A'VE RO'MA IN'MORTA'LIS. A work by F. Marion Crawford (1898) on studies of Rome.
AVERROtS, a-ver'r6-ez (Anu Witut) Mo HAMMED IBN AIIMED 113N ROSI1D) C.112G 98). A famous Spanish-Arabian philosopher and jurist, born at Cordova. His father and grandfather had been great jurists. His grand father wrote works on Arabic. civil and religious law, and it was only natural that Averroes should turn to law. At Cordova he studied theology and philosophy under Tofail and medicine under Zulu.. His father instructed him in jurispru dence. By Tofail he was introduced to Abu Yakub Yusuf, the Caliph of Mo•oeeo. Aver roes, however, did not stay long in Morocco. In 1169 he was appointed judge in Seville, and then at his native town, Cordova. In 1182 he was appointed physician to the Caliph of :Mo rocco, but again he left to take a judgeship in Cordova. Being accused of doctrines contrary to orthodox Mohammedanism, he was deprived of his office and exiled to Lucena, where he lived in great poverty. Again he was called to Mo roceo, where he died.
Averrnes regarded Aristotle as the greatest of all the philosophers, and the one who alone was able to attain perfection. His commentaries on the works of Aristotle (extant in Hebrew and Latin translations) exerted a great influence on the scholastic school in Europe. He opposed the orthodox school, and insisted that the Koran must he explained in the light of reason, and not along mystical lines, as Algazali had done. The latter had written a work against philosophy. The Destruction. of Philosophy. This was an swered by Averroes in The Destruction of the Hest ruetion, which was translated into Latin by Locatellus (1497-1529). In medicine Ave•roes sided with Aristotle as against Galen; his medi cal work, Co/Liget, appeared in Latin (Venice, 1482 and 1514). His complete works were pub lished in 1552 at Venice. For more extended bibliography consult Henan. A serroes et Pure• e (Paris, 1852) ; Broekelmann, arsehichte der arabischcn Littcrutur (Weimar, 1899).