The Heritage of Medieval Errors in the Latin Manuscripts of Johannes Hispalensis (John of Seville)

Abstract

After the Christian reconquest of Islamic-held territory, many Arabic texts had to be translated into Latin in twelfth century Spain. Johannes Hispalensis (John of Seville) knew both Arabic and Latin and worked alone, whereas others needed collaborators to complete the process. The duplication of Latin texts became popular and quickly spread. Over the following centuries, the medieval scribes involved made multiple copies of the manuscripts and during the reproduction process, many errors occurred. These contributed to confusion between the correct version of the translator's name and his identity. Consequently, Hispalensis appeared in later copies of his work with various titles such as “Master” or “Bishop”, or was coupled with a collaborator. Modern-day historians added to the complexities by creating one personality out of two diverse translators. At times, the ownership of some of the manuscripts rested solely on the names appearing in them, when only scribal errors had contributed them. An attempt is made to clarify the translations accredited to Johannes Hispalensis, working alone, and those working with collaborators.