الوصف
Abstract: In this article, I present a preliminary analysis of the commentary on the first chapter of Hippocrates’ Aphorisms on Medicine by the Andalusian philosopher Ibn Bājja. Commentaries and glosses on Hippocrates’ aphorisms were widely embraced by Muslim philosophers alongside the original text, constituting an integral aspect of the medical heritage with Greek origins. These corpora and commentaries played a pivotal role in shaping medical theory and practice within Islamic civilization. Among philosophers who engaged with Hippocrates’ aphorisms Ibn Bājja stands out for focusing his attention to the initial chapter by way of commentary and framing.
A preliminary examination reveals the distinctiveness of Ibn Bājja’s commentary in its framework, approach and conceptual structure. To illustrate this distinctiveness, a comparison is made with Ibn al-Nafīs’ commentary on the same chapter. From this it emerges that Ibn Bājja interwove Hippocrates’ medical dictum with his own logical perspectives, in line with his philosophical composition which he saw as inseparable from explicating a particular medical statement. This perspective not only enhanced the Hippocratic text with a cognitive dimension governed by a comprehensive understanding but also ensured the chapter’s internal coherence and orderly exposition of its medical content. Such clarity in maintaining the medical essence of the Aphorisms was lacking in previous expositions, notably in Galen’s commentary.
Keywords: Ibn Bājja, Hippocrates’s Aphorisms on Medicine, Galen’s Commentary, medical theory, medical experience, philosophical framework, Ibn al-Nafīs, medical heritage in Islam