What is the Apology of al-Kindi?

The Apology of al-Kindi is a medieval theological polemic that makes a case for Christianity while highlighting perceived flaws in Islam. Attributed to an Arab Christian writer named Abd al-Masih ibn Ishaq al-Kindi, the work became a crucial resource for Europe's educated elite to learn about Islam starting in the twelfth century. It was translated into Latin in Spain as part of a collection commissioned by Peter the Venerable.

What we know

• The Apology of al-Kindi is a medieval theological polemic defending Christianity and criticizing Islam. [1, 2]
• The work is attributed to an otherwise unknown Arab Christian named Abd al-Masih ibn Ishaq al-Kindi, distinct from the famous Muslim philosopher Abū Yūsuf ibn Iṣḥāq al-Kindī. [2]
• From the twelfth century onward, the text served as a source of information about Islam for Europe's educated elite. [2]
• Translator Peter of Toledo worked on the Latin translation of the text in the twelfth century. [4]

Where to go next

• whoWho was Peter of Toledo?
• the bigger pictureWhat was the Corpus Cluniacense?
• what followedHow did medieval Europe view Islam?
• how it workedWhat is Christian apologetics?
• compared withWho was the Muslim philosopher al-Kindī?
• an unexpected connectionHow did twelfth-century translations connect European scholars to Islamic texts?Abbot Peter of Toledo and his translation team brought texts like the Apology of al-Kindi and the Qur'an into Latin to study Islam, shaping European scholarship.

Sources

• [1]Apology of al-Kindy (Wikidata Q2820901) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Apology of al-Kindi · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Abdul Masih · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Peter of Toledo · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Plato · CC BY-SA 4.0