Gerard of Cremona

Gerard of Cremona ( Gherardo da Cremona and Gerardus Cremonensis, * 1114 in Cremona, Italy, † in Toledo, Spain in 1187 ) was a scholar and an important translator of Arabic writings into Latin.

Little is known about his origins and his resume. About 100 years after his death, wrote the Dominican Francesco Pippino, Gerhard had it pulled very early " for love of the Almagest " to Toledo. Here in the 12th century the most important center of medieval Europe was created for the translation of works from Arabic. Gerhard studied Arabic and was soon in a position to not only the Almagest, but also numerous other works to translate into Latin. At the cathedral chapter in Toledo, he then worked for many years as a deacon and teacher. Probably he held a canonry in the cathedral of Toledo, where a " master Gherardus " is attested. Whether he actually remained until his death in Toledo, is not secure since it is buried in Cremona.

Works

Over more than forty years, Gerhard translated at least 70 philosophical and scientific works from Arabic into Latin, the attribution may not apply in all cases, as backed up. These works include:

• 24 medical journals, including some of the works of Galen and Avicenna's Canon of Medicine
• 17 mathematical and optical writings, including Euclid's Elements and the textbook on algebra ( Hisab al - dschabr wa-l - muqabala ) of al - Khwarizmi
• 14 texts on logic and natural philosophy, these include, inter alia, Aristotle whose physics and meteorology
• 12 astronomical works, including the Almagest of Ptolemy (completed in 1175 ), the calculated Al - Zarqali Toledans panels and the Islah al - Magisti ( "Correction of the Almagest " ) of Gabir ibn Aflah.

His student Daniel of Morley handed Gerhards operation when compiling: A Mozarabic assistant named Ghalib rendered the text orally to the medieval Castilian, Gerhard listened and wrote down the text in Latin. In the case of the Almagest, which was first, then translated into Arabic into Syriac from its original language Greek and Gerhard transferred via the oral detour of Castilian into Latin, this long chain of transmission brought numerous errors with them. Therefore Gerhards translations were soon surpassed in its proximity to the original part of other translations, such as those based on William of Moerbeke, on Greek originals.

Furthermore, Gerhard were also attributed to independent scientific writings, but probably by Gerhard von Sabionetta, a Franciscan and astronomer of the 13th century, come.

Gerard of Cremona has made a significant contribution to both works of the ancient Greek and medieval Arabic philosophy and science in the Latin world were known, which then exerted a lasting influence on the development of scholasticism. Despite the sometimes suboptimal quality of its translations they retained their influence until well into the early modern period, as they lived on in the form of quotations in the commentating literature and have received many other translations still preserved in the manuscripts in synoptic comparison.

His edition of the Latin translation of Euclid commentary of Al- Nayrizi gave Maximilian Curtze out as a supplement to Euclid edition of Heiberg and Heinrich amount in 1899 Teubner. He found the manuscript in Krakow.