Abstract

The twelfth book (Lambda) of the “Metaphysics” of Aristotle has undergone a crucial transformation through the diverse interpretations over the centuries. Thus it has been transmitted up to today as a theological writing (chapter 1). But this made hardly recognizable both the original intention of the author and the structure of the text. The present work is a historical reconstruction of the various interpretations of the text since the first Peripatetic thinkers until today, especially those by Michael Frede (chapter 2), Lindsay Judson (chapter 3) and Stephen Menn (chapter 4). Frede states that the book Lambda is an inquiry into the substance (ousiology); Judson thinks that it presents the first philosophy; Menn argues that it is rather an investigation about the first principles (archaeology). A different opinion is set forth here, namely, that the book Lambda explores the principles of the substance, and in doing so it embodies Aristotle’s understanding of the sophia (chapter 5). Moreover, this new reading of the text solves the problem of the position of the twelfth book in the “Metaphysics” thanks to the composition of a map, which clarifies its structure (appendix).