This commentary on Aristotle's Physics is by John Philoponus, the Christian grammarian and philosopher of Alexandria and pupil of Ammonius, and was written in the early sixth century CE; a remark in the notes on time in Book 4 gives the year of writing as 517. It follows Aristotle's text section by section, setting out the argument and raising difficulties against it.
The first part covers Books 1 to 3: an introduction on the division of philosophy and the place of the Physics among Aristotle's writings on the natural world, then the principles of natural things, physis and the causes, and motion and the infinite. The second part gives Book 4 at full length, on place, void and time, with long discussions of Philoponus' own: against Aristotle he holds that void has a reality of its own, though it is never left empty of body, and that in a void bodies would still fall at speeds set by their weights. Books 5 to 8 survive only as much shorter notes, the last on circular motion and on why a body that turns back along a line must first come to a stop.
Contents
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Αʹ–Γʹ Books 1–3
Philoponus begins with the division of philosophy and the place of the Physics among Aristotle's writings on the natural world, then comments on the first three books: the principles of natural things, physis and the causes, and motion and the infinite. His notes set out how far the natural philosopher deals with form, only so far as it is not separated from matter, and end by showing that time and motion are infinite part by part, never as a whole at once.
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Δʹ–Ηʹ Books 4–8
Place, void and time in Book 4 of Aristotle's Physics are treated at length, with Philoponus's own discussions of place and of void, where he holds that void has a reality of its own yet is never left empty of body, and that in a void bodies would still fall at speeds set by their weights. Books 5 to 8 follow in much shorter notes; the last concern circular motion and why a body that turns back on a line must first stop.