Yehuda Halper Tulane University

1. Translating Being, Essence and Substance into Hebrew: How did erroneous or difficult translations affect the development of Hebrew metaphysics? Yehuda Halper Tulane University

2. Aristotle’s Greek Terms • Forms of εἶναι – “to be” • τὸ ὄν – “being” • τὸὂν ᾗ ὂν – “being insofar as it is being” • τὸ τί ἦν εἶναι – “what it is for a thing to be” or “essence” • οὐσία – “being-ness” or “substance” • γένεσις or γίγνομαι - usually “becoming,” but sometimes also “being”

3. Being

4. Usṭāth’s Translation of Aristotle’s Metaphysics • τὸ ὄν and τὸ εἶναιكان and كون • γένεσιςكون and تكون BUT also • τὸ ὄν and τὸ εἶναιهوية, especially when used as a technical term • τὸ εἶναιانية However, Usṭāth uses وجودvery rarely.

5. Averroes • هوية – “being” • موجد and وجود– “becoming”

6. The original anonymous Hebrew translator of Aristotle’s Metaphysics with Averroes’ Long Commentary • كون sometimes היות (“being”) and sometimes הוייה (“becoming”) • تكونהוייה or התהוות • وجودמציאות • هويةהוייה

7. Moses b. Solomon of Salon, reviser of the Hebrew translation of Averroes’ Long Commentary on Aristotle’s Metaphysics נמצא orמציאות outside of Book Δ, Chapter 7 and references to Chapter 7 هوية הוייה in Book Δ, Chapter 7 and references to Chapter 7 Averroes’ distinction between “being” and “becoming” is now lost.

8. Qalonimos b. Qalonimos’ Hebrew translation of Averroes’ Middle Commentary on Aristotle’s Metaphysics • הוייה and forms of התהווה for “becoming” • נמצא for “existence”(most likely) • היות for “being” • But הוייה for “being” in at least one place

9. Zeraḥyah b. Yiẓḥaq b. SheʼaltiʼelḤen’s Translation of Averroes’ Middle Commentary on Aristotle’s Metaphysics • הוייה and forms of התהווה for “becoming” • נמצא for “existence”(most likely) • ישות for “being” outside of Book Δ, Chapter 7 • האלהויה and הואייה and their plural ההואיית for being in Book Δ, Chapter 7

10. Essence

11. Usṭāth’s Translation of Aristotle’s Metaphysics الذى يدل على انية(Common in Book Δ) الذى يدل على ما كينونة الشى الدالة على ما هى τὸ τί ἦν εἶναι الدال على ما الشىء ما هو بانية(Especially in Book Z) Et cetera

12. Averroes’ Explanations of انية in Usṭāth’s Translation Term is frequently ignored or left out. حد, “definition” انية ماهية, “what-ness” or “quiddity” الماهية المعطية وجود الشىء ما هو بالانية ماهية الشىء

13. Zeraḥyah, Qalonimos and the anonymous original translator of the Long Commentary ישות انية

14. Moses b. Solomon of Salon’s revision of the Hebrew translation of Averroes’ Long Commentary מהות גבול or הגבלה ישות ישות

15. Substance

16. οὐσία جوهر  עצם

17. Usṭāth’s Translation of Aristotle’s Metaphysics • αὑτός ذات • τό καθ’ ὅ الذى بذاته • καθ᾽ αὑτά بذاته κατὰ συμβεβηκός (“by accident”)

18. Anonymous original translator of the Long Commentary Moses b. Solomon of Salon • جوهر עצם • ذات עצמות • عين עין جوهر עצם ذات عين

19. Judah b. Solomon of Toledo’s Midrash ha-Ḥokhmah Shem TobFalaquera’sDe‘ot ha-Filosofim • ذات עצם באלדא"ת • جوهر עצם ג'והר or עצם אלג'והר ذات עצם جوهر