Text
al-Nadīm, Fihrist 7.1:
Abū Sahl ibn Nawbakht said in the book Two Things Seized Upon: The types of sciences, the kinds of books, and the forms of questions have increased, as have the sources from which things indicated by the stars are derived. This (increase) was from what existed before the reasons (for these things) were made clear, and human knowledge about them was described by the Babylonians in their books, learned from them (the Babylonians) by the Egyptians, and applied by the Indians in their country. These things dealt with the original created beings, their defilement by evil, their commission of sins, and their falling into such depths of ignorance that their minds became confused and their visions made to err. … They remained in this state for a period of time until some of their successors coming after them, their offspring and the seed of their loins, obtained help in remembering, understanding, and perceiving these matters. (They received) knowledge of the past about the circumstances of the world, about its condition, the directing of its origin, the arrival at its intermediate status, and the issue at its end. (They also learned about) the condition of the inhabitants, and the positions of the heavenly bodies and their routes, degrees, minutes, and stations, both high and low, and with their courses and all of their directions. This was the period of Jam ibn Awijhān, the king. The scholars were acquainted with this learning, recording it in books and explaining what they wrote down. Together with this recording they described the world, its grandeur, the oringin of its causes, its foundation, its stars, kinds of drugs, remedies, charms, and other things which are devices for people and which they describe as suitable to their wants, both good and bad.
Thus they continued for a period of time, until the reign of al-Daḥḥāk ibn Qayy. Ibn Qayy, during the season (share) of Jupiter and his period, turn, dominion, and power in controlling the years, built a city in al-Sawād (= ancient Chaldea), the name of which was derived from that of Jupiter. He gathered into it the science of the scholars and built there twelve palaces, according to the number of the signs of the zodiac, calling them by the names (of these signs). He stored the scholars’ books in them and caused the scholars themselves to live in them. From the other than the words of Abū Sahl: “He built seven shrines, according to the number of the seven stars, assigning each of these dwellings to a (wise) man. The shrine of Mercury he assigned to Hermes, the shrine of Jupiter to Tīnkalūs (= Teukros), and the shrine of Mars to Ṭinqarūs.” We return to the words of Abū Sahl: “The people obeyed them (the seven wise men) and were submissive to their command, so that they managed their affairs. They appreciated their superiority over them in different forms of learning and modes of living, until a prophet was sent during that period. Because of his appearance and what reached them about his mission, they refused the wisdom (of the seven wise men). Many of their ideas became confused, their cause was broken up, and there were differences regarding their aims and coming together. So each of the wise men sought a city in which to dwell, so as to become a leader of its people. Among them there was a wise man named Hermes.
Source (list of abbreviations)
al-Nadīm, Fihrist 7.1
Bibliography
| Dodge 1970, 572-574 | Dodge, Bayard. The Fihrist of al-Nadim. A tenth-century survey of Muslim culture. New York, London: Columbia University Press 1970. |
Amar Annus
URL for this entry: http://www.aakkl.helsinki.fi/melammu/database/gen_html/a0000797.php
|
