FR MNC Message 1 The Verlag Brockhaus could advantageously publish Jean-François Monteil who reads Arabic,Greek and Hebrew

 SI

The access to German scholarship and a certain knowledge of Hebrew and Arabic are at the origin of a hard core of factual discoveries about Al Farabi, Maimonides, Aristotle.

 –  Pollak (I.), Die Hermeneutik des Aristoteles in der arabischen Übersetzung des Ishak ibn Honain (Abhandlungen für die Kunde des Morgenlandes, XIII, Band, Number 1), Leipzig, 1913, p. 11, Notes 189 and 190.

 Isidor Pollak reveals the existence of two Arab translations of die Hermeneutik. The first is complete and is found in the Bibliothèque Nationale of Paris. It is attributed to Ishak ibn Honain. Esti leukos anthropos is there wrongly rendered by Al insan huwa abyad, (The) Man is white Der Mensch ist weiss and Ouk esti leukos anthropos by Al insan laysa huwa abyad, (The) Man is not white Der Mensch ist nicht weiss.

      Der Mensch ist weiss and Der Mensch ist nicht weiss are universal propositions and cannot translate Aristotle’s indeterminates, which are particular propositions, signifying Es gibt einen weissen Menschen and Es gibt einen nicht weissen Menschen respectively.

 The other is found in Berlin in the collection called Syrian Codex. Esti leukos anthropos is there rendered by Yujadu insanun abyadan, Es gibt einen weissen Menschen, There is (a) white man and Ouk esti leukos anthropos by Laysa yujadu abyadan insanun, There is no white man Es gibt keinen weissen Menschen !?!. The translation of Berlin respects the most problematic Greek text, that of Paris does not. Unfortunately, it is the latter that is the object of Al-Farabi’s commentary.

The literature on Isidor Pollak

• Isidor pollak et les deux traductions arabes differentes du De …

  cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=16986493
  de JF MONTEIL – ‎2005

  Titre du document / Document title. Isidor pollak et les deux traductions arabes differentes du De interpretatione d’aristote. Auteur(s) / Author(s). MONTEIL