Porphyry, Introduction (or Isagoge) to the logical Categories of Aristotle.  Preface to the online edition

• Greek manuscripts

• Latin manuscripts

• Oriental manuscripts

The Isagoge was composed by Porphyry in Sicily during the years 268-270, and sent to Chrysaorium, according to all the ancient commentators Ammonius, Elias, and David.  Porphyry was in Sicily recovering from the suicidal depression into which he fell while living with Plotinus in Rome. It contains a short introduction to the logical categories (Organon) of Aristotle; how abstract ideas are to be classified.

The work was very popular in the middle ages, and the Arbor Porphyrianae of Aquinas was derived from it.  Its authority grew down the centuries, and it was still in use in textbooks in the Orient at the end of the 19th century.

The exact title of the work is not clear.  Three titles come down to us:  

• In the most recent manuscripts it is given as αἱ πέντε φωναι, or περὶ πέντε πωνῶν.
• In the Suda, among the list of works by Porphyry, it is entitled Περὶ Γένους καὶ Εἴδους καὶ Διαφορᾶς καὶ Ἰδίου καὶ Σομβεβηκότος.
• Doxopater says καὶ λέγομεν, ὅτι ὥσπερ πέντε φωνὰς τοῦ Πορφυρίου ἐν τῇ Εἰσαγογῇ διδάσκοντος γένος διαφορὰν εἰδος ἴδιον σομβεβηκός, σκοπὸν ἕνα τοῦ τοιύτου βιβλίου οἰ ἐξηγούμενοι αὐτὸ ἀποδεδώκθασιν....

So popular a work is extant in a large number of manuscripts, and in several languages.  All the Greek manuscripts derive from a single copy, written after the work was translated by Boethius.  One copyist changed in his copy every reference to θεὸς (god) to ἄγγελος (angel).

Greek Manuscripts

There are 25 manuscripts of the Greek text.  The manuscripts fall into two families, one better and one less so.  A, B, L, M form the better family; C is the best of the inferior family, which ultimately was used for the Aldine printed text.  

The Aldine edition was printed at Venice in November 1495, and contained the Isagoge followed by the Organon.

Latin Manuscripts

The oldest translation was made by Marius Victorinus, to which Boethius refers.  However in many places Victorinus did not understand the text and paraphrased.  Nothing of this has come down to us, except as in Boethius' version.   All the manuscripts are of the latter version.

Oriental Manuscripts

Three Syriac translations of the Isagoge are known.

• The first was made from the Greek by Athanasius of Balad. He was a pupil of Severus Sebokht at the monastery of Kinnesrin (ancient Chalcis), where he made the translation, then went to the convent of Malchus, and eventually became the monophysite patriarch. A copy is extant written in 645 AD according to the manuscript, Ms. Vaticanus Syr. 158. This has the title:ܐܝܣܓܘ ܓܝ ܕܦܪܦܪܝܘܣ ܥܠ ܚܡܫ ܒܢܬ ܩܠܐ i.e. Isagoge of Porphyry on five terms. Following it is a treatise on the same subject.
• A second translation was made from Greek by Hunain ibn Ishaq. Copies are found in the Medicean library in Florence, in the Palatine collection, codices 176, 183 and 196.
• A third translation with no translator specified exists in Paris, BNF Syr. 161, and in the Escorial library in Madrid, cod. 652.

NOTE (7/4/17): I have received an email from Daniel King at Cardiff University, with corrections to this information.  It seems that there are in fact only two Syriac versions:

- an anonymous version made probably in the 6th century, fully extant only in BL Add.14658 and partly in BL Add.14618

- a revision made by Athanasius of Balad (details as per yr website)

The item on the website about a version by Hunayn is probably false. The ancient catalogues of those Florence mss claimed the author was Hunayn but this is very unlikely.  The ms Florence Laur. 176 (these days the Florence mss have a different numbering system, by the way) is actually a copy of part of Bar Hebraeus' Cream of Wisdom, which was his summary/commentary on Aristotelian logic. The other 2 Florence mss mentioned are both copies of Athanasius of Balad's translation.

Also the mss mentioned for you 'third translation' are just more copies of Athanasius' version.

An Arabic translation was made by Bar-Hebraeus.  His own copy of this, together with the categories of Aristotle, and other works and the Book of the eye is in the Vatican library.  Another copy of this translation is in Paris. Or. 908.  Another translation, by an unnamed author, exists in Vienna in the Palatine collection, Ms. 69.  There are many Arabic commentaries on the work, listed by Wenrich.

NOTE:  Dr King comments:

The first Arabic version appears to be that of Al-Dimashqi. Now this must have been made from a Syriac since Dimashqi did not read Greek, but whether it was based on Athanasius' would require further research.

I am not sure what is meant by BarHebraeus' "translation" mentioned on the website info, but I suspect that arose as a misunderstanding from a catalogue entry. He certainly wrote about it but not, I think, a translation. By his day, there were already multiple Arabic versions in circulation.

An Armenian translation exists, with the commentary of David, and two copies are in Paris, BNF., Ms. Armen. 105 and 106.

Bibliography

• A. BUSSE, Porphyrii Isagoge et in Aristoteles Categorias Commentarium.  Berlin (1887).  The main source used for manuscript information on this page.

• H. WENRICH, De auctorum Graecorum versionibus et commentariis Syriacis, Arabicis, Armeniacis, Persisque commentatio.  Lipsiae (1842), pp.280-286.

This text was written or translated by Roger Pearse, 2007. All material on this page is in the public domain - copy freely.

Greek text is rendered using unicode.  Syriac is also in unicode, using the Serto Jerusalem font from Beth Mardutho.