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Liber XXIV Philosophorum (Book of the 24 Philosophers): A Hermetic Text from the Twelfth Century

Year 2021, Volume: 4 Issue: 7, 73 - 91, 30.06.2021

Abstract

The texts that belong to the hermetic corpus are very important sources to understand the philosophical and theological structure of the middle ages. One of the texts that constitute a part of this hermetic corpus and whose origin is a matter of discussion and translated in the second half of the 12th century is Liber XXIV Philosophorum. The text consists of twenty-four separate definitions or propositions, each of which is explained by a comment. These definitions consist of explanations of God’s nature, as stated in the introduction of the text. The definitions, on the one hand, give information about the hermetic belief system and on the other, they contain motifs from Christianity and Neo-Platonism. In this sense, the text is vital in terms of showing what God is in Hermeticism, what the philosopher meant in the middle ages and the relation of Neo-Platonism to Christianity. This paper aims to present Liber XXIV Philosophorum, its historical context in negative theology debates, its relationship with Neoplatonism, the original Latin text, and its translation into Turkish.

References

  • Baeumker, Clemens. “Das pseudo-hermetische 'Buch der vierundzwanzig Meister' (Liber XXIV philosophorum)”. Studien und Charakteristiken zur Geschichte der Philosophie, insbesondere des Mittelalters. Gesammelte Vorträge und Aufsätze. ed. Clemens Baeumker vd. 194-214. Münster: Freiburg im Breisgau, 1927.
  • Carabine, Deirdre. The Unknown God Negative Theology in the Platonic Tradition: Plato to Eriugena. Louvain: Peeters Press, 1995.
  • Ebeling, Florian. The Secret History of Hermes Trimegistus – Hermeticism from Ancient to Modern Times. München: Cornell University Press, 2005.
  • Eriugena, John Scotus. Periphyseion (De Divisione Naturae) Liber Tertius. Dublin: Institute for Advances Studies, 1981.
  • Flasch, Kurt. Was ist Gott? Das Buch der 24 Philosophen. München: Verlag C.H. Beck, 2011.
  • Harries, Karsten. “The Infinite Sphere: Comments on the History of a Metaphor”. Journal of the History of Philosophy 13/1 (1975), 5-15.
  • Hudry, Françoise. Le Livre des XXIV Philosophes (Latin text and French translation). Grenoble: Millon, 1989. Kefeer, Michael. “The World Turned Inside Out: Revolutions of the Infinite Sphere from Hermes to Pascal”. Renaissance and Reformation 12 (1988), 303-313.
  • Lucentini, Paolo. “Il Liber Viginti Quattuor Philosophorum Nei Poemi Medievali: il Roman de la Rose, il Granum Sinapis, la Divina Commedia”. Poetry & Philosophy in the Middle Ages. ed. John Marenbon. 133-131. Leiden: Brill, 2001.
  • McGinn, Bernard. The Harvest of Mysticism in Medieval Germany. New York: A Herder & Herder Book, 2005. Özalp, Hasan. “Tanrı Hakkında Konuşa(ma)mak: Plotinus’da Negatif Teoloji”. Turkish Studies 10/2 (2015), 737-748. Philo. De Calogo (On the Decalouge). Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1958.
  • Philo. The Works of Philo Judaeus, the Contemporary of Josephus. London: George Bell & Sons, 1890.
  • Plotinus. Enneads Volume IV Loeb Classical Library. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1984.
  • Porreca, David. “How Hidden Was God?”. Histories of the Hidden God. ed. April D. DeConick vd. 137-148. New York: Routledge, 2014.
  • Ruh, Kurt. Geschichte der abendländischen Mystik. München: Beck, 1996.
  • Sannino, Antonella. “Berthold of Moosburg’s Hermetic Sources”. The Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes 63 (2000), 243-248.

Liber XXIV Philosophorum (Yirmi Dört Filozofun Kitabı): On İkinci Yüzyıldan Hermetik Bir Metin

Year 2021, Volume: 4 Issue: 7, 73 - 91, 30.06.2021

Abstract

Hermetik külliyata ait metinler Orta Çağın felsefî ve teolojik yapısını anlamak için oldukça önemli kaynaklardır. Hermetik külliyatın bir parçasını oluşturan metinlerden birisi de kökeni konusunda kesin bir bilgiye varılamayan, 12. yüzyılın ikinci yarısında tercüme edilmiş bir metin olan Liber XXIV Philosophorum’dur. Söz konusu metin her biri bir yorum tarafından açıklanan yirmi dört ayrı tanımdan veya önermeden oluşmaktadır. Bu tanımlar eserin takdim kısmında da belirtildiği üzere, Tanrı’nın ne olduğuna dair açıklamalardan oluşur. Yapılan tanımlar bir yandan hermetik inanç sistemi hakkında bilgiler verirken bir yandan da Hristiyanlık ve Yeni Platonculuk’tan motifler bulundurur. Bu anlamda söz konusu metin Hermetizmde Tanrı’nın ne olduğunu, Orta Çağ’da filozofun ne anlama geldiğini ve Yeni Platoncu geleneğin Hristiyanlıkla ilişkisini göstermesi açısından oldukça önemlidir. Yapılan bu çalışma Liber XXIV Philosophorum’un takdimini, metnin Latince aslını ve Türkçeye ilk defa yapılan tercümesini içermektedir.

References

  • Baeumker, Clemens. “Das pseudo-hermetische 'Buch der vierundzwanzig Meister' (Liber XXIV philosophorum)”. Studien und Charakteristiken zur Geschichte der Philosophie, insbesondere des Mittelalters. Gesammelte Vorträge und Aufsätze. ed. Clemens Baeumker vd. 194-214. Münster: Freiburg im Breisgau, 1927.
  • Carabine, Deirdre. The Unknown God Negative Theology in the Platonic Tradition: Plato to Eriugena. Louvain: Peeters Press, 1995.
  • Ebeling, Florian. The Secret History of Hermes Trimegistus – Hermeticism from Ancient to Modern Times. München: Cornell University Press, 2005.
  • Eriugena, John Scotus. Periphyseion (De Divisione Naturae) Liber Tertius. Dublin: Institute for Advances Studies, 1981.
  • Flasch, Kurt. Was ist Gott? Das Buch der 24 Philosophen. München: Verlag C.H. Beck, 2011.
  • Harries, Karsten. “The Infinite Sphere: Comments on the History of a Metaphor”. Journal of the History of Philosophy 13/1 (1975), 5-15.
  • Hudry, Françoise. Le Livre des XXIV Philosophes (Latin text and French translation). Grenoble: Millon, 1989. Kefeer, Michael. “The World Turned Inside Out: Revolutions of the Infinite Sphere from Hermes to Pascal”. Renaissance and Reformation 12 (1988), 303-313.
  • Lucentini, Paolo. “Il Liber Viginti Quattuor Philosophorum Nei Poemi Medievali: il Roman de la Rose, il Granum Sinapis, la Divina Commedia”. Poetry & Philosophy in the Middle Ages. ed. John Marenbon. 133-131. Leiden: Brill, 2001.
  • McGinn, Bernard. The Harvest of Mysticism in Medieval Germany. New York: A Herder & Herder Book, 2005. Özalp, Hasan. “Tanrı Hakkında Konuşa(ma)mak: Plotinus’da Negatif Teoloji”. Turkish Studies 10/2 (2015), 737-748. Philo. De Calogo (On the Decalouge). Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1958.
  • Philo. The Works of Philo Judaeus, the Contemporary of Josephus. London: George Bell & Sons, 1890.
  • Plotinus. Enneads Volume IV Loeb Classical Library. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1984.
  • Porreca, David. “How Hidden Was God?”. Histories of the Hidden God. ed. April D. DeConick vd. 137-148. New York: Routledge, 2014.
  • Ruh, Kurt. Geschichte der abendländischen Mystik. München: Beck, 1996.
  • Sannino, Antonella. “Berthold of Moosburg’s Hermetic Sources”. The Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes 63 (2000), 243-248.
There are 14 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language Turkish
Subjects Philosophy
Journal Section Research Article
Authors

Fırat Çelebi

Translators
Publication Date June 30, 2021
Published in Issue Year 2021 Volume: 4 Issue: 7

Cite

ISNAD Çelebi, Fırat. “Liber XXIV Philosophorum (Yirmi Dört Filozofun Kitabı): On İkinci Yüzyıldan Hermetik Bir Metin”. Din ve Felsefe Araştırmaları. Fırat ÇelebiTrans 4/7 (June 2021), 73-91.
Din ve Felsefe Araştırmaları Creative Commons Alıntı-GayriTicari-Türetilemez 4.0 Uluslararası Lisansı ile lisanslanmıştır. Creative Commons Lisansı