The Genealogy Meteôrologika IV: Attribution to Aristotle, its Translations, and Ibn Sīnā’s Al-Af’āl Wa-l-Infi’ālāt

This article examines the fourth book of Aristotle’s Meteôrologika, a component of his natural philosophy corpus. The first section addresses debates surrounding the authenticity of Meteôrologika IV, situating the text within the broader history of philosophy. It explores how ancient commentators perceived the work, presents interpretations by modern historians of philosophy, and offers a brief discussion of the question of attribution. Following this contextual overview, the article turns to the Arabic translations of the text in relation to Greek and Latin commentarial traditions. It examines the interpretations of Alexander of Aphrodisias (d. 3rd century CE) and Olympiodorus (d. 6th century CE), before discussing subsequent Latin translations and commentaries. The third section investigates the process by which Meteôrologika IV was reconstructed in its Arabic translation. Special focus is given to al-Āthār al-ʿulwiyya, translated by Yaḥyā Ibn al-Biṭrīq (d. ca. 840), with a comparative analysis of its structure and terminology vis-à-vis the original Greek. Rather than a direct linguistic translation, the text represents a rearticulation shaped by the intellectual and linguistic context of the Arabic philosophical tradition. The final section provides a descriptive and analytical reading of Ibn Sīnā’s al-Afʿāl wa-l-infiʿālāt, which engages with themes and content akin to those of Meteôrologika IV. The discussion considers the work’s place within Ibn Sīnā’s natural philosophy, highlighting thematic parallels, original contributions, and conceptual divergences. The article ultimately argues that Ibn Sīnā should be seen both as a continuator of Aristotelian thought and as an independent reinterpreter who reconfigures the tradition within his own philosophical framework.

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