Cardinal Bessarion 1403 1472

Cardinal Bessarion was a towering figure in the fifteenth-century Renaissance. His life spanned the century. In his sixty-nine years of life, he was a stellar student, a Basilian monk, a Greek Orthodox archbishop, a Roman cardinal, a papal diplomat, and an eminent humanist and scholar. Cardinal Bessarion’s life and career were shaped by the tidal wave of the advance of the Ottoman Turks towards the West and by the centuries-old tension between the Orthodox East and the Latin West. He made a significant impact in both these areas. His long-term legacy is his contribution to the revival of classical learning in the fifteenth century Renaissance. This biography presents Cardinal Bessarion in his time and explores his personal perspective on his times and experience. It will be of interest to anybody with an interest in the fifteenth century Renaissance and to specialists in Christian/Islamic relations in the period, the theological tensions between the Latin West and the Greek East, and the history of scholarship.

"Cardinal Bessarion was a towering figure in the fifteenth century Renaissance. His life spanned the century. In his sixty-nine years of life he was a stellar student, a Basilian monk, a Greek Orthodox archbishop, a Roman cardinal, a papal diplomat, an eminent humanist and scholar. Bessarion's life and career were shaped by the tidal wave of the advance of the Ottoman Turks towards the West, and by the centuries' old tension between the Orthodox East and the Latin West. He made a significant impact in both these areas. His long-term legacy is his contribution to the revival of classical learning in the revival of classical learning in the Renaissance. This biography presents the life of Cardinal Bessarion, exploring his personal perspective on his age and his experience. It will be of interest to anybody with an interest in the European Renaissance and to specialists in Christian/Islamic relations in the period, the theological tensions between the Latin West and the Greek East, and the history of scholarship"--

This fascinating study reconstructs the tradition of the Legend of the True Cross in text and image, from its tentative beginnings in 4th-century Jerusalem to the culminating expression of its multi-layered cosmic content in 14th and 15th-century monumental cycles in Germany and Italy.

This work is a guide to the life, thought and activities of Nicholas of Cusa (1401-1464), the great fifteenth-century philosopher, theologian, jurist, author of mystical and ecclesiastical treatises, cardinal and reformer. It is intended not only for advanced scholars, but also for beginners and those simply curious about a man who has been called 'one of the greatest Germans of the fifteenth century' and a 'medieval thinker for the modern age'. The book provides a series of detailed but readable essays on ideas, persons, and places, a work developed over the course of nearly three decades. First, it contains articles on the important events and concepts that affected Cusanus--philosophical, religious, intellectual and political. Then it turns to his precursors and contemporaries, both friendly and critical. These include philosophers, theologians, politicians, and canon lawyers. And third, the book follows the footsteps of the man from Kues and examines various sites where he lived, studied, or visited. Because the author has also visited many of these sites, he can contribute personal observations to enliven the journey. To add to the book's usefulness as a resource and reference tool, each entry is followed by a bibliography containing both recent and older works. The purpose of the volume is to gain a greater appreciation of Cusanus and his legacy by striving for a total view of his thought and experience instead of narrowly focusing on specific philosophical, theological or intellectual ideas, or certain periods of his activities in isolation from other facets of this compelling figure.

Gives accurate and reliable summaries of the current state of research. It includes entries on philosophers, problems, terms, historical periods, subjects and the cultural context of Renaissance Philosophy. Furthermore, it covers Latin, Arabic, Jewish, Byzantine and vernacular philosophy, and includes entries on the cross-fertilization of these philosophical traditions. A unique feature of this encyclopedia is that it does not aim to define what Renaissance philosophy is, rather simply to cover the philosophy of the period between 1300 and 1650.

This book offers a new and interdisciplinary approach to the history of papal Rome, 1400-80. It argues that the College of Cardinals emerged as key agents of its renaissance because of the crises of the fifteenth century.

The importance of Bessarion's contribution to the history of Byzantine and Renaissance philosophy and culture during the 15th century is beyond dispute. However, an adequate appreciation of his contribution still remains a desideratum of scholarly research. One serious impediment to scholarly progress is the fact that the critical edition of his main philosophical work "In Calumniatorem Platonis" is incomplete and that this work has not been translated in its entirety into any modern language yet. Same can be stated about several minor but equally important treatises on literary, theological and philosophical subjects. This makes editing, translating and interpreting his literary, religious and philosophical works a scholarly priority. Papers assembled in this volume highlight a number of philological, philosophical and historical aspects that are crucial to our understanding of Bessarion's role in the history of European civilization and to setting the directions of future research in this field.