Liber de Causis (The Book of Causes)

exposition of the De causis. Albert the Great, Thomas Aquinas, Siger of Brabant, and Giles of Rome wrote important commentaries on the text. However, by the time of Albert, questions regarding the work's authenticity were already being raised. This was inevitable, as a better understanding of the Aristotelian system, resulting from deeper familiarity with the original texts of the Stagirite i.e., Aristotle, who was from Stagira, revealed differences between authentic Aristotelian thought and the Neo-Platonic philosophy of the Liber de causis.

Finally, it was St. Thomas who identified the true origin of the work: he recognized that it contained theses extracted from Proclus’ Elements of Theology. Seventy-five years of confusion were thus brought to an end. However, the fact that it was no longer considered a genuine work of Aristotle did not diminish the authority or importance of the Liber de causis. It remained, alongside the works of Avicenna, Ibn Gabirol, Pseudo-Dionysius, and St. Augustine, a principal source of the Neo-Platonism that profoundly shaped the Aristotelian foundation common to medieval philosophers. As such, the Liber is an essential object of study for any historian who wishes to understand the fundamental tendencies of medieval thought and the Neo-Platonic Aristotelianism that characterizes the great thinkers of the 13th century, including St. Thomas. Research into these tendencies and the Neo-Platonic inspiration of medieval philosophy appears to be one of the most promising paths for better understanding Western thought.

Translations have always played a vital role in initiating the assimilation of one historical culture by