Adelard of Bath | Biography

Among the series of medieval English translators, mathematicians, and natural philosophers of England who traveled extensively in search of Arabic texts was Adelard of Bath. He is responsible for the conversion of Arabic-Greek learning into Latin.

Abelard was born in approximately 1075 in Bath, England. An extensive traveler, he went to study at Tours and later taught at Laon. Leaving Laon, for the next seven years he journeyed to various cities and countries, including Salerno, Syria, Cilicia, Spain and possibly Palestine before returning to Bath in 1130. During his travels, however, it was possible that he learned Arabic in Sicily and received Spanish-Arabic texts from other Arabists who had lived in or visited Spain.

Adelard made significant contributions to the field of philosophy with the writing of two treatises: De eodem et diverso, dedicated to William, bishop of Syracuse and written before 1116, and Quaestiones naturales written prior to 1137 and perhaps even earlier. Speaking as a quasi Platonist in De eodem et diverso, Adelard draws on the major themes of Platonism, but opposing the Platonic doctrine of realism in his theory of universals. His second treatise Quaestiones naturales consists of a dialogue with an unnamed nephew of 76 scientific discussions derived from Muslim science. In Adelard's first work, there is no trace of Arabic influence; however, there are descriptions of a pipette-like vessel mentioned in other Arabic works by the unnamed nephew in Quaestiones naturales.

While Adelard's contributions to the area of philosophy were significant, he is more renowned for his translations of Arabic scientific texts. With these germinal translations, Adelard was also able to culminate the use of algorithms and Arabic numerals, as opposed to the intractable Roman numerals.

Using Ysagoga minor Iapharis matematici in astronomicam per Adhelardum bathoniensem ex arabico sumpta, a translation of Abu Ma shar's Shorter Introduction to Astronomy, Adelard gave the first sampling to the Latin Schoolmen. This contained some astrological rules and axioms, and was abridged by Abu Ma shar for his longer Introductorium maius. Adelard's translation of this work proved pivotal, as the longer version was translated twice thereafter into Latin. Additionally, Adelard translated Liber prestigiorum Thebidis (Elbidis) secundum Ptolomeum et Hermetem per Adelardum bathoniensem translatus, an astrological work on images and horoscopes by Thabit ibn Qurra.

Adelard also produced a variety of works involving arithmetic, the earliest being Regule abaci. Another work, Liber ysagogurm Alchorismi in artem astronomicam a magistro A. compositus, is composed of books concerning arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy.

Before Adelard translated Euclid's Elements into Latin, there were only a few incomplete versions, such as that of Boethius, in existence from the Greek. While Adelard's name is associated with three different versions, each somewhat incomplete, each codex has been pieced together to present a full version.

Among the most important works he translated were the Astronomical tables of Al-Majriti, and a treatise on Arabic arithmetic by the mathematician al-Khwarizmi, whose name later became synonymous to the mathematical system of algorithms.

Adelard's writings and translations remain an important bridge between Muslim science and Western learning.