Europe has its roots in many influences, including the rational thought that emerged in Andalusia when Muslims occupied most of the Iberian peninsula. Godefroid de Callataÿ, a researcher and professor at UCL’s Institute of Civilisation, Arts and Letters (INCAL), has demonstrated how these thinkers, who were ahead of their time, were already active in the 10th century – one century earlier than previously thought. His research recently earned him an Advanced Grant from the European Research Council (ERC).
Increasing numbers of specialists on the Arab world are becoming interested in a wave of thinkers who originated in Islam, were known as the Brethren of Purity (Ikhwān al-Ṣafā’), and were active in 10th-century Iraq. Godefroid de Callataÿ, an expert in the field, made some astonishing discoveries during a stay in Spain. He explains, ‘In 2012-13, I took a sabbatical at the University of Barcelona, which is home to the leading expertise on the philosophy and sciences of the Arab world in general and on their reception in Andalusia in particular. I went there with the idea of studying the impact of the work of the Brethren of Purity in Andalusia, and from there its impact on the European medieval period.’ But his research led him to a more surprising discovery.
Brethren of Purity Frontispiece of a Rutbat al-ḥakīm manuscript, an andalusian alchemy tract
Researching a mystery
The Brethren of Purity wanted to be mysterious. ‘They were first and foremost anonymous. They had to be, because they didn’t follow the Orthodox line of Islam. That’s why they’re hard to figure out or study. They wanted to combine the rational knowledge of the time and traditional knowledge, the latter of which was focused essentially on religious doctrine. They wrote an encyclopaedia composed of 52 epistles.’ These epistles are grouped according to four overarching themes: mathematics, natural sciences, sciences of the soul and intellect, and divine sciences.
‘What sets them apart is their extraordinary open-mindedness, that’s what I find fascinating about them. They drew on three great monotheist religions. They were also inspired by Ancient Greece, Persia and India, with a particular interest in the more esoteric sciences. In fact, it’s a major error to study their work without considering their contributions to what today are called pseudosciences, such as astrology, magic or alchemy, but that were at the time an integral part of rational knowledge.’ That said, few philosophers of the time (or even later ones) aligned themselves with their thinking, because it was very far removed from established orthodoxy. So their teaching took place ‘underground’.
100 years later
The secret, elusive, anonymous character of this philosophical movement made studying it much more complicated. But Dr de Callataÿ was able to demonstrate that these thinkers originated even further back in time than generally known and their influence in Andalusia is also much older and more significant than has been recognised to the present day. This discovery is at the heart of the project for which he obtained the prestigious grant.
By analysing the reception of the encyclopaedia of the Brethren of Purity and the reception of similar works (such as the Jabirian corpus and the tract known by the name Nabataean Agriculture), the entire project aims to call into question both the time and the conditions in which the philosophy and rational thought first appeared in the cultural crossroads that was Andalusia. ‘As for the philosophical movement advocated by the Brethren of Purity, even though it’s not directly the object of my work, I think it can be the source of inspiration for a more enlightened form of Islam. Even if it was at times ill-perceived, its principles of openness should inspire every intellectual.’
ERC in humanities
This work is gaining the support of other researchers, but also institutions that finance fundamental research in fields in which the benefits of discoveries aren’t necessarily immediate. ‘The European Research Council awards big budgets to very original projects. My “Advanced Grant” comes from panel SHS5, which evaluates projects in the social sciences and humanities, and those under the latter are but a small minority every year. It’s been four years, since my sabbatical in Spain, that I’ve nurtured this project. Thanks to this prestigious grant and the research team it allowed me to put together, I sincerely think it will be possible to rewrite a chapter of Arab philosophy.’
This is because Dr de Callataÿ’s experience developed over time and is now internationally recognised. ‘I had the time to become an expert on the subject, by writing many articles and books, travelling abroad many times to study, which helped me build a large international network. The subject’s originality seems to have appealed to ERC experts. I admit I’m proud to have landed the grant for UCL in the field of the humanities and particularly in the field of Arab studies.’
Between the end of 2017 and 2022 (five years), at least four postdoctoral students can be hired, each working on a sub-project. Three major international colloquiums can also be financed.
Carine Maillard
A glance at Godefroid de Callatay's bio
1966 : Year of birth
1984-1986 : Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy, UCL
1984-1988 : Master’s Degree in Classical Studies, UCL
1988-1990 : Master’s Degree in Oriental Studies, UCL
1990-1991 : Erasmus grant, Pembroke College, University of Oxford
1991-1992 : Grant from the Institut historique belge de Rome, Academia Belgica, Rome
1993-1996 : PhD in Combined Historical Studies, Warburg Institute, University of London
1997-1998 : Postgraduate Fellowship, Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung, Universitāt Münster
1999-2007 : Associate Professor, Orientalist Institute, UCL
2003-2012 : Principal Investigator, FSR project ‘Encyclopédies comme images du monde et comme vecteurs d’échanges intellectuels
dans l’Islam et l’Occident au Moyen-Age’, UCL
Since 2007 : Professor (Arab studies, Islam), Orientalist Institute, UCL
2008-2010 : Visiting Faculty Member, American University of Paris
2012-2013 : Visiting research scholar, Universitat Barcelona
2012-2017 : Principal Investigator, ARC project ‘Speculum Arabicum’ (Comparative Medieval Encyclopaedism), UCL
2016 : Coordinator, MOOC GLOR ‘Oriental Beliefs: Between Reason and Tradition’, UCL
Since 2015: Full Professor, Orientalist Institute, UCL