–published in Arabic
–plus once in Latin (1070 CE)—Fons Vitae—with no attribution to ibn Gabirol;
–plus once in Hebrew (c. 1250–1275 CE) with no attribution to ibn Gabirol.
Fons Vitae (1070 CE), a Latin neo–Platonic metaphysical work which portrays creation as a cosmic struggle between form and matter.
“…was widely circulated among Catholic scholars who did not know the true religious or actual identity of its author”
–James Carroll, Constantine’s Sword, p. 302.
The Latin work Fons Vitae (thought for centuries to be the work of a Christian cleric) Avicebron, was discovered in 1846 CE (776 years after its original publication) to be a translation from an earlier Arabic text.
The original Arabic work, in turn, was written by the Jewish philosopher Solomon ibn Gabirol.
There was a Hebrew version of Fons Vitae, as well, translated from the original Arabic into Hebrew by Shem–Tov Palquera (Falaquera) (c.1225–1290 CE). A Spanish Jewish philosopher and poet, well–versed in Greek and Arabic, whose (1225 CE) birth post–dated the 1070 CE posthumous publication of the Latin Fons Vitae version. (It is not clear whether the Palquera Hebrew version unearthed was fully intact, and whether it included the introductory pages, and whether they showed any attribution to ibn Gabirol or any disclaimer of original authorship by Palquera.)
Solomon ibn Gabirol was a poet and philosopher and ethicist, who wrote his metaphysics in Arabic and his poetry in Hebrew. He was born in Malaga, Spain around 1021 CE, and died in Valencia, Spain around 1058 (in his late 30s). His time, place and body–of–works would place him in the Andalucian school of Jewish personages. Ibn Gabirol’s philosophical works are neo–Platonic, and he is considered as having been a “bridge” between Hellenic philosophy and the Eastern world.
Solomon ibn Gabirol has been enshrined hitherto in the Jewish pantheon primarily for his Hebrew poetry. His best known poem is Keter Malchut – Royal Crown (see exhibits for 1070 CE).