''The Book of the Apple'' (Arabic: ''Risālat al-Tuffāha''; la, Tractatus de pomo et morte incliti principis philosophorum Aristotelis) was a medieval neoplatonic

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

work of unknown authorship. It was spuriously ascribed to

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 ...

; its date of composition is unknown although it predates the 10th century CE. Its name comes from the fact that the central dialogue is that of Aristotle, who lectures about

immortality Immortality is the concept of eternal life. Some modern species may possess biological immortality. Some scientists, futurists, and philosophers have theorized about the immortality of the human body, with some suggesting that human immorta ...

as he is dying, periodically revived and energized by smelling an

apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple fruit tree, trees are agriculture, cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, wh ...

. Despite its spuriousness, it was seriously discussed in the ''

Encyclopedia of the Brethren of Purity The ''Encyclopedia of the Brethren of Purity'' ( ar, رسائل إخوان الصفا) also variously known as the ''Epistles of the Brethren of Sincerity'', ''Epistles of the Brethren of Purity'' and ''Epistles of the Brethren of Purity and Loyal ...

''. It was also translated from Arabic into Hebrew by Abraham ben Hasdai.The Hebrew text, along with a German translation has been published by Jeremiah Musen in

References

* page 31 of ''Muslim

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 ...

: An Introduction to the Thought of the

Brethren of Purity The Brethren of Purity ( ar, إخوان‌ الصفا, Ikhwān Al-Ṣafā; also The Brethren of Sincerity) were a secret society of Muslim philosophers in Basra, Iraq, in the 9th or 10th century CE. The structure of the organization and the ide ...

'',

Ian Richard Netton Ian Richard Netton is an Emeritus Professor of Islamic Studies at the University of Exeter. He is a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, Royal Historical Society and Royal Society of Arts. Biography Netton was born in ...

, 1991. Edinburgh University Press, Pseudoaristotelian works Islamic philosophical texts Philosophical literature of the medieval Islamic world {{philo-book-stub