Engaging with Islamic Thought. The Paradigm of Thomas Aquinas Cover Image

Engaging with Islamic Thought. The Paradigm of Thomas Aquinas
Engaging with Islamic Thought. The Paradigm of Thomas Aquinas

Author(s): Joseph Ellul
Subject(s): Christian Theology and Religion, Islam studies
Published by: Instytut Tomistyczny
Keywords: Thomas Aquinas; Ibn Sīnā; Ibn Rušd; Mediaeval Christendom; Translation Movement

Summary/Abstract: Despite Mediaeval Christendom’s hostility toward Islam as a religion, Islamic culture as communicated through the sciences and philosophy was an essential element, perhaps even a fundamental one, underlying the development of the Scholastic movement throughout the 12th and 13th centuries. The origins of this engagement with Islamic thought in Mediaeval Christendom began with the translation of the major works of Islamic thinkers from Arabic into Latin. It was through this process that the works of Ibn Sīnā and Ibn Rušd found their way into the principal universities of Europe. Thomas Aquinas’s contribution to the study, understanding, and dialogue with these two philosophers across the geographical and temporal divides is one of the greatest feats of the Scholastic period.

  • Issue Year: 2018
  • Issue No: XXIV
  • Page Range: 373-393
  • Page Count: 21
  • Language: English