NEW FRAGMENTS FROM ON MELANCHOLY OF RUFUS OF EPHESUS IN AL-RĀZĪ’S THE COMPREHENSIVE BOOK

YILDIZ A., ACIDUMAN A.

Classical Quarterly, 2026 (AHCI, Scopus) identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Derleme
  • Basım Tarihi: 2026
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1017/s0009838826101050
  • Dergi Adı: Classical Quarterly
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Arts and Humanities Citation Index (AHCI), Scopus, IBZ Online, Humanities Abstracts, Linguistic Bibliography, MLA - Modern Language Association Database, Philosopher's Index, zbMATH
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Al-Rāzī, ancient medicine, Graeco-Roman medicine, history of medicine, melancholy, Rufus of Ephesus
  • Ankara Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

This study examines overlooked or underexplored fragments from Rufus of Ephesus’ On Melancholy, as cited in Abū Bakr Muḥammad b. Zakariyyāʾ al-Rāzī’s seminal medical work, The Comprehensive Book (Kitāb al-Ḥāwī fī al-Ṭibb). Through an analysis of Arabic texts and Latin translations, we present two previously unexamined fragments and one of doubtful authenticity which reference Rufus’ understanding of melancholy. Preserved across diverse linguistic and cultural contexts, these fragments illuminate the transmission of ancient Graeco-Roman medical knowledge into the Islamic Golden Age and Renaissance Europe. Arabic texts are compared with corresponding Latin editions to verify their authenticity and trace their historical transmission.