Introduction
Aquinas and ‘the Arabs’ International Working Group
An International Working Group on
Medieval Philosophy in the Abrahamic Traditions
2005 –
AAIWG Links
Recent Publications by AAIWG Members
External Events: Philosophy & Theology in Medieval Europe
External Events: Philosophy in the Lands of Islam
Rationale for the Project
Recent political events in the Middle East, South Asia, Europe, the United States and elsewhere around the globe have made it especially clear that the tradition of cross cultural and inter religious understanding which has been been and continues to be central to Jesuit education has a crucial role to play in teaching and learning at Marquette University and the other Jesuit universities in America. The long history of Jesuit education includes the establishment of St. Joseph University in Beirut in 1860 and the founding of Baghdad College in 1932, events which were a sign of the Jesuit commitment both to education of young people of all religions and to research for the sake of religious and cultural understanding and cooperation. The Mélanges of St Joseph University is an important research periodical on Arabic / Islamic philosophy. The renowned Jesuit scholar, Rev. Maurice Bouyges, S.J., of St Joseph University, contributed many articles on Arabic philosophy and its influence. He also produced critical editions of the work of the Andalusian philosopher and religious judge, Ibn Rushd / Averroes, editions which continue to be considered exemplars of scholarship nearly seventy years after their completion. The same can be said of the editions of Ibn Sina / Avicenna and Arabic texts of Galen by Rev. Georges Anawati, O.P., of the Dominican Institute for Oriental Studies in Cairo, who also wrote a bibliography of Averroes, made a French translation of the Metaphysics of the Shifâ’ of Avicenna, and contributed much more on the Arabic philosophical tradition itself and its influence. (Click HERE for an account of his life and important contributions by Qantara.de.) These twentieth century Catholic scholars and teachers contributed greatly to inter religious understanding through sound scholarship in the study of Arabic / Islamic philosophy in its own right, in the Greek sources foundational for its development, and in its powerful and penetrating influence on the Latin West . In this way they continue to provide models for future work in medieval philosophy in the context of respect and appreciation for the sophisticated insights on philosophical and theological issues by thinkers working in the context of Islamic culture and religion (dâr al-islâm).
The Aquinas and ‘the Arabs’ International Working Group (AAIWG)
In an effort to follow the models of those famous Catholic scholars and to develop new modalities for understanding and dialogue in the context of sound historical scholarship in the history of philosophy and theology, Drs. Richard C. Taylor and David B. Twetten of the Philosophy Department at Marquette University founded in Fall 2005 a new working group under the title, “Aquinas and ‘the Arabs’ Project.”* Now also known as the Aquinas and ‘the Arabs’ International Working Group (AAIWG), this group promotes understanding and insight into philosophical and theological issues prominent in the Medieval period in the Abrahamic traditions in Arabic, Hebrew, Latin and Farsi writings, issues which continue to inform philosophical and theological thought today in important ways. The major focus of the International Working Group for many members is on issues in the thought of Aquinas to elucidate the depth of his engagement with the Arabic and Jewish traditions and the positive and valuable influence of those traditions on his thought and that of Christian thinkers of the high middle ages in Europe. The work of the AAIWG, however, is not limited to Aquinas but rather seeks to promote the understanding of philosophical thought in all three Abrahamic traditions in themselves as well as in their interactions and influences. To that end the Project encourages work in all three traditions and is particularly interested in influences, parallel developments and also unique and valuable philosophical and theological insights and contributions to the history of philosophy.
New avenues of research and international cooperation continued to arise in support of the Aquinas and ‘the Arabs’ International Working Group. On the basis of discussions in Paris and Palermo in February, September, and November 2007, and in Milwaukee in Fall 2008, a cooperative arrangement was crafted between the AAIWG and the Commissio Leonina in Paris on the thought of Thomas Aquinas and the role played in its development by sources from the Arabic philosophical tradition. The Commissio Leonina was established to edit and study the works of Thomas Aquinas in 1879 by Pope Leo XIII with a directive and financial support provided to a scholarly collège of Dominicans who chose to honor Pope Leo by taking on the name, Commissio Leonina. Since that time the Commissio Leonina has published some 38 volumes of scientific critical editions of the work of Thomas with a number of volumes now awaiting publication and still others in the process of being studied and prepared for editing.
As of 2022 the AAIWG has grown into an international community of over 110 scholars, teachers and graduate students who, skilled in all or some of the classical languages of Arabic, Latin, Greek, Hebrew, work together to support and encourage one another and to form a wide variety of collaborative projects in the history of philosophy in the Abrahamic Traditions of the Middle Ages. We are particularly interested in mentor graduate students and others in methods and goals of this project.
While the growing book series, Philosophy in the Abrahamic Traditions of the Middle Ages, at Brepols Publishers is distinct from the AAIWG, its editor and editorial board is made up of AAIWG senior members.
Activities
Seminars, Conferences, Meetings
Since its founding the AAAIWG and its members have initiated or participated in seminars, conferences and other events in Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Morocco, Spain, Turkey, the UK, the US and elsewhere. For events and activities of the AAIWG for 2019-2021, click HERE.
A Unique Contribution to Interfaith Dialogue and the Catholic Philosophical and Theological Traditions
The activities on the part of the AAAIWG constitute both (i) a concrete manifestation of a commitment to the Catholic philosophical and theological traditions through the assistance provided by the Project to the ongoing work of the Commissio Leonina, and also (ii) an invaluable contribution to the foundations of interfaith dialogue through its emphasis on the positive and shared intellectual heritage of Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Thomas Aquinas drew heavily on the Guide of the Perplexed by Moses Maimonides for his famous proofs for the existence of God. He also found in Avicenna the distinction of essence and existence which he developed into the foundation of his metaphysical thought. Just as did his teacher St Albert, Aquinas put Averroean concepts in his natural theology and even in his supernatural theology of beatitude. Furthermore, Aquinas in Averroes and al-Fârâbî found epistemological principles central to his understanding of human nature and the unity of the human person as body and soul together. These are just some of many areas of the thought of Aquinas in which that shared heritage displayed and explicated by careful study of his work and its sources from the Arabic philosophical tradition. In exploring and explicating the thought of St Thomas and the importance of philosophy from the Arabic / Islamic tradition in his thought, the AAIWG makes a very special contribution to real historical foundations for interfaith understanding and also to furthering knowledge of the Catholic religious tradition and its development.
CONTACT INFORMATION: For information on the AAIWG, contact Prof. Richard C. Taylor: richard.taylor[at]marquette.edu or richard.taylor[at]kuleuven.be.
Executive Committee Members: Rahim Acar, Fouad Ben Ahmed, Therese Cory, Francisco Romero Carrasquillo, Katja Krause, Luis López-Farjeat (associate director), Jon McGinnis, Nicola Polloni, Andrea Robiglio, Richard C. Taylor (director)
(Updated 15 October 2022)