Aristotle’s Categories in the Islamic Milieu Through the Syriac Tradition

In recent years, the publication of several remarkable studies and translations centering on Eastern Christianity has drawn the attention of scholars interested in the reconstruction of the reception and dissemination of philosophical and medical works. These texts played a central role for adapting and adopting Greek philosophy into the Christian cultural setting of the Middle East, as well as the Islamic milieu.1 As is well known, Syriac, which was mainly used by Christians in this period, was the Semitic language that served as a mediator between Greek and Arabic. Consequently, there are cases in which Syriac translations are an important link for the interpretation of philosophical and theological concepts in Arabic. The aim of this article is to trace the influence and adaptation of Aristotle’s Categories in medieval Christian and Islamic contexts, particularly the way in which the Christian interpretation of this text provided helpful arguments for defining the nature of Christ and the Trinity, as well as the essence of divine attributes, by Christian and Muslim thinkers, respectively. Our hypothesis is that the Syriac version of the Categories and its interpretations played an influential role among Eastern Christians and, through this tradition, it is possible to trace the Christian influence on Islamic discussions on divine attributes. ©2019 Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Wiley Online Library.