Dominicus Gundissalinus

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Dominicus Gundissalinus (flourished ca. 1150) was archdeacon of Segovia, Spain and a scholastic philosopher. He was active in the program of translations from Arabic to Latin in Toledo, Spain. The writings of Gundissalinus are believed to date from the second half of the 12th century, probably during the era of Archbishop John (1151-1166). Among his important translations are included the Jewish philosopher ibn Gabirol's Fons Vitæ (Meqor Hahayim), which was mistakenly thought for several centuries to be the work of a Christian scholastic named Avicebron or Avecebrol. Gundissalinus also translated works of the major Muslim philosophers Avicenna and al-Ghazâlî.

Unlike most other translators, Gundissalinus wrote independent philosophical works. His most well-known work is De Divisione Philosophiae (Of Divisions of Philosophy), but he also wrote about theological topics like the creation of the world and the immortality of the soul. In addition to Gundissalinus' translation of Meqor Hahayim, the Aristotelian ideas of ibn Gabirol were also communicated to the Latin West through Gundissalinus' own writings On the Soul, On the Immortality of the Soul, On Unity, and The Procession of the World.

The classification of the Artes Mechanicae as applied geometry was introduced to Western Europe by Gundissalinus under the influence of his readings in Arabic scholarship. This view of Artes Mechanicae was later adopted by Albertus Magnus and Thomas Aquinas.

[edit] References

  • Popkin, R. H. (1999) The Columbia History of Western Philosophy. MJF Books, New York.

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