George of Trebizond
Georgios Trapezuntios (Greek Γεώργιος Τραπεζούντιος, George of Trebizond, Georgius Trapezuntius ) (* April 4, 1395 on the then Venetian Crete, † 1472 or 1484 in Rome) was a Greek scholar and philosopher. He is regarded as one of the revivalist of Greek literature in Italy and became known as an advocate of the philosophy of Aristotle and as a translator of Greek authors. He transferred in addition to several works of Aristotle as the rhetoric of Plato's Laws.
He named himself after the hometown of his family, who came from Trebizond, which at the time was a respected seat of learning.
Georgios came 1416-1430 prior to the destruction of Constantinople Opel to Italy and led since 1433, after learning the Latin language, the life of a wandering schoolmaster in Venice, Padua and Vicenza.
In the methodology Trapezuntios was Christianized Aristotelian.
Eugenius IV summoned him as papal secretary to Rome. Later he became a professor at the local studio. He became a successful successor of Manuel Chrysoloras. There were Spanish, German and French, to hear him. It supports Regiomontanus, the astronomical investigations made in Rome, in his study of the Greek language. In 1450 he gave this teaching voluntarily again.
By Pope Nicholas V, he was with the translation of the Greek writings of Eusebius, Cyril, Chrysostom, Aristotle ( Rhetoric ), Plato ( 1451, laws) and Ptolemy entrusted into Latin. He made word - to-word translations that have already been sharply criticized at the time of humanists. He came into conflict with Bessarion, with Theodorus Gaza, Niccolò Perotti and Poggio. Through the profligacy of his work and his arrogant nature, he forfeited the favor of the Pope, so that he had to leave Rome in 1452.
The Almagest translation has been corrected, among others, Georg von Peuerbach.
George of Trebizond moved after some time by various cities in Italy without a specific location and income. Under Paul II in 1453 he was allowed to then return from Naples, where he was under the protection of Alfonso V ( Aragón ), to Rome. He never regained its former prestige and got into new processes. Although he was a gifted teacher, he made himself unpopular by all puffed up and nagging.
1454 directed Bessarion, the Greek polemic In calumniatorem Platonis ( 1469 Latin) against Trapezuntios. 1458 he attacked in his book Comparatio Platonis et Aristotelis the resulted of Plethon to Italy Neoplatonism and imputed his representatives, they would undermine Christianity and introduce a new paganism.
On a trip to Byzantium he undertook probably the failed attempt to convert the Sultan of Turkey to Christianity. With his book, The Truth of the Christian faith, he was convinced that God is the "unity of all people " wishes, and suggested to the Sultan before, renounce violence, and to convene a meeting between Christians and Muslims.
He died in Rome in great poverty and was buried in the Minerva, near which he had owned a modest house.
His " Short dialectics " seems to have been first printed in 1508.