Die philosophischen Abhandlungen des al-Kindi

However, his theological views were considered and partially contested at an early stage. We mention here: the "Demonstratio errorum qui in dissertatione Abi Iosephi Iacobi filii Isaac al-Kindi aduersus Christianos occurrunt" Demonstration of the errors that occur in the dissertation of Abu Yusuf Jacob ibn Ishaq al-Kindi against the Christians by Jaḥja ben ‘Adī ben Ḥamīd ben Zakarījā the Jacobite († 974) in cod. Vat. 127 2, the already cited anonymous "Tractatus de erroribus philosophorum" Treatise on the errors of the philosophers, and then "the influence that his views (on speculative theology) show in the writings of Alexander Alesius (of Hales), Heinrich of Ghent, and Johann Fidanza (Bonaventure)." 3

In the following, a brief characterization of the writings of Al-Kindi published here shall be given, whereby I reserve the right to note some more specific relationships and parallel passages from other authors in the annotations.

III.

In the treatise "de intellectu" on the intellect, we have one of the earliest, and within Arabic philosophy probably the first, presentation of that famous doctrine of the intellect which is later found again in al-Fārābī, only to receive its known final form from ibn Rośd later. Thus, no less than three centuries before the latter, it appears in its basic features, above all the division of the intellect into the nous en dynamei intellect in potency, the nous en energeia intellect in act, the nous epiktetos acquired intellect, and the nous poietikos agent intellect (Arabic: ‘aql bil-quwwa, ‘aql bil-fi‘l, ‘aql fa‘‘āl, ‘aql mustafād).

It is remarkable that Al-Kindi, like al-Fārābī 4, also names Aristotle as the author of this division.

1) Flügel ibid. p. 1.
2) Steinschneider, Polemical and Apologetic Literature in the Arabic Language. Leipzig 1877, p. 130.
3) Prantl, History of Logic in the West, Vol. II, 2nd ed. Leipzig 1885, p. 308.
4) Dieterici, Alfārābī’s Philosophical Treatises, Leiden 1890. p. 42 lines 8—9.