Translation and the transmission of Greek knowledge in the Middle Ages

In the Middle Ages, Jewish scholars actively participated in the great translation movement that transmitted to Latin Europe the Greek philosophical and scientific heritage, which had arrived via Arabic versions. In Spain, notably in Toledo, and in Sicily, Jewish and Christian translators collaborated in transmitting the works of Aristotle and his Arabic commentators such as Averroes and Avicenna. Families of translators, such as the Ibn Tibbon family in Provence, played a major role in rendering accessible in Hebrew the great philosophical and scientific texts, including works by Maimonides written in Arabic. This work enabled the diffusion of philosophical thought in Jewish circles and contributed to the intellectual renewal of the West. Jews thus served as essential cultural intermediaries between the Islamic and Christian worlds.

Sources & resources

• Encyclopaedia Judaica — 2e éd., Keter/Macmillan
• Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World — Brill