The Introduction of Sergius of Reshlhringaina to Galen's Commentary on Hippocrates' On Nutriment

Abstract

MS New York, Jewish Theological Seminary of America 2761, preserves an Arabic version in Hebrew characters of Galen's commentary to Hippocrates On foods, including an introduction by Sergius of Resh'ainā, who translated the Greek into Syriac. Neither this translation nor the introduction had been known to exist. The introduction, which follows the canonical eight-fold formula of accessores ad auctores, is an extremely rich document for the history of commentaries to scientific texts. Sergius' observations on the similarities in elusive writing between Hippocrates and Plato are particularly interesting.