THE PHYSICS OF THE AVICENNA LATINUS AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE FOR THE RECEPTION OF ARISTOTLE'S PHYSICS IN THE WEST

This paper describes the specific problems related to the edition of the Physics of the Avicenna Latinus. Among its peculiarities is its specificity as an ArabicLatin translation (e. g. the Latin sometimes copies the Arabic phrasing, although it should be emphasized that no fully critical Arabic edition is available for comparison). Furthermore, the translation was made in two different places, i.e. Toledo and Burgos, during two different periods, i.e. probably the third quarter of the twelfth century and ca. 1275. Other peculiar features are the use of two-some-times substantially-different vocabularies and the presence of the older translation of the first part (books 1-2 and the very beginnings of 3) in twenty manuscripts (three of which were used by former editor S. Van Riet when she started the edition, an insufficient number of manuscripts as I will demonstrate). Moreover, the newer translation of the second part (book 3, although incomplete) was oddly present in a singular manuscript (always a delicate problem for an editor, but since it contains also the older translation, one can detect some systematic errors given their frequent occurrence in the part offering the 'old' translation). Special attention is also given to delicate issues, such as the presence of double translations or omissions, especially by homeoteleuton. In the final part, I conclude that the Physics of the Avicenna Latinus modified, if only in a limited way, the understanding of some items of Aristotle's expose, as Albert the Great illustrates best.