Giannozzo Manetti

Giannozzo Manetti ( born June 5, 1396 Florence, † October 27, 1459 in Naples) was an Italian humanist and politician.

Life

A native of Florence Manetti was a brilliant speaker, ruled as a rare exception of his time perfect all three classical languages ​​(ie other than the usual Latin and Greek and Hebrew), was versatile and had formed one of the most important Renaissance libraries that always essentially together is still within the Palatina funds in the Vatican. His work includes, among other speeches, biographies (of Dante, Petrarch and Boccaccio, and so on ), historiographical works, translations from Greek and Hebrew ( after Hieronymus he was the first of the Psalter from the Hebrew newly translated ), and philosophical treatises. Of particular importance is his translation of Aristotle. He embodies just the spirit of the Italian Renaissance humanism.

The image of man of the Renaissance is a significant precipitation in Manetti's treatise De dignitate et excellentia hominis ( On the Dignity and majesty of man, 1452 ). Manetti presented to the people here as almost perfect being. Even the human body, the Manetti to the items described in an anatomically correct is praised whether its functionality and perfect arrangement in the highest terms. On the human soul Manetti emphasizes above all the intelligence that enables him to tremendous creative cultural achievements. Thus man, there is almost like a god on earth over the world ministering to him. Manetti therefore opposes the widespread medieval belief in the " misery of man " ( miseria hominis ), such as those in Lothar of Segni, the future Pope Innocent III. , Popular treatise De miseria Humanae conditionis ( From the misery of human existence, end of the 12th century ) is expressed. Manetti's work contains many novel for the incipient Renaissance ideas, but was still hardly been received by other authors. It was used as a source about in Pierre Boaistuaus Bref discours de l' excellence de l' homme et dignité, hints can also be found in Fernan Perez de Oliva Diálogo de la dignidad del hombre. Thematically closely related is the unequal more famous treatise by Giovanni Pico della Mirandola, titled On the Dignity of Man.

Manetti also wrote a biography of Pope Nicholas V, in whose service he was. He was there Bisticci also supported by the Florentine bookseller Vespasian build his library. This, in turn, wrote a biography about Manetti.

Works

  • Ianotii Manetti et de dignitate excellentia hominis libri IV Cratander, Basileae 1532.
  • Ianotii Manetti et de dignitate excellentia hominis. Edidit Elizabeth Riley Leonard. Editrice Antenore, Padova 1975 ( Thesaurus Mundi. Bibliotheca scriptorum Latinorum mediae et recentioris Aetatis, 12). - (Text Critical Edition )
  • About the dignity and majesty of the people. Edited and introduced by August Buck, translated by Hartmut Leppin. Meiner, Hamburg 1990, ISBN 978-3-7873-0958-0.
  • Biographical Writings. Edited and translated by Stefano U. Baldassarri and Rolf Bagemihl. Harvard University Press, 2003 ( I Tatti Renaissance Library 9), ISBN 0-674-01134-1. Rez by Federica Ciccolella, in: Electronic Antiquity 8.2, May 2005, pp. 88-91, online. (PDF file, 92 kB)
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