive king Talaus, but was ...
and Aspasius.Sorabji 1998, pages 435-7
Alexander of Aphrodisias Alexander of Aphrodisias ( grc-gre, Ἀλέξανδρος ὁ Ἀφροδισιεύς, translit=Alexandros ho Aphrodisieus; AD) was a Peripatetic school, Peripatetic philosopher and the most celebrated of the Ancient Greek Commentaries on Aristo ...
(c. 200) was regarded by subsequent
Aristotelians Aristotelianism ( ) is a philosophical tradition inspired by the work of Aristotle, usually characterized by Prior Analytics, deductive logic and an posterior analytics, analytic inductive method in the study of natural philosophy and metaphysics. ...
among the Greeks, Latins, and Muslims, as the best interpreter of Aristotle. On account of the number and value of his commentaries, he was called, by way of distinction, "The Commentator". Several of his works are still extant, among which is a treatise ''On Fate'', wherein he supports the doctrine of
divine providence In theology, Divine Providence, or simply Providence, is God's intervention in the Universe. The term ''Divine Providence'' (usually capitalized) is also used as a title of God. A distinction is usually made between "general providence", which ...
. Many of the
Neoplatonists Neoplatonism is a strand of Platonic philosophy that emerged in the 3rd century AD against the background of Hellenistic philosophy and religion. The term does not encapsulate a set of ideas as much as a chain of thinkers. But there are some ide ...
undertook to explain and illustrate the writings of Aristotle, particularly on the subject of
dialectics Dialectic ( grc-gre, διαλεκτική, ''dialektikḗ''; related to dialogue; german: Dialektik), also known as the dialectical method, is a discourse between two or more people holding different points of view about a subject but wishing to ...
, which
Plato Plato ( ; grc-gre, Πλάτων ; 428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC) was a Greek philosopher born in Athens during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. He founded the Platonist school of thought and the Academy, the first institution ...
had left imperfect. Porphyry (3rd century) wrote a book on the ''
Categories Category, plural categories, may refer to: Philosophy and general uses *Categorization, categories in cognitive science, information science and generally *Category of being *Categories (Aristotle), ''Categories'' (Aristotle) *Category (Kant) ...
'', which was found to be so suitable a complement to the ''Categories'' of Aristotle, that it was usually prefixed to that treatise. Porphyry sought to show that Plato and Aristotle were in harmony with each other, especially in regards to the compatibility of Aristotle's Categories with Plato's
Theory of Forms The theory of Forms or theory of Ideas is a philosophical theory, fuzzy concept, or world-view, attributed to Plato, that the physical world is not as real or true as timeless, absolute, unchangeable ideas. According to this theory, ideas in th ...
. Porphyry's pupil
Iamblichus Iamblichus (; grc-gre, Ἰάμβλιχος ; Aramaic: 𐡉𐡌𐡋𐡊𐡅 ''Yamlīḵū''; ) was a Syrian neoplatonic philosopher of Arabic origin. He determined a direction later taken by neoplatonism. Iamblichus was also the biographer of ...
continued this process of harmonising Plato and Aristotle, and
Dexippus Publius Herennius Dexippus ( el, Δέξιππος; c. 210–273 AD), Greeks, Greek historian, statesman and general, was an hereditary priest of the Eleusinian Mysteries, Eleusinian family of the Kerykes, and held the offices of ''archon basileus ...
, a disciple of
Iamblichus Iamblichus (; grc-gre, Ἰάμβλιχος ; Aramaic: 𐡉𐡌𐡋𐡊𐡅 ''Yamlīḵū''; ) was a Syrian neoplatonic philosopher of Arabic origin. He determined a direction later taken by neoplatonism. Iamblichus was also the biographer of ...
, wrote a ''Reply to the Objections of Plotinus against Aristotle's Categories'', which is still extant.
Themistius Themistius ( grc-gre, Θεμίστιος ; 317 – c. 388 AD), nicknamed Euphrades, (eloquent), was a statesman, rhetorician, and philosopher. He flourished in the reigns of Constantius II, Julian, Jovian, Valens, Gratian, and Theodosius I; and ...
(4th century), who taught at
Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...
with great success, paraphrased several of the works of Aristotle, particularly the ''
Posterior Analytics The ''Posterior Analytics'' ( grc-gre, Ἀναλυτικὰ Ὕστερα; la, Analytica Posteriora) is a text from Aristotle's ''Organon'' that deals with demonstration, definition, and scientific knowledge. The demonstration is distinguished ...
'', the ''
Physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...
'', and the book ''
On the Soul ''On the Soul'' (Greek: , ''Peri Psychēs''; Latin: ''De Anima'') is a major treatise written by Aristotle c. 350 BC. His discussion centres on the kinds of souls possessed by different kinds of living things, distinguished by their different op ...
''. In the 5th century,
Ammonius Hermiae Ammonius Hermiae (; grc-gre, Ἀμμώνιος ὁ Ἑρμείου, Ammōnios ho Hermeiou, Ammonius, son of Hermias; – between 517 and 526) was a Greek philosopher from Alexandria in the eastern Roman empire during Late Antiquity. A Neoplatonis ...
represented Plato and Aristotle in agreeing that god was the artificier of a beginningless universe. Olympiodorus, an Alexandrian philosopher, wrote commentaries upon Aristotle's ''
Meteorology Meteorology is a branch of the atmospheric sciences (which include atmospheric chemistry and physics) with a major focus on weather forecasting. The study of meteorology dates back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not ...
'' and ''
Categories Category, plural categories, may refer to: Philosophy and general uses *Categorization, categories in cognitive science, information science and generally *Category of being *Categories (Aristotle), ''Categories'' (Aristotle) *Category (Kant) ...
''.
Simplicius of Cilicia Simplicius of Cilicia (; el, Σιμπλίκιος ὁ Κίλιξ; c. 490 – c. 560 AD) was a disciple of Ammonius Hermiae and Damascius, and was one of the last of the Neoplatonists. He was among the pagan philosophers persecuted by Justinian i ...
(6th century) wrote extensive commentaries upon Aristotle, and, like many of the other Neoplatonists, attempted to reconcile the doctrines of the
Pythagoreans Pythagoreanism originated in the 6th century BC, based on and around the teachings and beliefs held by Pythagoras and his followers, the Pythagoreans. Pythagoras established the first Pythagorean community in the ancient Greek colony of Kroton, ...
, of the
Eleatic The Eleatics were a group of pre-Socratic philosophers in the 5th century BC centered around the ancient Italian Greek colony of Elea ( grc, Ἐλέα), located in present-day Campania in southern Italy. The primary philosophers who are associa ...
s, of Plato, and of the
Stoics Stoicism is a school of Hellenistic philosophy founded by Zeno of Citium in Athens in the early 3rd century BCE. It is a philosophy of personal virtue ethics informed by its system of logic and its views on the natural world, asserting that th ...
, with those of Aristotle. He also strenuously defended Aristotle's doctrine concerning the
eternity of the world The eternity of the world is the question of whether the world has a beginning in time or has existed from eternity. It was a concern for both Ancient philosophy, ancient philosophers and the Medieval theology, medieval theologians and Medieval p ...
. In the 6th century,
Boethius Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius, commonly known as Boethius (; Latin: ''Boetius''; 480 – 524 AD), was a Roman senator, consul, ''magister officiorum'', historian, and philosopher of the Early Middle Ages. He was a central figure in the tr ...
, whose commentaries on the logical works of Aristotle became the only commentaries in
Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
available to the West, entertained the design of translating into
Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
the whole of Aristotle's and Plato's works, and of showing their agreement; a gigantic plan, which he never executed. Others employed themselves in disentangling the confusion which such attempts produced, as
John Philoponus John Philoponus (Greek: ; ; c. 490 – c. 570), also known as John the Grammarian or John of Alexandria, was a Byzantine Greek philologist, Aristotelian commentator, Christian theologian and an author of a considerable number of philosophical tre ...
, who, in the sixth century, maintained that Aristotle was entirely misunderstood by Porphyry and Proclus in incorporating his doctrines into those of the Neoplatonists, or even in reconciling him with Plato himself on the subject of
ideas In common usage and in philosophy, ideas are the results of thought. Also in philosophy, ideas can also be mental representational images of some object. Many philosophers have considered ideas to be a fundamental ontological category of being. ...
, offering instead a Christian interpretation of the Aristotelian corpus. Others, again, wrote epitomes, compounds, abstracts; and tried to throw the works of Aristotle into some simpler and more obviously regular form, as John of Damascus, in the middle of the 8th century, who made abstracts of some of Aristotle's works, and introduced the study of the author into theological education. John of Damascus lived under the patronage of the Arabs, and was at first secretary to the
Caliph A caliphate or khilāfah ( ar, خِلَافَة, ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with the title of caliph (; ar, خَلِيفَة , ), a person considered a political-religious successor to th ...
, but afterwards withdrew to a
monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...
.


Islamic commentators

In the 9th century, the Platonising school of
Thābit ibn Qurra Thābit ibn Qurra (full name: , ar, أبو الحسن ثابت بن قرة بن زهرون الحراني الصابئ, la, Thebit/Thebith/Tebit); 826 or 836 – February 19, 901, was a mathematician, physician, astronomer, and translator who ...
in
Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...
translated Aristotle and his commentators into Arabic. Islamic scholars made a point of studying the writings of Aristotle, especially his
metaphysical Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that studies the fundamental nature of reality, the first principles of being, identity and change, space and time, causality, necessity, and possibility. It includes questions about the nature of conscio ...
and logical writings, and also of his ''Physics''. They wrote commentaries on Aristotle, and developed still further the abstract logical element. Many of these commentaries are still extant.Hegel 1896, pages 34-5
Al-Kindi Abū Yūsuf Yaʻqūb ibn ʼIsḥāq aṣ-Ṣabbāḥ al-Kindī (; ar, أبو يوسف يعقوب بن إسحاق الصبّاح الكندي; la, Alkindus; c. 801–873 AD) was an Arab Muslim philosopher, polymath, mathematician, physician ...
, who wrote a commentary on Aristotelian logic, lived in the 9th century, under
Al-Ma'mun Abu al-Abbas Abdallah ibn Harun al-Rashid ( ar, أبو العباس عبد الله بن هارون الرشيد, Abū al-ʿAbbās ʿAbd Allāh ibn Hārūn ar-Rashīd; 14 September 786 – 9 August 833), better known by his regnal name Al-Ma'mu ...
.
Al-Farabi Abu Nasr Muhammad Al-Farabi ( fa, ابونصر محمد فارابی), ( ar, أبو نصر محمد الفارابي), known in the Western world, West as Alpharabius; (c. 872 – between 14 December, 950 and 12 January, 951)PDF version was a reno ...
(10th century) wrote commentaries on Aristotle's ''
Organon The ''Organon'' ( grc, Ὄργανον, meaning "instrument, tool, organ") is the standard collection of Aristotle's six works on logical analysis and dialectic. The name ''Organon'' was given by Aristotle's followers, the Peripatetics. The si ...
'', which were made diligent use of by the
Scholastics Scholasticism was a medieval school of philosophy that employed a critical organic method of philosophical analysis predicated upon the Aristotelian 10 Categories. Christian scholasticism emerged within the monastic schools that translate ...
. It is related of him that he read through Aristotle's treatise '' On Hearing'' forty times, and his ''
Rhetoric Rhetoric () is the art of persuasion, which along with grammar and logic (or dialectic), is one of the three ancient arts of discourse. Rhetoric aims to study the techniques writers or speakers utilize to inform, persuade, or motivate parti ...
'' two hundred times, without getting at all tired of them. The physicians made a study of philosophy, and formulated theories; among them was
Avicenna Ibn Sina ( fa, ابن سینا; 980 – June 1037 CE), commonly known in the West as Avicenna (), was a Persian polymath who is regarded as one of the most significant physicians, astronomers, philosophers, and writers of the Islamic G ...
(c. 980-1037), who came from
Bukhara Bukhara (Uzbek language, Uzbek: /, ; tg, Бухоро, ) is the List of cities in Uzbekistan, seventh-largest city in Uzbekistan, with a population of 280,187 , and the capital of Bukhara Region. People have inhabited the region around Bukhara ...
, to the east of the
Caspian Sea The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, often described as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia; east of the Caucasus, west of the broad steppe of Central Asia ...
; he wrote a commentary on Aristotle.
Al-Ghazali Al-Ghazali ( – 19 December 1111; ), full name (), and known in Persian-speaking countries as Imam Muhammad-i Ghazali (Persian: امام محمد غزالی) or in Medieval Europe by the Latinized as Algazelus or Algazel, was a Persian polymat ...
(1058–1111) wrote compendiums of logic and metaphysics.
Averroes Ibn Rushd ( ar, ; full name in ; 14 April 112611 December 1198), often Latinized as Averroes ( ), was an Andalusian polymath and jurist who wrote about many subjects, including philosophy, theology, medicine, astronomy, physics, psycholog ...
(1126–1198), sometimes referred to simply as 'The Commentator', was especially distinguished as a commentator of Aristotle. He often wrote two or three different commentaries on the same work, and some 38 commentaries by Averroes on the works of Aristotle have been identified.Grant 1996, page 30 Although his writings had only marginal impact in Islamic countries, his works had a huge impact in the
Latin West Greek East and Latin West are terms used to distinguish between the two parts of the Greco-Roman world and of Medieval Christendom, specifically the eastern regions where Greek was the '' lingua franca'' (Greece, Anatolia, the southern Balkans, t ...
following the Latin translations of the 12th and 13th centuries.


Byzantine commentators

The line of the Aristotelian commentators was continued to the later ages of the
Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
. In the 12th century
Anna Comnena Anna Komnene ( gr, Ἄννα Κομνηνή, Ánna Komnēnḗ; 1 December 1083 – 1153), commonly Latinized as Anna Comnena, was a Byzantine princess and author of the ''Alexiad'', an account of the reign of her father, the Byzantine emperor, ...
organised a group of scholars which included the commentators
Michael of Ephesus Michael of Ephesus or Michael Ephesius ( grc-gre, Μιχαήλ Ἐφέσιος; fl. early or mid-12th century AD) wrote important commentaries on Aristotle, including the first full commentary on the ''Sophistical Refutations'', which established ...
, and
Eustratius of Nicaea Eustratius of Nicaea ( el, Εὐστράτιος; c. 1050/1060 – c. 1120)Donald J. Zeyl, Daniel Devereux, Phillip Mitsis, 1997, ''Encyclopedia of Classical Philosophy'', page 59. Greenwood Press was Metropolitan bishop of See of Nicaea, Nicaea i ...
who employed himself upon the dialectic and moral treatises, and whom she does not hesitate to elevate above the Stoics and Platonists for his talent in philosophical discussions. Nicephorus Blemmydes wrote logical and physical epitomes for the use of
John III Doukas Vatatzes John III Doukas Vatatzes, Latinized as Ducas Vatatzes ( el, Ιωάννης Δούκας Βατάτζης, ''Iōannēs Doukas Vatatzēs'', c. 1192 – 3 November 1254), was Emperor of Nicaea from 1221 to 1254. He was succeeded by his son, known ...
;
George Pachymeres George Pachymeres ( el, Γεώργιος Παχυμέρης, Geórgios Pachyméris; 1242 – 1310) was a Byzantine Greek historian, philosopher, music theorist and miscellaneous writer. Biography Pachymeres was born at Nicaea, in Bithynia, wher ...
composed an epitome of the philosophy of Aristotle, and a compendium of his logic:
Theodore Metochites Theodore Metochites ( el, Θεόδωρος Μετοχίτης; 1270–1332) was a Byzantine Greek statesman, author, gentleman philosopher, and patron of the arts. From c. 1305 to 1328 he held the position of personal adviser ('' mesazōn'') to e ...
, who was famous in his time for his eloquence and his learning, has left a paraphrase of the books of Aristotle on ''Physics'', ''On the Soul'', ''
On the Heavens ''On the Heavens'' (Greek: ''Περὶ οὐρανοῦ''; Latin: ''De Caelo'' or ''De Caelo et Mundo'') is Aristotle's chief cosmological treatise: written in 350 BC, it contains his astronomical theory and his ideas on the concrete workings o ...
'', etc. The same period saw the commentaries and paraphrases of Sophonias. In the post-Byzantine period, one of the most important Aristotelian commentators is
Theophilos Corydalleus Theophilos Corydalleus (; el, Θεόφιλος Κορυδαλλεύς, Theofilos Korydallefs; 1563–1646) was a Greek Neo-Aristotelian philosopher who initiated the philosophical movement known as Korydalism or Corydalism. He was also an Ea ...
. One Byzantine-era commentator, Allīnūs, is known only from citations and excerpts in Arabic sources.


Commentators in the Latin West

Scholastic philosophy in the Latin West was decisively shaped when the works of Aristotle became widely available, at first through translations of commentators and their basis texts from Arabic, and later through translations from Greek of Aristotle's original text (notably by
William of Moerbeke William of Moerbeke, O.P. ( nl, Willem van Moerbeke; la, Guillelmus de Morbeka; 1215–35 – 1286), was a prolific medieval translator of philosophical, medical, and scientific texts from Greek language into Latin, enabled by the period ...
) and of the Greek commentators.
Albertus Magnus Albertus Magnus (c. 1200 – 15 November 1280), also known as Saint Albert the Great or Albert of Cologne, was a German Dominican friar, philosopher, scientist, and bishop. Later canonised as a Catholic saint, he was known during his life ...
,
Thomas Aquinas Thomas Aquinas, OP (; it, Tommaso d'Aquino, lit=Thomas of Aquino; 1225 – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican friar and priest who was an influential philosopher, theologian and jurist in the tradition of scholasticism; he is known wi ...
,
Duns Scotus John Duns Scotus ( – 8 November 1308), commonly called Duns Scotus ( ; ; "Duns the Scot"), was a Scottish Catholic priest and Franciscan friar, university professor, philosopher, and theologian. He is one of the four most important ...
, and
William of Ockham William of Ockham, OFM (; also Occam, from la, Gulielmus Occamus; 1287 – 10 April 1347) was an English Franciscan friar, scholastic philosopher, apologist, and Catholic theologian, who is believed to have been born in Ockham, a small vill ...
, among many others, wrote important philosophical works in the form of Aristotelian commentaries. On this basis, 14th -century scholar
Nicole Oresme Nicole Oresme (; c. 1320–1325 – 11 July 1382), also known as Nicolas Oresme, Nicholas Oresme, or Nicolas d'Oresme, was a French philosopher of the later Middle Ages. He wrote influential works on economics, mathematics, physics, astrology an ...
translated Aristotle's moral works into French and wrote extensive comments on them.


Lists and indices of commentaries

A list of Medieval and Renaissance commentaries on all of Aristotle's works has been compiled by Charles H. Lohr:Heinrich Kuhn,
Aristotelianism in the Renaissance
" ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' accessed September 22, 2009.
* 1967: “Medieval Aristotle Commentaries: Authors A-F”, ''Traditio'', 23, 313-413. * 1968: “Medieval Aristotle Commentaries: Authors G-I”, ''Traditio'', 24, 149-245. * 1970: "Medieval Aristotle Commentaries: Authors Jacobus-Johannes Juff", ''Traditio'', 26, 135-216. * 1971: "Medieval Aristotle Commentaries: Authors Johannes de Kanthi–Myngodus", ''Traditio'', 27, 251-351. * 1972: "Medieval Aristotle Commentaries: Authors Narcissus–Richardus", ''Traditio'', 28, 281-396. * 1973: "Medieval Aristotle Commentaries: Authors Robertus–Wilgelmus", ''Traditio'', 29, 93-197. * 1974: "Medieval Aristotle Commentaries: Supplementary Authors ", ''Traditio'', 30, 119-144. * 1974: "Renaissance Latin Aristotle Commentaries: Authors A-B", ''Studies in the Renaissance'', 21, 228-289. * 1975: "Renaissance Latin Aristotle Commentaries: Authors C", ''Renaissance Quarterly'', 28, 689-741. * 1976: "Renaissance Latin Aristotle Commentaries: Authors D-F", ''Renaissance Quarterly'', 29, 714-745. * 1977: "Renaissance Latin Aristotle Commentaries: Authors G-K", ''Renaissance Quarterly'', 30, 681-741. * 1978: "Renaissance Latin Aristotle Commentaries: Authors L-M", ''Renaissance Quarterly'', 31, 532-603. * 1979: "Renaissance Latin Aristotle Commentaries: Authors N-Ph", ''Renaissance Quarterly'', 32, 529-580. * 1980: "Renaissance Latin Aristotle Commentaries: Authors Pi-Sm", ''Renaissance Quarterly'', 33, 623-734. * 1982: "Renaissance Latin Aristotle Commentaries: Authors So-Z", ''Renaissance Quarterly'', 35, 164-256. The articles are reprinted in the following volumes by Charles H. Lohr: * ''Latin Aristotle Commentaries. I.1. Medieval Authors. A-L'' (Corpus Philosophorum Medii Aevi. Subsidia, 17), Firenze: Sismel Edizioni del Galluzzo, 2013. * ''Latin Aristotle Commentaries. I.2. Medieval Authors. M-Z'' (Corpus Philosophorum Medii Aevi. Subsidia, 18), Firenze: Sismel Edizioni del Galluzzo, 2010. * ''Latin Aristotle Commentaries. II. Renaissance Authors'' (Corpus Philosophorum Medii Aevi. Subsidia, 6),Firenze: Leo S. Olschki, 1988. * ''Latin Aristotle Commentaries. III. Index initiorum - Index finium'' (Corpus Philosophorum Medii Aevi. Subsidia, 10),Firenze: Leo S. Olschki, 1988. * ''Latin Aristotle Commentaries. V. Bibliography of Secondary Literature'' (Corpus Philosophorum Medii Aevi. Subsidia, 15), Firenze: Sismel Edizioni del Galluzzo, 2005.


See also

* Ancient commentators project *
Aristotelianism Aristotelianism ( ) is a philosophical tradition inspired by the work of Aristotle, usually characterized by deductive logic and an analytic inductive method in the study of natural philosophy and metaphysics. It covers the treatment of the socia ...
*
Commentaria in Aristotelem Graeca ''Commentaria in Aristotelem Graeca'' 'edita consilio et auctoritate academiae litterarum Regiae Borussicae''(''CAG'') (Greek Commentaries on Aristotle dited by order and auctority of the Prussian Royal Academy of literary studies is the standa ...
*
Commentaries on Plato Commentaries on Plato refers to the great mass of literature produced, especially in the ancient and medieval world, to explain and clarify the works of Plato. Many Platonist philosophers in the centuries following Plato sought to clarify and sum ...
*
Conimbricenses The Conimbricenses were an important collection of Jesuit commentaries on Aristotle compiled at University of Coimbra in Coimbra, Portugal. Commentaries The Coimbra Commentaries, also known as the Conimbricenses or Cursus Conimbricenses, are a ...
* List of writers influenced by Aristotle *
List of Renaissance commentators on Aristotle This is a list of Renaissance commentators on the works of Aristotle, particularly those on natural philosophy and ethics. List * Donato Acciaiuoli *Alessandro Achillini *Blasius of Parma * Lodovico Boccadifero * Simon Brossier * Antonio Bruci ...


References


Sources

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Johann Jakob Brucker Johann Jakob Brucker (; la, Jacobus Bruckerus; 22 January 1696 – 26 November 1770) was a German historian of philosophy. Life He was born at Augsburg. He was destined for the Lutheran Church, and graduated at the University of Jena in 1718. ...
, (1837), ''The History of Philosophy, from the Earliest Periods'', pages 349-53 *Edward Grant, (1996), ''The Foundations of Modern Science in the Middle Ages: Their Religious Institutional and Intellectual Contexts'', page 30. Cambridge University Press *
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (; ; 27 August 1770 – 14 November 1831) was a German philosopher. He is one of the most important figures in German idealism and one of the founding figures of modern Western philosophy. His influence extends ...
, (1896), ''Lectures on the History of Philosophy, Part Two. Philosophy of the Middle Ages'', pages 34–35 *. *
Richard Sorabji Sir Richard Rustom Kharsedji Sorabji, (born 8 November 1934) is a British historian of ancient Western philosophy, and Professor of Philosophy Emeritus at King's College London. He has written his 'Intellectual Autobiography' in his ''Festschrift' ...
, "Aristotle Commentators" entry in ''Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' (1998) *. *
William Whewell William Whewell ( ; 24 May 17946 March 1866) was an English polymath, scientist, Anglican priest, philosopher, theologian, and historian of science. He was Master of Trinity College, Cambridge. In his time as a student there, he achieved dist ...
, (1837), ''History of the Inductive Sciences: From the Earliest to the Present Times'', pages 271-5


Further reading

* Fabrizio Amerini, Gabriele Galluzzo (eds.), (2013), ''A Companion to the Latin Medieval Commentaries on Aristotle's Metaphysics'', Leiden-Boston: Brill. * Andrea Falcon (ed.), (2016), ''Brill’s Companion to the Reception of Aristotle in Antiquity'', Leiden-Boston: Brill. * Roy K. Gibson, Christina Shuttleworth Kraus, (eds,), (2002), ''The Classical Commentary: Histories, Practices, Theory'', Leiden-Boston: Brill. * Lloyd A. Newton (ed.), (2008), ''Medieval Commentaries on Aristotle's Categories'' (Leiden, Brill, 2008) (Brill's Companions to the Christian Tradition, 10). * Richard Sorabji (ed.), (1990), ''Aristotle Transformed: The Ancient Commentators and their Influence'', Duckworth. * Richard Sorabji (ed.), (2005), ''The Philosophy of the Commentators 200-600 AD. A Sourcebook''. Cornell University Press (3 volumes). * Miira Tuominen, (2009), ''The Ancient Commentators on Plato and Aristotle'', Durham: Acumen.


External links

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A Bibliographical Guide to the Aristotelian Commentators
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PDF Portable Document Format (PDF), standardized as ISO 32000, is a file format developed by Adobe in 1992 to present documents, including text formatting and images, in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems. ...
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The Neoplatonic Commentators on Aristotle's ''Metaphysics''
with an annotated bibliography on the Ancient Greek Commentators

* ttps://www.ontology.co/categories-ancient.htm Ancient Greek Commentators on Aristotle's ''Categories''br>Latin Medieval Commentators on Aristotle's ''Categorie''sCommentaria in Aristotelem Graeca et Byzantina
{{Aristotelianism *