PROVIDENCE — Three faiths, one ancient philosopher. How do Jews, Christians and Muslims interpret and embrace Aristotle in each of their theological teachings? Providence College’s Jewish-Catholic Theological Exchange addressed this question on Tuesday, March 4, in a discussion called “Aristotle Among the Believers: How Jews, Christians, and Muslims Made the Philosopher Their Own.”
Aristotle is considered one of the greatest philosophers of all time, drawing on earlier teachings of Socrates and Plato to create the logic-based philosophical tradition known as Aristotelianism. Three presenters, Dr. Emann Allebban, professor at Providence College, Father Phili-Neri Reese, OP, from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, and Rabbi Yaakov Taubes from Yeshiva University spoke on their religions’ view of Aristotle and his teachings.
Allebban spoke first, explaining that Aristotle remains the most translated philosopher in Muslim culture, beginning in the 8th through 10th centuries. She told the story of 8th-century Muslim leader Caliph al-Ma’mun, who had a dream of meeting Aristotle and discussing philosophy with him, spurring an interest in philosophical study in Baghdad, which was considered the intellectual capital of the world at the time. This is recorded in the Kitab al-Fihrist, compiled by Ibn al-Nadim in 987 AD. Muslims studied Aristotle because his work concerned science, logic and other aspects of thought which also held value for the Islamic peoples.
She then drew from the Sunni Islamic philosopher al-Ghazali, whose writings were often antagonistic toward Aristotle. However, Allebban stated that the discovery of new sources of Islamic thinking is “revising what we know” about how Aristotle has been viewed in Muslim tradition. She called “the most interesting” aspect of Aristotle’s influence in the Muslim world is that it marked “the first meeting between Islam and the West.”
Dominican priest Father Reese then spoke about Aristotle in the Christian tradition, asking “Whose Aristotle?” and “Which Christianity?” He explained that Aristotle is viewed differently in modern society than he has been throughout centuries past. “The Philosopher,” as St. Thomas Aquinas refers to Aristotle, had not been fully translated in the West until the 12th to the 13th centuries and is seen differently in Latin, Greek and Syriac Christian traditions. Like the other monotheistic religions, Christianity gives the ancient Greek philosophers leeway in not having awareness of one God yet tries to mesh Christian teaching with the logic of Aristotle.
Father Reese admits that doesn’t always work, however. In asking whether Aristotle has a place among Christianity, however, Father Reese replied, “Yes,” but with the caveat that “It’s complicated.” Even St. Thomas Aquinas grappled with fitting some of Aristotle’s concepts with Christian theology.
In covering the Jewish position on Aristotle, Rabbi Taubes stated that the Jewish people “typically wanted Aristotle to reinforce the Torah.” He also said that Aristotle considered the Jews “as worthy of study and was impressed by them.” He spoke of a Jewish legend that Aristotle’s thoughts allegedly came from the Jewish king Solomon, known for his great wisdom.
The Jewish people also call Aristotle “The Philospher.” The renowned 11th-century Torah scholar Maimonides wrote a letter to one of his students, advising him to study Aristotle. Jewish interest in Aristotle’s work can be directly traced back to this letter, which was widely circulated and which Rabbi Taubes stated, “whetted their appetite” and “led to translations of Aristotle” in Hebrew throughout the medieval period.
But admiring Aristotle, he added, did not equal agreement with his philosophies. Spanish-Jewish philosopher Hasdai Crescas, writing in the 14th century, specifically, refuted Aristotelianism.
Overall, the presentation demonstrated how the three Abrahamic religions attempt to claim and utilize Aristotle and his teachings to reinforce their religious beliefs, even if his philosophies cannot completely align with monotheistic theology. There will always be some level of disagreement between Aristotle’s polytheistic background and the ideology of one omnipotent, supreme Being.
