39. The Procession of the World (De processione mundi), by Dominicus Gundissalinus. Translated from the Latin with an Introduction and Notes by John A. Laumakis. ISBN 0-87462-242-5. 100 pp. $10
During the twelfth and thirteenth century, Christian thought in the Latin West was profoundly influenced by the works of ancient Greek philosophers—in particular, Aristotle—and by the Arabic works of medieval Muslim and Jewish philosophers, such as Avicenna, Averroes, Avicebron, and Maimonides. These Greek and Arabic philosophical works, however, could affect the thought of Christian philosophers and theologians in such a significant way only because, over the course of many years and at different locations throughout Western Europe, these works had been translated into Latin.
The most important site for the translation of Greek and Arabic philosophical works into Latin was Spain, where the famed ‘School of Translators of Toledo’ was established by Archbishop Raymond of Toledo (1126-1151). Although the ‘School of Translators’ flourished in Toledo well into the thirteenth century, one its most prolific and renowned members worked during the twelfth century, namely, Dominicus Gundissalinus, who was also known as Gonzalo, Gonzalbo, Gonsalvi, and Gundisalvi.
Marquette University Press
