St. Ambrose Traversari

Ambrogio Traversari (also Ambrose of Camaldoli, Latin Ambrosius Traversarius; * September 19, 1386 in Portico di Romagna, Province of Forlì -Cesena, Italy, † October 21, 1439 in Florence ) was a Tuscan humanist and theologian. He played an important role as a translator of ancient literature.

Life

Ambrogio joined at the age of fourteen years in the Order of Camaldoli, in the monastery of Santa Maria degli Angeli in Florence, he went to live. In a few years he became one of the most respected theologians and Hellenist of his time. His knowledge of Greek he perhaps acquired at Manuel Chrysoloras or Demetrio Scarano, but he gave himself out as an autodidact.

1431 Ambrogio general of the order was initiated and in this capacity, the Congregation of canon law at the Curia in Rome. At the Council of Basel, he took part as papal legate of Eugenius IV. His main concern was the reunion of the churches in the West and East. 1437 moved to its recommendation Pope Eugene IV, the council to Ferrara. Ambrogio not live to see the outcome of the Council; he died on October 20 in 1439. Together with Johannes Bessarion he wrote the decree of union of Ferrara - Florence in the year 1439, with the purely formal existing since 1054 Oriental schism was terminated. The background of this agreement were external developments: The advance of the Turks made ​​the Byzantines, whose empire was before the fall, ready to compromise.

Due to its classic and humanist education Ambrogio was a typical representative of a new, science, literature and the arts facing theology of the 15th century. He was a close friend of Cosimo de ' Medici, promoted the exploration of ancient antiquities, dealt in detail with the early church theology and opened up the Western theologians works by major authors of the Eastern Church ( St. John Chrysostom, Basil the Great, Ephraem the Syrian ). One of secularization of the clergy, he joined implacable; frivolous and bustle of the Cardinals on the Council of Basle, he castigated as a den of iniquity.

Work

Ambrogios main work is the Hodoeporicon, a rhyme poem about a papal undertaken in order visitation to monasteries in Italy. He transferred the Vita of St. John Chrysostom by Palladius, the. Nineteen sermons Ephraem the Syrian and the treatise " On Virginity " by Basil the Great into Italian A number of his manuscripts is now preserved in the library of San Marco in Venice.

From 1431 to 1437 he translated the complete works of Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite. Nicholas of Cusa reported the Tegernsee monks, this reliable translation stand him now available; it is the up to now in Cusanus Hospital lying to Kues Codex Cusanus 43 Nicholas of Cusa also had in 1439 commissioned the translation of the Theologia Platonica of Proclus, the this but until his death could not make Ambrogio; Peter Balbo of Pisa has then completed this project.

A strong aftereffect Ambrogio achieved with his Latin translation of the ancient philosophers biographies of Diogenes Laertius, which was in 1433 awarded the client Cosimo de ' Medici. The 1472 first printed translation Ambrogios was used by the humanist scholars eagerly; the first edition of the Greek original text was not published until 1533.