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A captivating study of translation, adaptation, and intellectual cross-pollination that situates the Castilian Hermes in the center of medieval Mediterranean cultural exchange
Hermes Trismegistus, a Hellenistic conflation of the Greek Hermes (god of interpretative wisdom) and the Egyptian Thoth (god of wisdom) was considered by many in the medieval world as the father of culture. Between c. 300 BCE - c. 1200 CE various treatises were attributed to the legendary sage, becoming known as the Hermetica - a combination of diverse philosophical and spiritual systems, addressing subjects such as alchemy, magic, and astrology.
The Hermetica circulated widely, with premodern translations in Latin, Hebrew, Syriac, Persian, Arabic, and other Eastern languages. Whilst these iterations have been thoroughly researched, little attention has been paid to the Castilian Hermes, the first rendition of the wisdom traditions of Hermes Trismegistus in a Romance language. This book follows the ways in which Hermetic knowledge was brought to the Iberian Peninsula, showing how Hermes became the philosophical and spiritual inspiration for Christian, Arabic, and Jewish scholars there.
Udaondo Alegre unveils the pivotal role of King Alfonso X ("the Learned") of Castile (1252-84) in creating this Spanish Hermes. Through the meticulous tracing of source texts and literary influences, the author explores the myriad ways in which Hermes crossed religious and linguistic boundaries to embody a composite intellectual identity, emblematic of medieval Spain's multicultural ethos. Alfonso's court is revealed as the site for a unique convergence of translation and interpretation that shaped a distinctly "Hispanic" Hermes.
Hermes Trismegistus, a Hellenistic conflation of the Greek Hermes (god of interpretative wisdom) and the Egyptian Thoth (god of wisdom) was considered by many in the medieval world as the father of culture. Between c. 300 BCE - c. 1200 CE various treatises were attributed to the legendary sage, becoming known as the Hermetica - a combination of diverse philosophical and spiritual systems, addressing subjects such as alchemy, magic, and astrology.
The Hermetica circulated widely, with premodern translations in Latin, Hebrew, Syriac, Persian, Arabic, and other Eastern languages. Whilst these iterations have been thoroughly researched, little attention has been paid to the Castilian Hermes, the first rendition of the wisdom traditions of Hermes Trismegistus in a Romance language. This book follows the ways in which Hermetic knowledge was brought to the Iberian Peninsula, showing how Hermes became the philosophical and spiritual inspiration for Christian, Arabic, and Jewish scholars there.
Udaondo Alegre unveils the pivotal role of King Alfonso X ("the Learned") of Castile (1252-84) in creating this Spanish Hermes. Through the meticulous tracing of source texts and literary influences, the author explores the myriad ways in which Hermes crossed religious and linguistic boundaries to embody a composite intellectual identity, emblematic of medieval Spain's multicultural ethos. Alfonso's court is revealed as the site for a unique convergence of translation and interpretation that shaped a distinctly "Hispanic" Hermes.
Price: $120.00
Pages: 254
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer Inc.
Imprint: Durham University IMEMS Press
Series: Translatio
Publication Date:
05 November 2024
Trim Size: 9.21 X 6.14 in
ISBN: 9781914967092
Format: Hardcover
BISACs:
LITERARY CRITICISM / Medieval, Literary studies: ancient, classical and medieval, HISTORY / Europe / Medieval, FICTION / World Literature / Spain / General, HISTORY / Europe / Spain, LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Translating & Interpreting, FICTION / World Literature / Middle East / Arabian Peninsula, Translation and interpretation, Islamic and Arab philosophy, European history: medieval period, middle ages
Central to understanding [the intellectual culture of the Middle Ages] is the book known in Arabic as Ghayat al-Hakim and in Latin as Picatrix. Studying this tradition requires a conceptual clarity capable of engaging with the nascent production of scientific texts that do not always adhere to the established rules of what we now understand as science, while at the same time acknowledging that all our knowledge owes to a long scholarly tradition. It is an imposing tradition that demands meticulous attention to detail. Juan Udaondo Alegre successfully tackles all these challenges.
Central a la hora de considerar [la cultura intelectual de la Edad Media] es el libro conocido en árabe como Ghāyat al-Ḥakīm y en latín como Picatrix. El estudio de esta tradición requiere combinar una claridad conceptual capaz de enfrentarse a la producción incipiente de textos científicos que no siguen siempre las reglas enunciativas de aquello que hoy conocemos como ciencia, mientras que a la vez la persona interesada en estos textos debe todo aquello que sabemos a una larga tradición erudita que pasa por Fritz Saxl, Eugenio Garin o, más recientemente, Charles Burnett. Se trata de una tradición imponente que requiere atención al detalle. A todas estas pruebas se enfrenta con gran éxito Juan Udaondo Alegre.
Central a la hora de considerar [la cultura intelectual de la Edad Media] es el libro conocido en árabe como Ghāyat al-Ḥakīm y en latín como Picatrix. El estudio de esta tradición requiere combinar una claridad conceptual capaz de enfrentarse a la producción incipiente de textos científicos que no siguen siempre las reglas enunciativas de aquello que hoy conocemos como ciencia, mientras que a la vez la persona interesada en estos textos debe todo aquello que sabemos a una larga tradición erudita que pasa por Fritz Saxl, Eugenio Garin o, más recientemente, Charles Burnett. Se trata de una tradición imponente que requiere atención al detalle. A todas estas pruebas se enfrenta con gran éxito Juan Udaondo Alegre.
Acknowledgements
List of Illustrations
Note on names, translations, transliterations, abbreviations, and quotations
Introduction
1. Hermetic Wisdom's Arrival in Spain and Its Diffusion Among the "Three Cultures"
2. Hermetic History in the Arabic Sources of Alfonso the Wise's General Estoria
3. Interpreting Ovid's Metamorphoses in the General Estoria through Hermetic Motives and Adab
4. The Legend of the Three Hermeses in the General Estoria
5. Hermes's Wisdom and the Liberal Arts in the General Estoria
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index
List of Illustrations
Note on names, translations, transliterations, abbreviations, and quotations
Introduction
1. Hermetic Wisdom's Arrival in Spain and Its Diffusion Among the "Three Cultures"
2. Hermetic History in the Arabic Sources of Alfonso the Wise's General Estoria
3. Interpreting Ovid's Metamorphoses in the General Estoria through Hermetic Motives and Adab
4. The Legend of the Three Hermeses in the General Estoria
5. Hermes's Wisdom and the Liberal Arts in the General Estoria
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index