NOCTUA

La tradizione filosofica dall’antico al moderno

History of Philosophy from the Ancient to the Modern Age

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Autore / Author: Fiorella Retucci

Affiliazione / Author affiliation: Università del Salento

Titolo / Title: Consuetudo est maxima causa impediens a rebus manifestis per se. Il (cosiddetto) Prologo al III libro del Commento grande alla Fisica di Averroè e la sua tradizione latina

Abstract: This article reconsiders the so-called Prologue to Book III of Averroes’ Commentary on Aristotle’s Physics, a text that has long been associated with controversial positions on religion in the Latin Middle Ages. Through a close examination of the Latin manuscript tradition, early printed editions, and the parallel Hebrew transmission, the study re-evaluates the textual status and placement of this passage within the Commentary. Particular attention is devoted to the relationship between the different textual witnesses and to the variations that emerge across them, as well as to the ways in which the passage was read and interpreted by medieval Latin authors. The analysis also situates the text within the broader framework of Averroes’ thought, especially with regard to his reflections on custom, knowledge, and the communication of truth. By combining philological analysis with the history of reception, the article aims to clarify the conditions under which this text circulated and acquired its significance in the Latin tradition.

Keywords: Giles of Rome; Averroes; prologues; textual transmission; Latin reception.

English title: Consuetudo est maxima causa impediens a rebus manifestis per se. The (so-called) Prologue to Book III of Averroes’ Commentary on the Physics and its Latin Tradition

DOI: 10.14640/NoctuaXIII2

Rivista / Journal: Noctua

ISSN: 2284-1180

Anno / Volume: XIII

Fascicolo / Issue: 1

Pagine / Pages: 53-81

Ricevuto / Submitted: 10/03/2026

Accettato / Accepted: 04/05/2026

Pubblicato / Published: 31/05/2026

Licenza / Licence: CC BY

Permalink: https://dx.doi.org/10.14640/NoctuaXIII2

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ISSN 2284-1180