“Buch über Geheimnis der Schöpfung und die Darstellung der Natur” von Pseudo-Apollonios von Tyana

URSULA WEISSER (editor), "Buch uiber Geheimnis der Schopfung und die Darstellung der Natur" von Pseudo-Apollonios von Tyana, Aleppo, Institute for the History of Arabic Science, 1979, 4to, pp. xiii, 66, 702, $15.00 (paperback). This book is an Arabic edition of an alchemical work, Sirr al-khalFqa (Secret of creation), also known by the title Kitab al-'ilal (Book of causes). It begins with a Preface (pp. 7-9) in which the editor, Dr. Ursula Weisser, discusses controversial opinions by historians of science, from the eighteenth century until the present time, about the authorship and contents of Sirr al-khaliqa. Weisser also summarizes briefly previous studies in the text of this book. The Arabic Introduction to this edition (pp. 10-18) treats, among other things, of the authorship, commonly attributed to Apollonius of Tyana, a Pythagorean of the first century A.D., whose name appears in Arabic medical and scientific manuscripts as BlinUs, Blinis, and other corrupt forms. He was better known among the Arabic-speaking peoples as saihib al-tilasmait (makers of talismans). In his time, he was considered divine by some, while others thought he was a sorcerer and a companion of the jinn. From studies in the text of sixteen manuscripts, Weisser agrees with the opinion of Professor F. Sezgin (GAS, IV, 79 f.), that the Arabic translation of Sirr al-kharTqa was made by one Sagiyius, a priest at Nablus, from a Greek original written in the sixth century A.D., but now lost. (This Arabic edition materialized from a doctoral thesis, supervised by Sezgin, and submitted in 1974.) The Arabic text, Weisser concludes, was made by a translator who lived around A.H. 200/A.D. 815-816, during the reign of the Caliph al-Ma'muln (A.H. 198-218/ A.D. 813-833). The contests of Sirr al-khaliqa fall into six treatises (maqalat): the first is an introductory section, "On the Creator and His creatures"; this is divided into two sections, one attributed to Sagiyiis, the other to Apollonius himself. The second to the sixth, respectively, are: "On celestial bodies and meteorology", "On minerals", "On plants", "On animals", and "On human beings". The title-page, as well as pages 7-17 (Preface and Introduction), are printed; all the remaining Arabic section is handwritten. The detailed table of contents (pp. i-xii) and the critical edition, including the critical apparatus (pp. 1-525) are followed by Supplement I (pp. 527-532, extracts from the book K. al-Khilqa) and Supplement I1 (pp. 537-633, extracts from the book TabT'at al-insan of Nemesius of Emesa, c. A.D. 400). This is followed by indexes of personal names, places, books, and a subject-index (pp. 634-702); all previous numerals are in Arabic. The text is written in clear naskhF script, and the variant readings are adequately recorded. It is worth noting that, according to the text, the author identifies himself, saying: "I am BlTnius al-hakF'm (philosopher), maker of talismans and wonders; I am the one who is gifted with