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This article explores claims that Muslims saved the works of Greek [[Philosophy|philosophers]] from destruction. | This article explores claims that Muslims saved the works of Greek [[Philosophy|philosophers]] from destruction. | ||
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==James of Venice== | ==James of Venice== | ||
Translations to Latin directly from Greek began with the work of James of Venice. James was an Aristotelian scholar who | Translations to Latin directly from Greek began with the work of James of Venice. James was an Aristotelian scholar who wrote in the 12<sup>th</sup> century, and he is generally regarded as the most important of the 12<sup>th</sup> century translators of Greek texts into Latin. He is thought to have translated Aristotle's ''Posterior Analytics'', ''Sophistici elenchi'', ''Metaphysics'', and several important works of natural philosophy, as well as most of the ''Parva naturalia'', most of which were widely circulated. Little else is known about his life. | ||
According to a passage from Robert of Torigny's chronicle: "James, a cleric from Venice, translated from the Greek into Latin several books of Aristotle and commented on them, viz. the Topics, Prior and Posterior Analytics, and Elenchi, although an earlier translation of these same books was already in existence" [MP 1952]. According to other documents, James was a Greek from Venice who called himself a philosopher. He appears to have been present at an 1136 theological debate in Constantinople between Anselm of Havelberg and the archbishop of Nicomedia. In 1148, he advised the archbishop of Ravenna on the precedence of Ravenna over other archbishoprics. In Bologna in the 1140s, he may have disputed with Magister Albericus over the interpretation of the Sophistici Elenchi. His commentary on the Elenchi is mentioned in a 12<sup>th</sup> century grammatical quaestio, and an early 13<sup>th</sup> century author mentions his commentary on the Posterior Analytics [Ebbesen 1977]. | According to a passage from Robert of Torigny's chronicle: "James, a cleric from Venice, translated from the Greek into Latin several books of Aristotle and commented on them, viz. the Topics, Prior and Posterior Analytics, and Elenchi, although an earlier translation of these same books was already in existence" [MP 1952]. According to other documents, James was a Greek from Venice who called himself a philosopher. He appears to have been present at an 1136 theological debate in Constantinople between Anselm of Havelberg and the archbishop of Nicomedia. In 1148, he advised the archbishop of Ravenna on the precedence of Ravenna over other archbishoprics. In Bologna in the 1140s, he may have disputed with Magister Albericus over the interpretation of the Sophistici Elenchi. His commentary on the Elenchi is mentioned in a 12<sup>th</sup> century grammatical quaestio, and an early 13<sup>th</sup> century author mentions his commentary on the Posterior Analytics [Ebbesen 1977]. | ||