Prolegomena to a critical edition of the Aristotelian Magna moralia

Thesis

The first two chapters discuss the Greek manuscripts of M.M. and their stemmatic relationships. I argue that there are six independent manuscripts from which all others are descended.

Chapter three lists readings which scholars - usually from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries - have conjectured, but which have now been found to exist in Greek manuscripts written centuries earlier.

Chapter four discusses the indirect tradition. In this section I analyze seven Latin translations of M.M.. I argue that Susemihl, the last editor of M.M., attached too much weight to the translation of Giorgio Valla because he was not reading Valla’s translation, but a revision of Valla’s translation. I examine three mediaeval translations of MM. IL8. I provide editions of two of these, one of which has not been printed for 500 years, and the other of which has never been printed.

Chapter five reviews Greek editions of M.M. The Aldine edition (1498) was the basis for Greek texts until Bekker’s edition (1831). I evaluate what is the best edition yet of M.M. - Susemihl’s edition in 1883.

Chapter six consists of the stemma codicum that I have argued for in chapters one, two and four. I also include a copy of the previous stemma, suggested by Brockmann.

The next two chapters contain collation of the mss.

After a chapter which discusses editorial difficulties, in chapter ten, the largest chapter, I argue line by line what reading should be accepted.

In an appendix I provide a record of interesting marginal notes in the manuscripts.

Authors: Johnstone, HM

• DOI: 10.5287/ora-daarxr8g2
• Type of award: DPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: Aristotle; Aristotelian; Magna moralia; critical; edition; Prolegomena
• Subjects: Aristotle. Magna moralia