The Book of the Apple

The Book of the Apple (Arabic: Risālat al-Tuffāha; Latin: Tractatus de pomo et morte incliti principis philosophorum Aristotelis) was a medieval neoplatonic Arabic work of unknown authorship. It was spuriously ascribed to Aristotle; its date of composition is unknown although it predates the 10th century CE. Its name comes from the fact that the central dialogue is that of Aristotle, who lectures about immortality as he is dying, periodically revived and energized by smelling an apple. Despite its spuriousness, it was seriously discussed in the Encyclopedia of the Brethren of Purity. It was also translated from Arabic into Hebrew by Abraham ben Hasdai.^[1]

Aristotle holding an apple, as shown in a XIII century manuscript of The Book of the Apple

References

1. The Hebrew text, along with a German translation has been published by Jeremiah Musen in Hatapuach (PDF). Lemberg. 1873.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

• page 31 of Muslim Neoplatonists: An Introduction to the Thought of the Brethren of Purity, Ian Richard Netton, 1991. Edinburgh University Press, ISBN 0-7486-0251-8