Skyscript Astrology Forum

Hello!

Have you any ideea where could I find "The Forty Chapters" of Al-Kindi in latin?

Tks,
Mihaela

It will be difficult, I don't believe it is available online. Charles Burnett of the Warburg Institute compiled a Latin edition from various manuscripts about 30 years ago but this is out of circulation. In fact I think there is only 1 copy of his work available, and it is kept at the Warburg Institute itself, (at London). I can tell you about the shelfmarks for the manuscripts he used in case that is of any help.

His work gives two Latin versions. The manuscripts used for the first are given as: [MSS Bodleian Library, Ashmole 369(A), Bodleian Library Digby, 51(D) and British Library, Cotton app VI(C)]

The second says [In part from Liber Trium Iudicum, MSS British Library Arundel 268(A), Trinity College, Dublin 368(D) and Bodleian Library, Bodley 430(B); in part from Liber Novem Iudicum, MSS Cambridge, Clare College 15 (C) and Vienna 2428 (V)]

I'm pretty sure that Liber Novem Iudicum, 'The Book of Nine Judges' is available online.

Hope this is of some use
Deb

Thank you very much for your kindly answer, Deb!

The manuscripts sources are the same as those indicated by Professor Burnett in his article Al?Kind? on Judicial Astrology: "The Forty Chapters", (Arabic Sciences and Philosophy, 3, 1993, pp. 77?117)? The abstract says: "Two appendixes give respectively details of the manuscripts of the Arabic text and the two Latin translations, [...]".

Another question: there is an English, French or Italian translation of Al-Kindi's Astroru indices? Or, at least, could I find a Latin modern edition? I found the 1507 manuscript online, at French National Library Gallica, but it's a rather difficult reading (probably that is the reason for those from Gallica have understood ?Astrorum judices? instead of "Astroru indices? :-)). See:
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k58948d

Have a nice day,
Mihaela

I only know of that manuscript - I don't know about the other languages but I'm not aware of any English translation.

If you don't mind me asking, are you looking to translate the text or searching for a specific comment?

I would like to translate some of Al-Kindi's astrological texts in Romanian.

Have a wonderful day,
Mihaela

Mihaela Dicu wrote:".

Another question: there is an English, French or Italian translation of Al-Kindi's Astroru indices?

In Italian I know just the translation of De Radiis

Al Kindi, De Radiis. Teorica delle arti magiche, 1998, pp. 123, Isbn 9788885889644, a cura di Ezio Albrile e Stefano Fumagalli, Euro 7,75

margherita

Hi Mihaela,

Mihaela Dicu wrote:Another question: there is an English, French or Italian translation of Al-Kindi's Astroru indices? Or, at least, could I find a Latin modern edition? I found the 1507 manuscript online, at French National Library Gallica, but it's a rather difficult reading (probably that is the reason for those from Gallica have understood ?Astrorum judices? instead of "Astroru indices? :-)).

In fact, this edition bears the title Astrorum iudices ("judges of the stars") indeed but this is not for the al-Kind? treatise. It runs as De pluviis, imbribus et ventis et de mutatione aeris or On rains, storms and winds, and on the change of the air. Anyway, this bibliography may help you find something useful:

Francis J. Carmody, Arabic Astronomical and Astrological Sciences in Latin Translation: A Critical Bibliography. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1956.

I hope it helps.

Levente

Excerpts from al-Kind?'s Forty Chapters are published in Al-Qab???(Alcabitius) The Introduction to Astrology, The Warburg Institute, 2004, pp.386-394