Basilios Bessarion

January 2, 1403 (age 69)

Trebizond, Turkey

On entering the order of St Basil, he adopted the name of an old Egyptian anchorite Bessarion, whose story he has related. In 1437 he was made archbishop of Nicaea by John VII. Palaeologus, whom he accompanied to Italy in order to bring about a union between the Greek and Latin churches with the object of obtaining help from the West against the Turks. From that time he resided permanently in Italy, doing much, by his patronage of learned men, by his collection of books and manuscripts, and by his own writings, to spread abroad the new learning. He held in succession the archbishopric of Siponto and the bishoprics of Sabina and Frascati. In 1463 he received the title of Latin patriarch of Constantinople; and it was only on account of his Greek birth that he was not elevated to the papal chair. For five years (1450 - 1455) he was legate at Bologna, and he was engaged on embassies to many foreign princes, among others to Louis XI of France in 1471.

Basilios Bessarion

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also known as Johannes Bessarion, Giovanni Bessarione

clergyman

Background

He was born in Trebizond, the Black Sea port in northeastern Anatolia that was the heart of Pontic Greek culture and civilization during the Byzantine and Ottoman periods. The year of his birth has been given as 1389, 1395 or 1403.

Education

He was educated at Constantinople, and in 1423 went to the Peloponnesc to hear Gemistus Pletho expound the philosophy of Plato.

Career

On entering the order of St Basil, he adopted the name of an old Egyptian anchorite Bessarion, whose story he has related.

In 1437 he was made archbishop of Nicaea by John VII.

Palaeologus, whom he accompanied to Italy in order to bring about a union between the Greek and Latin churches with the object of obtaining help from the West against the Turks.

From that time he resided permanently in Italy, doing much, by his patronage of learned men, by his collection of books and manuscripts, and by his own writings, to spread abroad the new learning.

He held in succession the archbishopric of Siponto and the bishoprics of Sabina and Frascati.

In 1463 he received the title of Latin patriarch of Constantinople; and it was only on account of his Greek birth that he was not elevated to the papal chair.

For five years (1450 - 1455) he was legate at Bologna, and he was engaged on embassies to many foreign princes, among others to Louis XI of France in 1471.

Achievements

Bessarion was one of the most learned scholars of his time.

Besides his translations of Aristotle's Metaphysics and Xenophon's Memorabilia, his most important work is a treatise directed against George of Trebizond, a violent Aristotelian, entitled In Calumniatorem Platonis.

Bessarion, though a Platonist, is not so thorough going in his admiration as Gemistus Pletho, and rather strives after a reconciliation of the two philosophies.

His library, which contained a very extensive collection of Greek manuscripts, was presented by him in 1468 to the senate of Venice, and forms the nucleus of the famous library of St Mark's, the Biblioteca Marciana. It was 482 Greek manuscripts and 264 Latin manuscripts.

Views

His work, by opening up the relations of Platonism to the main questions of religion, contributed greatly to the extension of speculative thought in the department of theology.

References

Bessarion Scholasticus: A Study of Cardinal Bessarion's Latin Library (Studies in Byzantine History and Civilization)

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