The Muslim philosopher and scientist Ibn Rush'd was a translator not only of books but also of civilizations. Cordoba was his laboratory, the works of Aristotle the materials he used for his experiments. The result: a 12th century European renaissance.

Since the 6th century, classical scholarship had been neglected or suppressed by the Catholic Church. Centers of Islamic learning, however, had preserved the works of philosphers of antiquity, giving pride of place to Aristotle. In 1169, Ibn Rushd, a polymath also known as Averroes, began translating and commenting on Aristotle's works. His surroundings were perfect for the task. For several centuries, Spain had been controlled by Muslims, whose literary and artistic culture far surpassed that of medieval Europe. Cordoba's library contained 400,000 volumes: more, it is said, than all the other libraries of Europe combined.

For 26 years, Ibn Rushd put his mind to rescuing Aristotle, translating his works fom Greek to Arabic. They soon found their way into Latin and into the bloodstream of European intellectual life. Philosophy was transformed, East to West, from arid dogmatism into a robust new synthesis of reason and faith

from the Collector's Edition The Life Millennium; 1998
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