Giuseppe Ricciotti
Encyclopedia
Abbot
Giuseppe Ricciotti, C.R.L. (Rome
, 1890 – 1964) was an Italian
canon regular, Biblical scholar and archeologist. He is mainly famous for his book Life of Jesus Christ edited in 1941 and reedited and reprinted several times.
of the Roman Catholic religious order
of the Canons Regular of the Lateran
, taking religious vows
the following year. After his seminary
studies and completing mandatory military service, he was ordained
as a priest
in 1913. After ordination, Ricciotti continued his studies at the University of Rome, where he took courses in both philosophy
and theology
. At the same time he did coursework at the Pontifical Bible Institue.
During World War I
he was required to interrupt his studies and perform military service, during which time he served as a Military Chaplain
, volunteering for service at the front lines, and was afterwards awarded a Silver Medal of Military Valor
for his service in the trenches
, where he was seriously wounded. Because of this experience, he came to oppose any kind of war.
After the war, Ricciotti resumed his studies and gradutated in 1919 with a degree in Biblical Studies
. From 1924 onwards, he taught Hebrew literature
at the University of Rome. He also taught similar courses briefly at the University of Genoa
and at the University of Bari
, where he taught from 1935-1960. In addition to this, Ricciotti set up and directed a small seminary in Liguria
.
In 1935 he was appointed Procurator
General of his religious congregation. During World War II
, due to his office he was able to give refuge to many refugee
s at the congregation's motherhouse
at the Basilica
of St. Peter in Chains
. During this period, he also served as a consultant
to the Vatican
Congregation for the Clergy
. He held this position for his congregation until 1946, when he was named as the Abbot
of Gubbio
.
Giuseppe Ricciotti died in Rome on 22 January 1964.
, to be based on the original texts and not on the Latin
Vulgate
. In 1934 Ricciotti took a stand against the increasing antisemitism publishing the translations in Italian of sermons of Cardinal Michael von Faulhaber in favour of the Hebrews
.
The period in which he worked was one of deep suspicion of Biblical Studies in Italy. As a result, Ricciotti was partially involved in the late stages of the Modernist
crisis. He was attacked, along with his friend Ernesto Buonaiuti
, by the most conservative Catholic wing. Differently from Buonaiuti, his positions were finally judged not to be modernist, and he accepted criticism by the Pontifical Biblical Commission to some of his works.
His masterpiece is Vita di Gesù Cristo (Life of Jesus Christ), edited in 1941 and published many times. The scholar Nicolotti writes: "His works on biblical texts, of a rather conservative character, show a solid historical and philological training, not at all alien to the contemporary acquisitions of the critic." Giuseppe Ricciotti also wrote: La Bibbia e le scoperte moderne (The Bible and Modern Discoveries), 1957, and L'imperatore Giuliano l'Apostata secondo i documenti (Julian the Apostate), 1958. Additionally, he edited a new translation into Italian of the Bible from the original texts.
Abbot
The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
Giuseppe Ricciotti, C.R.L. (Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, 1890 – 1964) was an Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
canon regular, Biblical scholar and archeologist. He is mainly famous for his book Life of Jesus Christ edited in 1941 and reedited and reprinted several times.
Life
Ricciotti was born in Rome on 27 February 1890. In 1905 he entered the novitiateNovitiate
Novitiate, alt. noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a novice monastic or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether they are called to the religious life....
of the Roman Catholic religious order
Roman Catholic religious order
Catholic religious orders are, historically, a category of Catholic religious institutes.Subcategories are canons regular ; monastics ; mendicants Catholic religious orders are, historically, a category of Catholic religious institutes.Subcategories are canons regular (canons and canonesses regular...
of the Canons Regular of the Lateran
Canons Regular of the Lateran
The Canons Regular of the Lateran , formally titled Canons Regular of St. Augustine of the Congregation of the Most Holy Savior at the Lateran is an international religious order of priests and Brothers in the Catholic Church....
, taking religious vows
Religious vows
Religious vows are the public vows made by the members of religious communities pertaining to their conduct, practices and views.In the Buddhist tradition, in particular within the Mahayana and Vajrayana tradition, many different kinds of religious vows are taken by the lay community as well as by...
the following year. After his seminary
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
studies and completing mandatory military service, he was ordained
Ordination
In general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...
as a priest
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
in 1913. After ordination, Ricciotti continued his studies at the University of Rome, where he took courses in both philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
and theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
. At the same time he did coursework at the Pontifical Bible Institue.
During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
he was required to interrupt his studies and perform military service, during which time he served as a Military Chaplain
Military chaplain
A military chaplain is a chaplain who ministers to soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and other members of the military. In many countries, chaplains also minister to the family members of military personnel, to civilian noncombatants working for military organizations and to civilians within the...
, volunteering for service at the front lines, and was afterwards awarded a Silver Medal of Military Valor
Silver Medal of Military Valor
The Silver Medal of Military Valor is an Italian medal for gallantry.Italian medals for valor were first instituted by Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia on May 21, 1793, with a gold medal, and, below it, a silver medal...
for his service in the trenches
Trench warfare
Trench warfare is a form of occupied fighting lines, consisting largely of trenches, in which troops are largely immune to the enemy's small arms fire and are substantially sheltered from artillery...
, where he was seriously wounded. Because of this experience, he came to oppose any kind of war.
After the war, Ricciotti resumed his studies and gradutated in 1919 with a degree in Biblical Studies
Biblical studies
Biblical studies is the academic study of the Judeo-Christian Bible and related texts. For Christianity, the Bible traditionally comprises the New Testament and Old Testament, which together are sometimes called the "Scriptures." Judaism recognizes as scripture only the Hebrew Bible, also known as...
. From 1924 onwards, he taught Hebrew literature
Hebrew literature
Hebrew literature consists of ancient, medieval, and modern writings in the Hebrew language. It is one of the primary forms of Jewish literature, though there have been cases of literature written in Hebrew by non-Jews...
at the University of Rome. He also taught similar courses briefly at the University of Genoa
University of Genoa
The University of Genoa is one of the largest universities in Italy.Located in Liguria on the Italian Riviera, the university was founded in 1471. It currently has about 40,000 students, 1,800 teaching and research staff and about 1,580 administrative staff.- Campus :The University of Genoa is...
and at the University of Bari
University of Bari
The University of Bari is a university located in Bari, Italy. It was founded in 1925 and is organized in 12 Faculties.-Organization:These are the 13 faculties in which the university is divided into:* Faculty of Agricultural Science...
, where he taught from 1935-1960. In addition to this, Ricciotti set up and directed a small seminary in Liguria
Liguria
Liguria is a coastal region of north-western Italy, the third smallest of the Italian regions. Its capital is Genoa. It is a popular region with tourists for its beautiful beaches, picturesque little towns, and good food.-Geography:...
.
In 1935 he was appointed Procurator
Procurator (Catholic Church)
This is the term for an office used among religious orders. In this context, the title is applied to a treasurer or financial officer of the group, with each level of the order having their own officer, from the local community to that of "Procurator General", who supervises the finances for the...
General of his religious congregation. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, due to his office he was able to give refuge to many refugee
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
s at the congregation's motherhouse
Motherhouse
The term motherhouse is used by religious Orders and religious congregations to designate the principal house or community for that group. It can be either for the entire institute or for a region....
at the Basilica
Basilica
The Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building, usually located in the forum of a Roman town. Public basilicas began to appear in Hellenistic cities in the 2nd century BC.The term was also applied to buildings used for religious purposes...
of St. Peter in Chains
San Pietro in Vincoli
San Pietro in Vincoli is a Roman Catholic titular church and minor basilica in Rome, Italy, best known for being the home of Michelangelo's statue of Moses, part of the tomb of Pope Julius II.-History:...
. During this period, he also served as a consultant
Consultant
A consultant is a professional who provides professional or expert advice in a particular area such as management, accountancy, the environment, entertainment, technology, law , human resources, marketing, emergency management, food production, medicine, finance, life management, economics, public...
to the Vatican
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
Congregation for the Clergy
Congregation for the Clergy
The Sacred Congregation for the Clergy is the congregation of the Roman Curia responsible for overseeing matters regarding priests and deacons not belonging to religious orders...
. He held this position for his congregation until 1946, when he was named as the Abbot
Abbot
The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
of Gubbio
Gubbio
Gubbio is a town and comune in the far northeastern part of the Italian province of Perugia . It is located on the lowest slope of Mt. Ingino, a small mountain of the Apennines. See also Mount Ingino Christmas Tree.-History:...
.
Giuseppe Ricciotti died in Rome on 22 January 1964.
Works
Ricciotti's first important work is Storia d'Israele (History of Israel), published in 1932. Also in 1932 he published Bibbia e non Bibbia (Bible and not Bible) where he supported the need to apply the Higher criticism to the study of the BibleBible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
, to be based on the original texts and not on the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
Vulgate
Vulgate
The Vulgate is a late 4th-century Latin translation of the Bible. It was largely the work of St. Jerome, who was commissioned by Pope Damasus I in 382 to make a revision of the old Latin translations...
. In 1934 Ricciotti took a stand against the increasing antisemitism publishing the translations in Italian of sermons of Cardinal Michael von Faulhaber in favour of the Hebrews
Hebrews
Hebrews is an ethnonym used in the Hebrew Bible...
.
The period in which he worked was one of deep suspicion of Biblical Studies in Italy. As a result, Ricciotti was partially involved in the late stages of the Modernist
Modernism (Roman Catholicism)
Modernism refers to theological opinions expressed during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but with influence reaching into the 21st century, which are characterized by a break with the past. Catholic modernists form an amorphous group. The term "modernist" appears in Pope Pius X's 1907...
crisis. He was attacked, along with his friend Ernesto Buonaiuti
Ernesto Buonaiuti
Ernesto Buonaiuti was an Italian historian, philosopher of religion, Christian priest and anti-fascist. He lost his chair at the University of Rome owing to his opposition to the Fascists and their Concordat with the Catholic Church....
, by the most conservative Catholic wing. Differently from Buonaiuti, his positions were finally judged not to be modernist, and he accepted criticism by the Pontifical Biblical Commission to some of his works.
His masterpiece is Vita di Gesù Cristo (Life of Jesus Christ), edited in 1941 and published many times. The scholar Nicolotti writes: "His works on biblical texts, of a rather conservative character, show a solid historical and philological training, not at all alien to the contemporary acquisitions of the critic." Giuseppe Ricciotti also wrote: La Bibbia e le scoperte moderne (The Bible and Modern Discoveries), 1957, and L'imperatore Giuliano l'Apostata secondo i documenti (Julian the Apostate), 1958. Additionally, he edited a new translation into Italian of the Bible from the original texts.