Behind the Scenes of a Revision: Michael Scot and the Oldest Manuscript of His Abbreviatio Avicenne

Abstract

MS Chisianus E VIII 251 in the Vatican Library contains the oldest copy of Michael Scot’s Arabic- Latin translation of Aristotle’s De animalibus and Avicenna’s commentary to this text, known as the Abbreviatio Avicenne. The codex in question was produced at the court of Frederick II during the period 1225–1250, and this article argues that Scot himself was involved in its production. This conclusion is based on an analysis of three unusual correction techniques encountered in the Abbreviatio Avicenne: the use of a struck-out d to “flag” a mistake; the replacement of a quire with faulty text for one that contained an improved reading; and the filling in of lacunae left behind during the copying of the main text. The revisions executed with these techniques likely represent a combined effort by Scot and a small number of correctors to improve the Abbreviatio Avicenne on a textual level. The revised text was completed before 1232 and was placed in the emperor’s library. While it is unlikely that MS 251 contains autograph notations by the translator, this essay argues that Michael Scot functioned as an authority behind the scenes: his role in the revision project was to provide answers to the queries of the correctors.