Yury Arzhanov Boeken

Focusing on the contributions of Sergius of Reshaina, the book explores his significant role in the Syriac interpretation of Aristotle's logic during the late 5th century. It delves into his studies in philosophy and medicine, highlighting how his work influenced the transmission of Aristotelian thought in the Syriac-speaking world. The text provides insights into the cultural and intellectual exchanges of the time, showcasing Sergius's impact on both philosophy and the development of logic in a historical context.

The Syriac treatise published in the present volume is in many respects a unique text. Though it has been preserved anonymously, there remains little doubt that it belongs to Porphyry of Tyre. Accordingly, it enlarges our knowledge of the views of the most famous disciple of Plotinus. The text is an important witness to Platonist discussions on First Principles and on Plato’s concept of Prime Matter in the Timaeus . It contains extensive quotations from Atticus, Severus, and Boethus. This text thus provides us with new textual witnesses to these philosophers, whose legacy remains very poorly attested and little known. Additionally, the treatise is a rare example of a Platonist work preserved in the Syriac language. The Syriac reception of Plato and Platonic teachings has left rather sparse textual traces, and the question of what precisely Syriac Christians knew about Plato and his philosophy remains a debated issue. The treatise provides evidence for the close acquaintance of Syriac scholars with Platonic cosmology and with philosophical commentaries on Plato’s Timaeus .