Output details

This critical edition of the Syriac version of Aristotle's Categories is the editio princeps of the first ever translation of Aristotle into a Semitic language and dates from the sixth century. It is presented here together with an introduction outlining the work's significance and its place in the history of philosophy, an English translation, literary notes, text critical notes, and various supplementary discussions on matters such as the text critical value of the translation and complete glossaries and indices. The aim of the latter is to further the still very young field of the history of Syriac philosophy. The text provides a crucial link in the chain running from ancient Athens to medieval Europe.

At 330 pages (150,000 words) ‘The Earliest Translation of Aristotle’s Categories in Syriac’, single-handedly edited, translated, annotated and furnished with a substantial introduction, glossaries and indices by Daniel King, exceeds by far what is normally expected from two research outputs (be it peer-reviewed journal articles or chapters in books). This is the first state-of-the-art critical edition of the earliest Syriac translation (sixth century AD) of the Categories with translation and analytical commentary. It contributes substantially to the understanding of Aristotelian logic in Syriac and of the significance of the Syriac tradition for the genesis and rise of Arabic logic.