The Translation Movement Flashcards
(24 cards)
When was the movement?
Mid-eighth century to the late tenth century
M - Legitimisation
The Abbasids aimed to legitimise their rule by linking it with the prestige of ancient civilisations, especially through intellectual inheritance
M - Distinguishing
Translation was a tool of empire-building, asserting cultural superiority and distinguishing the Abbasid state from the Umayyads
Main two Caliphs
al-Mansur and al-Ma’mun
What did the Caliphs do?
Promoted Greek knowledge to demonstrate the compatibility of Islam with rational enquiry
M - Baghdad
It positioned Baghdad as a rival to Byzantium in intellectual authority, appropriating and building on Greek heritage
Source for motivations?
Dimitri Gutas, Greek Thought, Arabic Culture
Who founded the House of Wisdom?
al- Ma’mun in Baghdad
What is the House of Wisdom?
Official centre for translation and scientific inquiry in the late eighth century
Housed thousands of manuscripts in Syriac, Greek, and Persian, with translations primarily into Arabic
Who worked at the House of Wisdom?
Employed scholars of different faiths – Muslim, Christian, Jewish – to encourage collaboration across linguistic and religious boundaries
House of Wisdom - precedent
Set a precedent for state-funded knowledge production in the Islamic world
Source - House of Wisdom
Peter Adamson, Philosophy in the Islamic World
Who was paid the weight of his manuscripts in gold?
Hunayn ibn Ishaq
Patronage
Abbasid caliphs funded scholars generously
Translation became a lucrative career, attracting polyglot scholars with access to Greek, Syriac, and Persian sources
Caliphs sometimes commissioned translations of particular works, reflecting personal and political interests
Court Culture
The court’s interest in astrology, medicine, and philosophy drove demand for specific kinds of texts
Intellectual prestige at court became a means of gaining political favour and social advancement
Mu’tazila
Mu’tazila theologians embraced rationalism, using Aristotle’s logic and ethics to defend Islamic doctrines
Mu’tazila benefit of translation
Translated texts helped address questions of divine justice, free will, and the attributes of God
Critics of translation
Critics, such as traditionalist Hanbalites, viewed foreign philosophy as a threat to Qur’anic authority
Kalam
Rational theology (kalam) emerged alongside and sometimes in tension with Greek-inspired philosophy (falsafa)
Paper-making
The adoption of paper-making from China (via Samarkand 8th CE) made book production faster and more affordable
State support
State support under the Barmakid viziers enabled institutional growth of scholarly networks
Post
Postal systems and communication networks facilitated the exchange of manuscripts across the empire
Post - source
Jonathan Bloom, Paper Before Print: The History and Impact of Paper in the Islamic World
