Herman\u27s Translation of Sahl Ibn Bishr\u27s Astrological Treatise

Herman Dalmatin, hrvatski filozof i prevoditelj s arapskoga na latinski jezik, živio je u 12. stoljeću. Na latinski je jezik preveo djela istaknutih islamskih filozofā i znanstvenikā Sahl ibn Bišra te Abu Mašara. Svojim prevodilačkim radom pridonio je upoznavanju Zapada s islamskom znanošću i kulturom, posebice astrologijom, koja se do tada na Zapadu još uvijek temeljila na kasnorimskim izvorima. U ovom se članku bavimo Hermanovim prijevodom astrološke rasprave Sahl ibn Bišra, koja je u njegovu prijevodu poznata kao Fatidica (Proročica), a koju je preveo 1138. godine. Dva su razloga zašto smo se odlučili posvetiti upravo ovom prijevodu. Prvi je taj što je riječ o prvom poznatom Hermanovu prijevodu i spisu sačuvanom pod njegovim imenom. Drugi razlog leži u astrološkoj tematici rasprave zahvaljujući kojoj će se Zapad upoznati s astrologijom, koja se koristi kompleksnim matematičkim proračunima, što će rezultirati drugačijim shvaćanjem astrologije i položaja matematike na Zapadu. Moguć je utjecaj ove rasprave na jedino Hermanovo izvorno djelo, De essentiis (O bitima), koje je napisao 1143. godine. Na kraju donosimo prijevod početka Proročice, što je ujedno prvi, iako samo djelomični, prijevod ove rasprave na hrvatski jezik.Herman Dalmatin was a 12th-century Croatian philosopher and a translator from Arabic into Latin. His most important translations into Latin were those of the eminent Arabic philosophers and scientists Sahl ibn Bishr and Abu Mashar. Herman’s translations contributed to bringing Arabic science and culture to the West, particularly astrology, whose knowledge in Western Europe at that time still relied on Late Roman sources. The paper deals with Herman’s 1138 translation of a part of Sahl ibn Bishr’s book that Herman called Fatidica (the Soothsayer). There are two reasons why this text was chosen. The first is that it is Herman’s first translation and his first text overall. The second reason is that the subject matter makes this text one of the first to introduce astrology to the West and demonstrate the necessity of using complex mathematical calculations, with consequent changes in the Western perception of astrology. The influence of this text on Herman’s only original work, De essentiis (1143), is likely. The paper ends with the translation of the first chapter of the Fatidica, which, though incomplete, is the first translation of this work into Croatian