Add MS 7474

Books One to Six of the Almagest (كتاب المجسطي), an Arabic version of the Μαθηματικῆς σύνταξις of Ptolemy (Claudius Ptolemaeus; c 90-c 168), thought to have been translated by al-Ḥajjāj ibn Yūsuf ibn Maṭar (786-830). This was the most influential and enduring astronomical text to have survived from the ancient world and its Arabic translation had an immense impact on the late antique and medieval world view in both Christian and Islamic lands.

The copy is defective at the beginning, missing most of the introduction to Book One (القول الأوّل), and beginning abruptly just before the beginning of Section One (النوع الأوّل) of Book One. It is also defective at the end, and the colophon of Book Six breaks off in the middle of the pious formula حسن عونه, before giving the date (see f. 183v, line 19, transcribed below).

The contents of the volume are as follows:

• Book One (defective at beginning; ff. 1r-23r);
• Book Two (ff. 23v-55v);
• Book Three (ff. 56r-79v);
• Book Four (ff. 79v-105v);
• Book Five (ff. 105v-154v);
• Book Six (ff. 154v-183v).

The first 23 folios of the text and the first two lines of f. 24r have been vocalised by a hand posterior to that of the main scribe; interlinear variant readings and some corrections have been added, and there are extensive marginal notes. On the remaining folios, there is minimal vocalisation and few marginalia. The text is heavily illustrated by diagrams and tables many of which, however, are incomplete or have been left blank, while others are missing altogether.

Arabic quire marks in the upper left margin indicate that the manuscript was originally composed of 20 quinions, of which quires 4-17, 19 and 20 remain. The marked quires are not in their correct order, which should be as follows:

• Quire 4 begins f. 28r;
• Quire 5 begins f. 38r;
• Quire 6 begins f. 6r;
• Quire 7 begins f. 52r;
• Quire 8 begins f. 107r;
• Quire 9 begins f. 127r;
• Quire 10 begins f. 125r;
• Quire 11 begins f. 87r;
• Quire 12 begins f. 89r;
• Quire 13 begins f. 115r;
• Quire 14 begins f. 112r;
• Quire 15 begins f. 128r;
• Quire 16 begins f. 138r;
• Quire 17 begins f. 148r;
• Quire 19 begins f. 167r;
• Quire 20 begins f. 177r.

As well as the quires being out of order, some folios are also misarranged. The correct order of the folios is as follows (ellipsis indicates missing folios): … ff. 1 (Book I), 2, 3 … 4, 5 … 7 … 8, 9, 11, 10, 13, 12, 14, 15 … 20, 21, 22, 16 – 19, 23 (Book II), 24, 26, 28 – 39, 114, 40 – 43 … 44, 45, 6, 111, 109, 47 – 50, 110, 113, 123, 52 – 54 … … … 55, 56 (Book III), 51, 107, 57 – 64, 46, 127, 65 – 72, 126, 125, 73, 74, 76 – 79 (Book IV), 81, 82, 124, 87, 83, 75, 85 … … 86, 80, 88, 84, 89 – 98, 115, 99 – 105 (Book V), 106, 108, 112, 25, 116, 117 – 121, 27, 122, 128 – 154 (Book VI) – 157 … 158 – 183.

The manuscript was completed shortly after 28 Jumādá I 686 (11 July 1287) by an anonymous maghribī scribe (see colophon of Book Five, f. 154v, line 7, transcribed below).

Begins (defective at beginning; f. 1r, lines 1-4):

القسي التي فيما بين فلك معدل النهار وبين وسط فلك البروج التي هي الميل

النوع الرابع عشر في معرفة أقدار قسي معدل النهار التي تطلع في الكرة

المستقيمة مع قسي فلك البروج المفورضة. وهذا حين أبدأ بالنوع الأول من القول الأول ...

Colophon: Book Two (f. 55v, lines 18-19):

كمل القول الثاني بحمد الله وحسن عونه

والصلاة على محمد وعلى آله وصحبه وسلم تسليمًا 26 3 686

Colophon: Book Three (f. 79v, lines 7-8):

كمل القول الثالث بحمد الله وعونه وصلى الله على محمد وعلى آله

وصحبه وسلم تسليمًا. يوم ج 3 من 5 سنة 686

Colophon: Book Four (f. 105v, lines 2-3):

كمل القول الرابع من كتاب المجسطي بخمد الله تعلى وخسن عونه

وصلى الله على محمد وعلى آله وصحبه وسلم تسليمًا عشية يوم د 11 5 686

Colophon: Book Five (f. 154v, lines 6-7):

كمل القول الخامس من كتاب المجسطي بحمد الله وحسن عونه وصلى الله

على محمد وعلى آله وصحبه وسلم تسليمًا نصف نهار يوم ز 28 من 5 سنة 686

Ends (f. 183v, lines 13-18):

... وأما في آخر كمال

كسوف الشمس وأول كمال كسوف القمر فيكون موضع قطعة المطلع

إلى ناحية الشمال وأما آخر كمال كسوف القمر فيكون موضع قطعة

المغيب إلى ناحية الشمال وجزء فلك الأفق الذي نميزه من هذا التقويم يكون

هو الجزء الذي إليه يكون ميل الخرافات أحد النيرين المقابلة لأوائل وأواخر

مبادي الكسوفات والكمالات.

Colophon: Book Six (defective; f. 183v, line 19):

كمل القول السادس من كتاب المجسطي بحمد الله وحسن

Illustrations:

The text contains numerous tables and geometrical diagrams in red and black ink. The tables on ff. 53v-55r have not been filled in; those on ff.18r, 43v, 52v, 53r, 62v, 63r and 183r have been partially filled in; the diagrams on ff. 38v, 39r, 40v, 43r, 47v, 48r, 49r are incomplete; and folios 44r, 85v, 86r, 133v and 157v have been left entirely blank.