The Text if Physics VIII 1. 250b13 as a Case Study

The contribution is a follow-up to my textual note in Aristotelica 3 (2023) on Physics VIII 1.250b1. What is at issue is a previously neglected lectio difficilior concerning cosmic motion, i.e., εἰ ἦν καὶ ἀεὶ ἔσται, “if it was [always] there, it will also always be”, vs. ἀεὶ ἦν καὶ ἀεὶ ἔσται, “it was there always and it will al- ways be”. The theoretical relevance of the reading emerged more clearly in the subsequent debate: it may imply a hypothetical foundation of Aristotle’s the- ory of the eternity of cosmic motion, hence, of the cosmos itself, and hence, of its first unmoved principle. The question is: how can this case study con- tribute to the evolving research field of Aristotelian textual criticism? I will provide a more comprehensive answer in ‘Aristotle’s Earliest Extant Manu- scripts. New Doubts and Perspectives’ forthcoming in Aristotelica 6.