Scholastic philosophy's reception of Islamic philosophy: the example of Meister Eckhart's understanding of ontology

This study examines the influences of Islamic philosophers on medieval European scholastic thought, particularly focusing on the concept of existence in the works of German theologian and philosopher Meister Eckhart. Meister Eckhart lived during the late 13th and early 14th centuries, a period when scholastic philosophy had reached its zenith. In this context, his life experiences and scholarly debates encompassed the deep theological and philosophical inquiries of his time. In the Prologus Generalis section of his work Opus Tripartitum, Eckhart equates existence (esse) with God (deus), proposing that everything emanates from the absolute existence of God. In this regard, the ontological structure of existence reflects the eternal and immutable nature of God, which Eckhart examines through the lens of Ibn Sina's concept of wajib al-wujud (necessary existence). Eckhart argues that God, as das Sein an sich (existence itself), encompasses everything, and that everything originates from Him. Additionally, Ibn Rushd's notion of the identity between God's knowledge and existence, without differentiating between existence and essence, played a critical role in shaping Eckhart's ontological views. Ibn Rushd posits that existence cannot be conceived without God's knowledge, and that God knows entities through His knowledge. Eckhart positions knowledge before existence in the ontological hierarchy, particularly in the Parisian Questions by receiving Ibn Rushed ideas of primacy of intellect. In this context, Eckhart indirectly and directly references Islamic philosophers and incorporates their interpretations. This study aims to meticulously trace and analyze the aspects in which Eckhart drew from Islamic philosophers, focusing on the Prologus Generalis section of Opus Tripartitum and the Parisian Questions.