1 The Reception of Magentenos’ Work and Modern Scholarship on him: an Overview

Abstract

The locus communis of scholarship concerning Leon Magentenos is the uncertainty that surrounds both his identity and the exact date of his work.1 However, the dissemination of codices that contain the works of this Byzantine scholar highlights his influence. Magentenos wrote commentaries on Porphyrios’ Isagoge and seemingly on all of Aristotle’s logical works, that is, the Organon.2 Of particular interest is the manuscript tradition of Magentenos’ work on Int., Anal. Pr. and the Anal. Post. Regarding the first treatise, there are three commentaries ascribed to the Byzantine philosopher. Besides the textus receptus,3 there also exists a commentary on Int. printed by Aldus Manutius in Venice (1503).4 Adolf Busse disputed the authenticity of the latter text,5 but Börje Bydén has recently explained his reasons for thinking that this work might indeed have been authored by Magentenos.6 Moreover, there is a third commentary transmitted in Vat. gr. 2173 (15th c.) that bears no resemblance to the other two mentioned.7 As for dubia, we may point to two later codices which transmit individual scholia on the Anal. Pr. attributed to Magentenos. These differ from one another, as well as from the the rest of the textual witnesses.8