Ḥunayn ibn Isḥāq's Risāla: Translation and commentary

Risāla is a work by the translator and physician Ḥunayn Ibn Isḥāq, who played an important role in the transfer of ancient Greek medicine and philosophy to the Islamic world. The full name of this work, known simply as Risāla, is Risāla From Ḥunayn Ibn Isḥāq To ʻAlī Ibn Yaḥyā on All the Books of Galen Which, as far as Ḥunayn Knows, Have Been Translated and on Some of Them Which Have not Been Translated. This work is one of the first texts of early Islamic medical literature. It is a bibliographical treatise written in the style of Galen‟s Pinax (in modern terms, „index‟) by Ḥunayn in the sixth decade of the ninth century. In this work Ḥunayn provided interesting and detailed information about almost all of the Galen books, as well as their Syriac and Arabic translations. Put differently, Risāla contains a list of the books of Galen which had been translated and some which had not been translated yet, making the list of Galenic works 129 in number. In this work, Ḥunayn supplied details on each book, such as the person who translated it first, the qualities of that translation, when Ḥunayn translated it again, the names of the persons to whom certain works were addressed, the contents and purposes of each of Galen‟s books, Ḥunayn‟s age and experiences when he was translating certain books, the names of previous as well as current translators, the role of each member of his school of translation, and so on. The Risāla is important in terms of historicizing the transfer of knowledge from the Greek world to the Islamic world. Therefore, examining its contents as well as translating it into Turkish can be valuable endeavors, making it a suitable subject for a doctoral thesis in the History of Science. Another crucial aspect to address in this thesis is the analysis of Ḥunayn‟s style and method in his translations. Ḥunayn is noteworthy not only as the translator of Galen‟s works but also for his creative contributions to the formation of the scientific method within a new civilization. Through this research, we aim to demonstrate how Ḥunayn pioneered a novel translation method. It is worth noting that the Risāla doesn‟t mention Ḥunayn working in Bayt al-Ḥikma. According to Ḥunayn‟s narration, he worked with his group of students, translating initially from Greek to Syriac, then to Arabic, and occasionally directly from Greek to Arabic, all seemingly conducted at his own location. Thus, working in a separate place with his students and disciples under his supervision suggests a distinctive translation approach. In Risāla, we not only encounter detailed information about the translated works of Galen but also gain insight into the daily intellectual life of Baghdad, the scientific and cultural milieu, and numerous other pertinent topics through the perspective of Ḥunayn. Therefore, this thesis attempts to delve into the depths of Ḥunayn‟s thought process, aiming to grasp his mentality when grappling with the challenges of translation in the Islamic world during that transitional period. In addition to providing a Turkish translation of this Risāla, the commentary section will delve into how Galen‟s original Greek texts often contain problematic terms and concepts, such as references to multiple gods, pagan practices, inappropriate remedies like alcohol consumption, prescribing pork as a cure, and the treatment of women by male physicians, among others. Thus, this thesis will primarily show how Ḥunayn adapted the original text to the Islamic culture and how he dressed the translation with an Islamic mantle, so to speak.