SCOT TRANSLATES AVERROES 107 



tnown to have devoted his life to the study and 



exposition of Aristotle ; then, as for many ages, the 



dol of the Christian schools. His philosophy was 



urther understood to embody the strangest and 



nost daring speculations regarding the origin of the 



inverse and the nature of the soul. For these he 



ad suffered severely at the hands of the Moslem 



rthodox. They had proscribed his works and com- 



elled him to leave his employment and pass the 



lost precious years of his life in exile. 



These common impressions regarding Averroes 

 ere in the main correct. His labours had appeared 



three forms ; a paraphrase, and a lesser and 

 reater commentary on the books of Aristotle, and 

 le philosophy which these writings contained was 

 ndoubtedly Manichsean, if not in a measure Pan- 

 icistic. Like that of all the Arabian philosophers, 



whose teaching Averroes gave its final and most 

 laracteristic form, this doctrine was really Greek : 



Aristotelic scheme of the universe as it had been 

 Dnceived anew by Porphyry of Alexandria. At 

 le foundation lay a mighty Duality : that of the 

 pposing powers of Good and Evil. With the 

 Dtion of exalting Him above the possibility of 

 iame, God, the Centre of the Universe, about 

 horn all revolves, was declared to be the Absolute 

 lid unconditional Being ; while over against Him 

 jas set Matter, also eternal, from which, in its 

 jubborn resistance to the Divine Will, all evil had 

 risen. Any direct action of Deity upon matter 

 >uld not be thought of; so the interval between 

 Item was conceived of as occupied by several 

 Jmanations proceeding from God, among which we 

 Play notice those of the Divine Wisdom and the 



