Averroes, Maimonides and Aquinas: Aristotle Returns

In the 12th and 13th centuries, Aristotle became the central authority of philosophy in Islamic, Jewish and Christian thought. In Spain, Ibn Rushd (Averroes, 1126–1198) of Córdoba wrote detailed commentaries on Aristotle, earning the title 'the Commentator', and defended philosophy as compatible with religious law. Moses Maimonides (1138–1204), also born in Córdoba, wrote The Guide for the Perplexed, using Aristotle to explain Jewish scripture and belief.

Meanwhile, translators in Toledo and elsewhere rendered Aristotle and Arabic commentaries into Latin. In Paris and other new universities, Aristotle's works sparked debate, including official condemnations of certain propositions in 1277. Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) built a vast synthesis of Aristotelian philosophy and Christian theology, calling Aristotle simply 'the Philosopher'. This shared engagement shows how one Greek thinker became a common language for thinkers of three faiths in the medieval world.