Giannozzo Manetti Research Articles

Valla’s False Modesty: The Annotationes Novi Testamenti Compared with the Biblical Scholarship of Giannozzo Manetti (1396–1459) and Aurelio Lippi Brandolini (1454?–1497)

ABSTRACT The Italian humanist Lorenzo Valla (1406–1457) wrote his Annotationes Novi Testamenti in Rome and Naples in the 1440s and 1450s. According to Valla’s own writings, the aim of this work was to cleanse the Latin Bible of textual corruptions and to clarify obscurities and inaccuracies. He questioned the common belief that the Latin Bible was written by Jerome. This article compares Valla’s reflections on his own project with those of two other fifteenth-century humanists who engaged in biblical scholarship: Giannozzo Manetti (1396–1459) and Aurelio Lippi Brandolini (1454?–1497). Compared to them, Valla’s aim was modest: Manetti and Brandolini never questioned Jerome’s authorship, and yet they competed directly with the Church Father by providing an alternative to the Latin Bible. On the other hand, Valla’s aim may be considered more ambitious, because he directly challenged the Latin Bible as the standard translation of his time.

The Posthuman Homo Faber in Atwood’s Oryx and Crake: An Ironic Portrayal

As a dystopia, Margaret Atwood’s novel Oryx and Crake speculates the looming consequences of scientific inventions and technologies manifested in the destruction of natural equilibrium and posthuman complexities. Homo sapiens' unlimited desires and aspirations for enhancement and excellence have driven humans to enact the Creator. Crake, almost a mad scientist in the novel, creates the Crakers — genetically modified humans. To analyze this life force, the paper uses theoretical insights of humanists like Giannozzo Manetti, Rene Descartes and Friedrich Nietzsche regarding their celebration of human exceptionalism, reason, and free will. But, to counter-argue transgression in the pretext of progress, the paper also uses Donna Haraway’s concept of inter-speciesism and Rosi Braidotti’s critical posthumanism. They promote interdependence, critical review of the past and abstinence to address the posthuman crises and existential dilemmas. The enhanced Crakers are immune to starvation and ordinary diseases, devoid of art, imagination and creativity; but ironically feed on grass and their own excrement, and lack the essence of being human. They challenge Crake's genome project by transcending the lab-limitations but adapting to natural evolution. Hence, this paper examines Atwood's speculation of how modern science and technology distorts the symbiosis and disfigures the humans resulting in unwanted negotiations for survival. A post-human homofaber, Crake tries to resolve the existential crisis by eliminating the Bastion of humanity itself but ironically dehumanizes the human. The question is how far will humanity overrule nature? Who is accountable to repair the earth? Thus, this paper enables a thought exercise to retrospect on human insensibility and undergo abstinence of desires and luxury to save the future of this planet and lives from facing the impending apocalypse, as shown in the novel.

David Marsh. Giannozzo Manetti: The Life of a Florentine Humanist.

The Italian magistrate and scholar Giannozzo Manetti (1396–1459) was celebrated by his peers as one of the most significant intellectuals of his time. He belonged to the circle of major Renaissance humanists such as Leonardo Bruni, Poggio Bracciolini, Francesco Filelfo, and Lorenzo Valla. However, despite his contemporary reputation, and despite the long-lasting success of his treatise De dignitate et excellentia hominis [On the Dignity and Excellence of Man], completed in 1453 and embraced as a programmatic manifesto of Renaissance humanism, most of Manetti’s extensive literary work has been covered by the veil of oblivion. There is no doubt of the renewed interest in Manetti among Renaissance scholars today, as recent editions and translations of his work and the publication of a series of scholarly studies demonstrate. Nevertheless, a comprehensive intellectual biography of Manetti’s life and work has so far been missing, at least in the English-speaking world. David Marsh’s Giannozzo Manetti: The Life of a Florentine Humanist is, for that reason, a most welcome contribution.

David C. Marsh, Giannozzo Manetti. The Life of a Florentine Humanist. London, Harvard University Press (London) 2019

Article David C. Marsh, Giannozzo Manetti. The Life of a Florentine Humanist. London, Harvard University Press (London) 2019 was published on October 1, 2021 in the journal Historische Zeitschrift (volume 313, issue 2).

Federico III e Niccolò V

The visit of Frederick III to Rome in 1452 has been reconstructed on the basis of published and unpublished sources, including correspondence between the orators in the Roman Curia (especially between orators coming from Siena and Milan), urban chronicles (by Stefano Infessura e Paolo Dello Mastro), biographies (De vita ac gestis Nicolai quinti summi pontificis by Giannozzo Manetti) and several historiographic and literary sources (Historia Austrialis by Enea Silvio Piccolomini). Particularly noteworthy is what has been written about the relations between the emperor and Pope Nicholas V, with the latter being concerned that the Roman citizens would revolt during the emperor’s visit, as had already occurred in previous centuries when other emperors arrived in Rome. Most of all, the pope was scared about the conspiracy against the papacy orchestrated by Stefano Porcari, which occurred in 1453, and about an alliance between Frederick III and Alfonso of Aragon, King of Naples. Among all the international controversial issues that emerged during the visit, there was also the issue of Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan, demanding that the coronation of Frederick as King of Italy be held in Milan, prior to him being crowned in Rome by the pope, thus following the old tradition with the Iron Crown of Lombardy. The meeting between Frederick III and Nicholas V, at which no particular problems arose, was partly conducted with Piccolomini’s skilful mediation.

On Human Worth and Excellence ed. by Giannozzo Manetti

On Human Worth and Excellence ed. by Giannozzo Manetti

The Greek library of Giannozzo Manetti (1396–1459): his collection and his Greek studies

AbstractGreek studies were central to the movement of fifteenth‐century Italian humanism, as the humanists claimed themselves. But before 1450, Greek manuscripts were scarce, and many humanists were more enthusiastic about learning the language in theory than in practice. The case of Giannozzo Manetti (1396–1459) helps us understand the nature of humanist Greek studies in practice in this period. My study of Manetti's Greek skills is based on his collection of Greek manuscripts, which have been preserved as a set among the Palatini graeci in the Vatican Library. I compare the way he collected and used his Greek manuscripts with his use of Greek sources in his Latin writings. Whereas Manetti hardly used Greek sources in the 1430s and 1440s, after 1450 he produced new Latin translations from the Greek. I suggest that this change could result from a sudden improvement in his Greek skills, but also from a different modus operandi in the case of his original Latin compositions as opposed to his translations.

The Humanist World of Renaissance Florence. By Brian Maxson.New York: Cambridge University Press, 2014. Pp. x+302. $95.00 (cloth); $76.00 (Adobe eBook Reader).

<i>The Humanist World of Renaissance Florence</i>. By Brian Maxson.New York: Cambridge University Press, 2014. Pp. x+302. $95.00 (cloth); $76.00 (Adobe eBook Reader).

Giannozzo Manetti in Leonardo Bruni’s Shadow: The Formation and Defense of a Humanist Hebraist

Giannozzo Manetti in Leonardo Bruni’s Shadow: The Formation and Defense of a Humanist Hebraist

ジャンノッツォ・マネッティの『世俗と教皇庁の式典について』における建築的描写について

Giannozzo Manetti (1396-1459) is a famous humanist in an intellectual circle of pope Eugenius IV and Nicholas V. De Secularibus et Pontificalibus Pompis is a detailed description of the consecration of Florence Cathedral in 1436. This text has caught the distinctive features of architectural ekphrases of the fiftteenth century in Italy. I regarded Giannozzo Manetti as an “architect” in the Early Renaissance. Based on my analysis about De Secularibus et Pontificalibus Pompis, it is reasonable to suppose that Giannozzo Manetti is a rival of Alberti in the practice of architecture.

Giannozzo Manetti's New Testament: new evidence on sources, translation process and the use of Valla's Annotationes

In the 1450s, the court of Pope Nicholas V was a centre of humanist learning, including humanist biblical scholarship. This is where Lorenzo Valla (1407–57) wrote his Annotationes in Novum Testamentum, a work that influenced later biblical scholarship through Erasmus' edition. However, Valla was not the only humanist to revise the Vulgate: around the same time, the Florentine humanist Giannozzo Manetti (1396–1459) produced a new Latin translation of the New Testament from the Greek, also at the Vatican court. This is the only Latin translation between Jerome's Vulgate and Erasmus' version, and it was probably commissioned by the pope himself. Although Valla's work is well known, Manetti's text remains in manuscript, and has hardly been studied. This article presents new insights in the writing process of Manetti's translation and its relation to Valla's biblical scholarship. It shows that Valla's project was not an isolated case, and that Manetti, though influenced by his more famous contemporary, was an independent scholar who developed his own method over time.

Christine Smith and Joseph F. O'Connor, Building the Kingdom: Giannozzo Manetti on the Material and Spiritual Edifice. (Medieval and Renaissance Texts and Studies, 317; Arizona Studies in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, 20.) Tempe, Ariz.: Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, in collaboration with Brepols, 2006. Pp. xviii, 518; 24 black-and-white figures. $69.

Previous articleNext article No AccessChristine Smith and Joseph F. O'Connor, Building the Kingdom: Giannozzo Manetti on the Material and Spiritual Edifice. (Medieval and Renaissance Texts and Studies, 317; Arizona Studies in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, 20.) Tempe, Ariz.: Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, in collaboration with Brepols, 2006. Pp. xviii, 518; 24 black-and-white figures. $69.Roger J. CrumRoger J. CrumUniversity of Dayton Search for more articles by this author University of DaytonPDFPDF PLUSFull Text Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by Speculum Volume 86, Number 2April 2011 The journal of the Medieval Academy of America Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1017/S0038713411000625 Views: 10Total views on this site Copyright © The Medieval Academy of America 2011PDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.

A Crusade For the Humanities: From the Letters of Cardinal Bessarion

A Crusade For the Humanities: From the Letters of Cardinal Bessarion (TranslatedbyAviSharon) Theearly history oftheStudia Humanitatis intheWest istightly bound upwith the PapalCourt . During the fourteenth andfifteenth centuries , atintervals ofapproximately every tenyears , representatives oftheGreek Church journeyed toEurope tomeet with Rome andadvocate boththeunion ofthetwochurches anda crusade to drive theinfidel Turk from the wallsofConstantinople. Though neither crusade norunification materialized, these Ecumenical Councils offered crucialopportunities forcultural and educational exchange . AtonesuchEcumenical potlatch ,attheCuria inAvignon in1342,Petrarch , theacknowledged father ofItalianRenaissance Humanism , wasgiven eighty-two daysofinstruction intheGreek language byBarlaam , thevisiting Bishop ofGerace inCalabria . At theKonstanz Council in141j, themost renowned teacher ofGreek during thepasttwenty years, ManuelChrysoloras, was onlykept from being elected Popebyhisuntimely death . Butitisonly much later, withtheFerrara-Florence council of1439,thattheVatican andthecity ofRomewouldbegin todevelop, as hadboth Florence andVenice, into a true center ofGreek learning. Thisisdueinlarge parttothe presence there ofCardinal Bessarion, a Greek convert to Catholicism, advisor totheGreek contingent attheFlorence Councilandoneoftheleading scholars ofhisdayIntheremaining thirty years ofhislife, Bessarion dedicated himself tomaking Romea vitalhubofbothGreek andLatinscholarship, with hishomeonthe Quirinal serving as a point ofrendezvous forGreek emigre culture anda truly Roman Academy . InspiteofhisGreek curriculum inAvignon, Petrarch stillcould not"hearthe voice"oftheGreek poets whom hisbeloved Cicero so esteemed . Oneofthemost strangely moving images ofliterary history hasPetrarch ina private letter, addressing hischerished manuscript ofHomerwith thewords : "Alas,I amdeaftoyouandyou aremuteto me" Bessarion, a remarkable Janus figure inRome, looking both EastandWest (Vallacalled himGraecorum Romanissimus , Graecissimus Romanorum), wouldlateremploy thissame Petrarchan trope inhisownattempt tohearandpreserve thevoice oftheGreek tradition . He wrote, inGreek, after thefallofByzanARION 19.2 FALL 20II 164 ACRUSADE FORTHEHUMANITIES tium, urging hisscribe andmanuscript-hound Michael Apolstolos tobuyupanyGreek texts hecouldfind so that anyGreeks whoare left " might beabletoretain, somewhere, thefull voiceoftheir own land, oratleastthesmall fragment ofitwhich wepossess today . . . lestitperish and remain voiceless forall time."Laterhe would write, inLatin, toDukeChristopher Maurus andthesenate ofthe Venetians abouthisextensive library, declaring that"these books arefullofthevoicesofthewise,fullofexamples from antiquity, fullofmorals andlawsandreligion . Theylive,they converse and speakwith us,they teach us,educate us,console us." Bessarion had fashioned himself toachieve precisely this twofold EastWest ambitionofsalvaging andperpetuating thevoiceofGreece, which Petrach hadearlier lamented ofever hearing. Under theHumanist Pope,NicholasV (1447-1455),andcontinuing untilhisowndeathin 1472,Bessarion gathered thedevotion and theresources to encourage a sterling groupoffellow scholars, manuscript hunters andscribes . His circle oftranslators andfriends included menlikeLorenzoValla, George Trapezuntius, Theodore Gaza, PoggioBracciolini, Giannozzo Manetti, Nicollo Perotti, and others. Yettheatmosphere and workofBessarion3 s Roman Academy remain under-acknowledged, dwarfed byanacademic predilection for thehistories ofFlorence andVenice. Thefact isthat Romeinthis period andlater played a central roleinunderwriting thetransference ofGreek culture toEurope. -AS Cardinal Bessarion to Duke Christopher Maurus ANDTOTHESENATE OFTHEVENETIANS. Alwaysfromtheearliestdays of myyouth,I applied all mylabors,all ofmyenergy, devotionand zeal, as muchas I was able, to thegathering together of books in everyrange of discipline.For thisreason,not onlyas a boy and young man did I copy out in myown hand manyof thesebooks, butwhateverpettysummyslimfrugality could lay aside,I haveexpendedinthesepurchases.I do thisbecauseI believe thatthereis no moreworthyor honorablepossession,no moredignified and valuabletreasure whichI could possibly AviSharon 165 acquire. For thesebooks are fullof thevoices of thewise, fullofexamplesfromantiquity, fullofmoralsand laws and religion.They live,theyconverseand speak withus, they teach us, educate us, console us and, what is more,those things whichseemmostremoteinourmemory are suddenly broughthome to us and placed beforeour veryeyes. So greatis theirpower,so largetheirdignity and majesty, even theirspirit, that,weretherenone ofthesebooks,we would be renderedbarbarousand unlettered, withno recollection oftimesgone by,no modelsof behaviorto emulate,no real awarenessofthings humanand divine.The sameurnwhich hidesthebodiesofthesesageswould obscureeventhememoryoftheirnamesamongmen . AlthoughI have alwayszealouslyoverseenthisenterprise withall mysoul,eversincethefallofGreeceand thepitiful captureofByzantium, I havedevotedall ofmystrength, intelligence , and industry withan evenmoreardentdesire.For I dreadedmostvehemently, lestalong withso manyother things, sucha greatnumberofthemostexcellentbooks,so muchlabor and vigilanceof thefinest men,so manylights on thisearthmight, inso brief a time,be endangered or forgotten .For already, out ofthetwo hundredthousandbooks thatPlutarchclaimswere in thelibraryat Apamia, hardly one thousandhave survivedinto our own time.Therefore we have tried,as muchas was in our power,to collectnot themostbutthefinest bookspossible,and singlevolumesof singleworksat that,and in thisway to gatherand preserve almostall theworksoftheGreekwisemen,especially those thatwererareand difficult to locate. ButI would nothave satisfied mydesireunlessI had providedfora place to keep thesebooks afterI am gone withthesame care and labor thatI broughtto thispursuitduringmylife,so thatthey would neverbe scattered about or losteveragain. 166 ACRUSADE FORTHEHUMANITIES Bessarion to Michael Apostolos. As faras thesethingsgo, may God directthemto the good. Butas forourselves, thereare stillnota fewbooks of ourteachersmissing. Whilethecommonand sole hearthof theGreeksstillstood,I rested content knowingthatall those workswere safelystoredaway there.But withthe fall...

Book Review: Christine Smith and Joseph F. O’Connor, Building the Kingdom: Giannozzo Manetti on the Material and Spiritual Edifice, Medieval and Renaissance Texts and Studies 317 (Tempe, AZ: ACMRS Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies in collaboration with Brepols, 2007), XXVIII + 518 pp.

Book Review: Christine Smith and Joseph F. O’Connor, Building the Kingdom: Giannozzo Manetti on the Material and Spiritual Edifice, Medieval and Renaissance Texts and Studies 317 (Tempe, AZ: ACMRS Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies in collaboration with Brepols, 2007), XXVIII + 518 pp.

Enunciating authority: exonarrative inscriptions on or near miniatures of the Divine Comedy

Enunciating authority: exonarrative inscriptions on or near miniatures of the Divine Comedy

La trattatistica de miseria hominis nel primo Rinascimento

The notion of dignitas hominis is one of the most pervasive and long-lasting topoi in the traditional representation of the early Renaissance. In order to reconstruct the different strands of the debate about mankind in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, however, humanist and religious works on the “misery” of human condition also need to be taken into consideration. In these pages, a general overview on this subject is given, with a description of the key issues discussed in these texts and of their classical and Christian sources. Also, three humanist works (Leon Battista Alberti’s Theogenius, Poggio Bracciolini’s De miseria humanae conditionis, and Giannozzo Manetti’s Dialogus consolatorius) are compared and contrasted, especially from the viewpoint of the style, characters, and aims of these dialogues, so as to present three different approaches to the problem of human wretchedness and frailness.

Review: Building the Kingdom: Giannozzo Manetti on the Material and Spiritual Edifice, by Christine Smith and Joseph F. O'Connor

Review: <i>Building the Kingdom: Giannozzo Manetti on the Material and Spiritual Edifice</i>, by Christine Smith and Joseph F. O'Connor

Building the Kingdom: Giannozzo Manetti on the Material and Spiritual Edifice (review)

Building the Kingdom: Giannozzo Manetti on the Material and Spiritual Edifice (review)

Latin Translation in the Renaissance: The theory and practice of Leonardo Bruni, Giannozzo Manetti, and Desiderius Erasmus. Von Paul Botley

<i>Latin Translation in the Renaissance: The theory and practice of Leonardo Bruni, Giannozzo Manetti, and Desiderius Erasmus</i>. Von Paul Botley

Latin translation in the Renaissance: the theory and practice of Leonardo Bruni, Giannozzo Manetti, and Desiderius Erasmus

Introduction 1. Leonardo Bruni 2. Gionnozzo Manetti 3. Erasmus and the New Testament 4. Renaissance translations: some categories Appendix References Index of names.