Die philosophischen Abhandlungen des al-Kindi

brought to attention by Jourdain 1 regarding the Latin translations of the writings "de intellectu" on the intellect and "de somno et uisione" on sleep and vision preserved in Paris.

After him, they are mentioned by Flügel 2—in his repeatedly cited monograph—and by Hauréau 3. Moreover, Hauréau 4 uses in the same work the tenth chapter of the treatise "de erroribus philosophorum" on the errors of the philosophers, also highlighted by Munk 5, in which various philosophical-theological assertions of al-Kindī are fought by an anonymous author, and later gives 6, while discussing Cod. Nat. 16613, a closer note about "de somno et uisione." Menendez Pelayo 7 relies on these results. Steinschneider 8 has furthermore specifically occupied himself with the treatise "de intellectu," emphasized its importance, demonstrated seven manuscripts of it, and recommended its publication.

Of the little work "de quinque essentiis" on the five essences, we had until now only vague and sparse notes. Although it is noted in older catalogs and mentioned by Bayle 9, Lakemacher 10 was in doubt whether he should count it among the medical or physical works.

1) Jourdain, Recherches, p. 123 nn. 4, 5, 8.

2) Flügel, Alkindī, p. 53: furthermore, his Liber de somno et uisione and De ratione were translated into Latin by Gerardus Cremonensis, not to be confused with the writing De intellectu (at least according to Jourdain, op. cit., p. 123). Cf. p. XX.

3) Hauréau, Histoire de la philosophie scolastique, Part II, Vol. I, p. 19: They (the commentaries on Aristotle) were therefore not translated into Latin for the use of our doctors. Our doctors knew, under the name of Al-Kendi, only original treatises on the faculties of the intellect, reason, sleep and dreams, and on various questions of arithmetic and astronomy.

4) op. cit., pp. 19—22.

5) Munk, Mélanges, pp. 340—341.

6) Hauréau, Notices, T. V, pp. 195, 200—201.

7) Menendez Pelayo, Historia de los heterodoxos españoles, I., Madrid 1880, p. 377.

8) Steinschneider, Alfarabi, pp. 188—189.

9) Bayle, Dictionnaire historique et critique, T. I, p. 174.

10) Lakemacher, De Alkendi Arabum philosopho etc., Helmstadt 1719, p. 14 § XIII: "de quinque essentiis" perhaps also claims a place among the writings of Alkendi, unless you prefer to refer that to physical [matters].