The Arab Christian teaching on fate. ‘Abdallāh ibn al-Faḍl al-Anṭākī and his treatise "Refutation of the sentences of the stars"
Michał Sadowski
Uniwersytet Mikołaja Kopernika w Toruniu , PolandAbstract
‘Abdallāh ibn al-Faḍl al-Anṭākī is one of the most prolific writers of the Melkite Church within the confines of the Abbasid Caliphate during its mid period. From among hundreds of his various texts the Refutation of the sentences of the stars merits our attention due to its unceasing relevance. In short five sections of the treatise the author attempts to clarify his teaching on the issue of fate that continues to be discussed among the Christians at the time. Ibn al-Faḍl supports his exposition on the Patristic thought on fate, mostly elaborated by John Chrysostom. Among the sources of the treatise, we also find an explicit reference to the Ancient writers, like Galen, and Muslim philosophers of the time. The paper aims to discuss the origin of Arab Christian teaching on fate and to deliver to the Polish reader its first Polish translation.
Keywords:
‘Abdallāh ibn al-Faḍl, John Chrysostom, astrology, fate, Islam, the Refutation of the sentences of the starsReferences
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Uniwersytet Mikołaja Kopernika w Toruniu
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