Eighth to the Sixteenth Century - Rashid Islamic Center

Islam, Transmission, and the Decline of Islamic Science • 123text on astrology (Lattin 1961, 69). In another letter, written fromRheims in February or March 984 to Abbot Gerard of Aurillac, heasks for a book on multiplication and division translated by Josephthe Spaniard, a Mozarab who knew Arabic: “Abbot Guarin left withyou a little book, De multiplicatione et divisione numerorum, written byJoseph the Spaniard, and we both should like a copy of it” (Lattin1961, 63).These early tenth-century translations planted the seeds of whatbecame a major intellectual tradition in the next two centuries.This second phase of translation activity (eleventh to the fourteenthcenturies), produced a steady flow of Latin translations by a smallnumber of translators, among whom was a Muslim who laterconverted to Christianity and is known to us as Constantine theAfrican (fl. 1065–1085). Not much is known about his life exceptthat he was a merchant who traveled between his home in Tunisiaand southern Italy. He became interested in medicine, and afterstudying it for several years in Tunisia went to Salerno, Italy, carryingwith him a large number of Arabic books. Around 1060 he enteredthe monastery of Monte Cassino, where he stayed until his death in1087 (McVaugh 1981, 395). He translated a large number of Arabicmedical texts into Latin, claiming their authorship for himself. Histranslations hada very considerable effect upon twelfth-century Salerno. As thecore of the collection entitled Ars medicine or Articella, whichwas the foundation of much European medical instruction wellinto the Renaissance…it did not merely enlarge the sphere ofpractical competence of the Salernitan physicians; it had theadded effect of stimulating them to try to organize the newmaterial into a wider, philosophical framework. (McVaugh1981, 394)While this translation activity was in progress, the reconquestof Spain began in full force. The fall of Toledo in 1080 resulted inthe availability of an excellent library to translators. During theprevious four and a half centuries (712–1085), Tulaytulah, as Toledowas called in Arabic, had become an important center of learning inIslamic Spain. As the language of learning and culture had becomeArabic, many non-Muslim residents of Spain were fluent in Arabic.