Some error occured while loading the Quick View. Please close the Quick View and try reloading the page.
1998 marked the 800th anniversary of the death of Averroes, the famous medieval philosopher, commentator on Aristotle, and great Islamic intellectual. Now Roger Arnaldez, one of the world's most distinguished Islamists, fascinates us with the story of Averroes and his remarkable role in the history of the Middle Ages.
His prodigious knowledge of astronomy, medicine, Aristotelian philosophy, Qur’anic studies, and the civil law of his time based on the Qur’an, made Averroes a favorite of the sultan's court. He was appointed Grand Qadi, the highest judicial position in the medieval Spanish city of Cordoba. Yet in the midst of his success Averroes faced a struggle that is not unknown to thinkers today: how to reconcile philosophical reason with faith, specifically his Muslim faith and the tenets of the Qur’an.
In 1195, following conflicts with orthodox Muslim clergy, who possessed political influence and power, Averroes fell into disfavor with the leaders of the Islamic state. His writings were burned and he was forced into exile. Eventually he regained his position as an intellectual leader but he died shortly thereafter in 1198. This insightful study of his struggle to resolve the public and personal conflicts that accompany such a multifaceted intellectual life enriches our understanding not only of Averroes but also of the medieval world in which he lived.
Through this meticulous review, which includes analyses of Averroes' various commentaries on Aristotle and his theological treatises, Arnaldez argues that Averroes deserves a higher place in Muslim intellectual history than he now holds.
Everyone who studies medieval history, theology, philosophy, Islam, or intellectual history will enjoy this book.
“A distinguished French Islamicist here presents the work of a twelfth-century distinguished Muslim philosopher and judge, in an idiom which makes his thoughts utterly contemporary. A large step towards enhancing understanding between the west and Islam.”—David Burrell, C.S.C.
“Like all Arnaldez’s work, this book is scholarly, judicious and helpful. A particular strength of the book is that it provides not only an accurate account of ibn Rushd’s views, but it also links his works with the cultural context within which he was working, and this is well done. The reader who knows nothing of this period will gain a solid understanding of it, and appreciate how creative a period of human thought this was.” —Transcendent Philosophy
“[A] good sample of the Scholastic mode of thinking and argumentation from one of the brightest lights of the medieval period.” —Theological Studies
“...recommended as an introduction to Averroes. It is hoped that it will play a role in the already increased interest in Averroes’ philosophy.”—Bulletin of Hist. Med.
Roger Arnaldez, member of the Académie Francaise and professor emeritus at the Sorbonne, is the author of numerous works, including Three Messengers for One God.