A Judaeo-Arabic Version of T̠ābit ibn Qurra’s De imaginibus and Pseudo-Ptolemy’s Opus imaginum

Abstract

This chapter examines four Genizah fragments, belonging to two different manuscripts which clearly were copied by the same scribe, and preserving a Judaeo-Arabic version of Tābit ibn Qurra's De imaginibus , and the Pseudo-ptolemy's Opus imaginum attributed to Ptolemy. It provides a brief description of the fragments and their contents, turn to a comparison of the Judaeo-Arabic and the Latin versions, and end with a few general comments on the historical context of these Genizah fragments of two central texts of Arabic astro-magical literature. To facilitate the analysis of the relationship of the Judaeo-Arabic and the Latin versions, we offer here a synoptic Judaeo-Arabic/Latin edition of two sample texts: a long extract from the text identified by the Latin versions as belonging to Tābit ibn Qurra, and a shorter extract from the text identified by the Latin version as belonging to Ptolemy, and covering the first two decans of Aries. Keywords: De Imaginibus ; Ibn Qurra; Opus Imaginum ; Pseudo-ptolemy; Tābit ibn Qurra