MUCKLE, J.T., Isaac Israeli's definition of truth, Archives d'histoire doctrinale et littraire du Moyen-ge, Huitime anne (1933) 5-8.

ISAAC ISRAELI'S DEFINITION OF TRUTH

In the Summa Theologica (I, q. 16; a. 2, ad 2) of St. Thomas Aquinas we read: "Praeterea, Isaac dicit in libro De definitionibus, De Veritate, q. 1, a. 1, we find the statement: " E t sic dicit Isaac, quod veritas est adaequatio rei et intellectus

B. Geyer in his work, Die Patristischc und Scholastische Philosophie (Berlin, 1928), p. 334, says "Bonaventura, Heinrich von Gent, Thomas von Aquin entnehmen die bekannteschol lectus dem "Buch der Definitionen" Isaaks." He gives a reference to St. Bonaventure's commentary on First Book of Sentences (d. 40, a. 2, q. 1) where the definition is found. It is not there attributed to Isaac by St. Bonaventure and the footnote referred to below is repeated distinctly saying it does not occur in Isaac. In the work S. Thomas d'Aquin by A.-D. Sertillanges (Paris, 1910) Tome I, p. 41, we r e a d : " Q u a n t celle d'Isaac, que saint Thomas semble affectionner par-dessus les autres: "La vrit est l'adquation des choses et de l'intelligence" (adaequatio rei et intellectus), c'est une dfinition double entente." J. de Tonqudec, in his La Critique de la Connaissance (Paris, 1929, p. 512) s a y s : "Le vrai, dit Isaac, est l'quation de la chose et de l'esprit and in a footnote it is staled: " L a dfinition de la vrit se trouve dans le Livre des Definitions, comme le dit saint T h o m a s . " In the Encyclopedia Britannica (ed. IV, 1929, it is not in the 1910 edition) s. v. Israeli, Isaac Ben Salomon we read: " T h r o u g h the labours of Gundissalinus he became very popular with the thirteenth century scholastics w h o took from his definitions the famous definition: veritas est adaequatio rei et intellectus1."
1

The statement

in the Encyclopedia

Britannica

might

lead o n e

to

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The Enciclopedia Universal Ilustrada (Madrid, 1930), s. v. Isaac Ben Salomon Israeli, has the following statement: "Guttmann escolsticos del siglo XIII en cuyas obras se encuentran diversos textos del filsofo judeo, entre ellos la famosa definicion de la v e r d a d : adaequatio rei et intellectus." Several other references might be given to modern writers on mediaeval philosophy w h o attribute the definition to Isaac. Among mediaeval writers, St. Albertus Magnus attributes the following definition of truth to Aristotle: " D i c i t enim Aristoteles in V primae philosophiae, quod "veritas est adaequatio rerum et intellectuum" " (Summa Theologica, P. II, Tr. 1; q. 1; m. 2; a. 1, Arg. 4 . ) . Moreover he gives Isaac's definition of truth as follows: " C o m p l e x i autem sermonis veritas est secundum Isaac in libro de Definitionibus, affirmatio rei de qua vere praedicatur, vel negatio rei de qua vere negatur." (I. Sum. Theol., Tr. VI, q. 25, m. 1). " Et hoc modo Veritas, ut dicit Isaac in libro de definitionibus, quod veritas non est nisi quod est et quod res vere est. " (I. Sum. Theol., T. 6, q. 25, m . 1). " D i c i t enim Isaac quod "veritas est id quod est res", vel secundum aliquos, "veritas est sermo quem confirmat demonstratio". " (I. Sum. Theol., T. 6; q. 25, m : 2 . ) . " S e c u n d u m Isaac et secundum Augustinum, verum est id quod e s t . " (Ibid. No. 3 . ) . " Et secundum hoc dicit Isaac, quod "veritas est sermo quem affirmat demonstratio vel St. Bonaventure quotes the definition "adaequatio rei et intellectus" several times, (v. g. Sent., Lib. I, D. 40; Art. 2; q. 1. Sent., Lib. I, D. 46; Art. 1; q. 4. Sent., Lib. II, D. 37; Art. 2; q. 3. In Hex. Collationes, III. par. 8 ) , but so far as I have discovered, he docs not state where it is to be found. In the Quaracchi Edition of his works (1882), Tom. I. p. 707, note 5, the editors call attention to the fact that they had read one ms. of Isaac (Monac. B. R. 8001, ff. 151v.-154r.) without finding the definition of truth which St. Thomas attributes to him. They quote from Isaac a definition which will be referred to later on. In several other places where St. Bonaventure quotes the
believe that Gundissalinus quoted the definition f r o m Isaac. I have also read recently a m s . of Gundissalinus De anima, Vat. Lat. 2186, f. 104r.-119v. I f o u n d there this definition of t r u t h ; veritas autem cuiusque rei est id quod ipsa est. f. 118 v., l. 30.

sensib

ISAAC I S R A E L I ' S DEFINITION OF T R U T H

definition Veritas est sermo quem confirmat demonstratio, they refer the reader to this note or repeat it in full. Guttmann, in his treatise Die Philosophischen Lehren des Isaac Ren Salomon Israeli, in Beitrge zur Geschichte der Philosophie des Mittelalters, Band X, Heft 4, p. 27, gives Isaac's definition of truth as follows. " D e n n die Definition der Wahrheit i s t : das, was ein Ding ist, und die Definition des Falschen i s t : das, was es nicht ist, indem man es als etwas beschreibt, was es nicht ist. the Latin translations. He makes no mention of the "adaequatio etc.". I have just finished reading three mss. of Isaac de 14700, ff. 153r-160v. Catalogued as belonging to the XIII. century, it bears the book-mark of the Abbey of St. Victor in Paris. It is the ms. from which Guttmann draws some of his Latin quotations in the above-mentioned w o r k , (c) Vatican 2186, ff. 46v-50r. In none of these persistently attributed On f. 156v, 14700, continue to the end of Vatican ms. lacks it. definitions of truth: mss. did I find the definition of truth so to Isaac. there begins a long list of definitions which the w o r k . This list is also in 6443, but the In these mss. Isaac gives the following

definitionib

1. " D i f f i n i t i o namque veritatis est quod e s t ; et diffinitio est." 14700, f. 155r. C. 1, ll. 12-13; 6443, f. 147v. C. 2, ll. 45. The Vatican ms. reads the same except that it has autem for namque, and falsitatis for vanitatis. (F. 47v. C. 2, ll. 26 sq.)
2 . Diffinitio veritatis; and there is written in the m a r g i n , b y A n d then the text veritas Dixerunt enim,

vanita

the s a m e hand I t h i n k , veritas est quod est res. goes o n : " e t diffinierunt eam disertores. ex eius quiditate. est, dicitur

est s e r m o q u e m firmat demonstratio aut sensibiliter aut Et illud ideo, q u o n i a m c u m aliquis dicit quid est s e r m o quem demonstratio firmat aut eius, est veritas, est r e s p o n s i o in eo est quod est res, et c u m dicit qualis ei q u o d intellectualiter aut sensibiliter... et s e r m o quidem dicentis veritas est quod quod est. est enuntiativus est nature veritatis et essentie quod est res, et dicitur q u o n i a m illud s e c u n d u m quod est res, vere est veritas, n o n nisi . . . falsitas est n o n falsitas,

intelleclua

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narratio rei cum diverso quod (14700, 158v, C. 2, ll. 30 sq.)

Ms. 6 4 4 3 is a very poor text.

est ipsa et ipsius

contrario."

T h e a b o v e passage is faulty but In the

the i m p o r t a n t parts relative to this question are the s a m e . " d i f f i n i t i o veritatis; veritas est q u o d res e s t , " est essentiativum q u o d est.

m a r g i n of 1 8 9 r . C. 2 , l. 2 1 there is written in the first h a n d : and in the s a m e c o l u m m , l. 3 9 , w e read: " s e r m o q u i d e m dicentis: veritas est q u o d ( s i c ) est nature veritatis et essencie eius

quo

3. V e r u m est affirmare rem rei cui est secundum veritatem aut expellere rem a re a qua vere removetur. ... Falsum est affirmare rem rei que ab ea removetur vere et removere rem a re que ei affirmatur secundum veritatem. (14700, 159 r. C. 1, ll. 22 sq. 6443, 189r C. 2, ll. 48 sq.) Monacensis 3001 as quoted in the Quaracchi Edition varies somewhat in wording from the above, but the meaning is much the same. The definition of verum (number 3) perhaps comes nearest to the definition ascribed to Isaac by St. Thomas, yet it is by no means the same either in meaning or language. Perhaps some reader may know of a different manuscript tradition of Isaac wherein the classic definition is found.
J . T . MUCKLE, C . S . B.

Institute of mediaeval studies,

Toronto.