The Influence of Islamic Philosophy on Bar Hebraeus (Abu'l-Faraj Ibn Al-Ibri)

Abstract

The most important instances of the interaction between Islamic philosophy and Syriac thought can be seen between the 2/7th and 7/13th centuries. In the early periods, Syriac thinkers were more active but then, especially after the 5/11th century in which Islamic philosophy became stronger, Islamic philosophy influenced other philosophical traditions. After this period, Syriac thought came under the influence of Islamic philosophy. Syriac thought was rather influenced by Islamic philosophy than other cultures. In the 7/13th century, the most important figure of Syriac thought, Abu'l-Faraj Ibn al-Ibri (Bar Hebraeus), followed Islamic philosophers and he adapted their works to Syriac thought. He was influenced by Avicenna and Nasir al-Din al-Tusi on theoretical matters of philosophical thought on the one hand, and on the other hand he was influenced by Ghazzali on practical matters of ethics and philosophy of mystical life. In this study, Abu'l-Faraj's intellectual closeness and debt to the abovementioned thinkers will be examined. In other words, this study will examine which particular ideas from these thinkers he was interested in and what he took from them. In addition, this study bears importance for dealing with one of the most important examples of the reflection of Islamic philosophy in non-Muslim cultures.