Ioannis Kottounios
Encyclopedia
Ioannis Kottounios, (c. 1577 - 1658) was an eminent Greek scholar who studied Philosophy
, Theology
and Medicine
, taught Greek
from 1617 and Philosophy from 1630 in Bologna
, Italy
becoming professor of philosophy in 1632 he also founded a college for unwealthy Greeks
at Padua
in 1653.
in 1577. While in Wallachia he was arrested by Tatar brigands along with his brothers Charalampos and Angelos. Once ransomed he went to Germany with a recommendation letter written by Patriarch Raphael. There Ioannis and his brothers received further reference letters from Rudolf, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst
. He subsequently stayed in Tübingen
where he may have studied under the philhellene Martin Crusius Martin Crucius at de.wikipedia.org.
After a stay in Venice
we went to Rome
, where he studied at the Collegio Pontifico Greco
of Agios Athanasios (1605–1613) associated with the church Sant'Atanasio dei Greci, which operated under a Venetian administration. He studied Greek, Grammar, Theology and Philosophy and subsequently taught these subjects to new students. He moved to the University of Padua
in 1613 and began studies in Medicine until 1615. From 1615 he taught Rhetoric, Poetry and the works of Aristotle at the University of Bologna
. He published there his first two books. His second book De conficiendo epigrammate was dedicated to Louis XIV and was taken to him in person by a Cretan priest named Antonios Boumboulis. The Macedonian Kottounios was hoping in an initiative by the king of France
for a crusade to liberate Greece
, as did many of his fellow countrymen, including his former fellow student from Rome
and French diplomat Leonardos Filaras from Athens
. Following the death of Camillo Belloni, Κottounios was appointed associate professor of Philosophy at the University of Padua
in 1633. In 1637 he succeeded his former teacher, the renowned Italian philosopher Cesare Cremonini
, at the Chair of Philosophy at the University of Padua
. In 1648 he founded in Padua
the
Cottunian College , a boarding school for Greek boys. The nearly contemporary Venetian diplomat in Paris
F. Marchesini wrote that the French helped financially in the foundation of the Cottunian College. It was under the administration of the Collegio degli Artisti and later came under the jurisdiction of the University of Padua
. It was a theological college whose students were obliged to attend the Christmas and Easter Mass at the San Giorgio dei Greci
in Venice
. Kottounios was a friend of Martin Crusius, Leo Allatius
and other personalities of his time. He was an eminent scholar and commentator on the works of Aristotle
. He died in Padua
, in 1657.
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...
, 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...
and Medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
, taught Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
from 1617 and Philosophy from 1630 in Bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
, Italy
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...
becoming professor of philosophy in 1632 he also founded a college for unwealthy Greeks
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
at Padua
Padua
Padua is a city and comune in the Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Padua and the economic and communications hub of the area. Padua's population is 212,500 . The city is sometimes included, with Venice and Treviso, in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area, having...
in 1653.
Biography
Ioannis Kottounios was born of Greek descent in Veroia, MacedoniaMacedonia (Greece)
Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of Greece in Southern Europe. Macedonia is the largest and second most populous Greek region...
in 1577. While in Wallachia he was arrested by Tatar brigands along with his brothers Charalampos and Angelos. Once ransomed he went to Germany with a recommendation letter written by Patriarch Raphael. There Ioannis and his brothers received further reference letters from Rudolf, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst
Anhalt-Zerbst
Anhalt-Zerbst was a district in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is bounded by the districts Potsdam-Mittelmark and Wittenberg, the city of Dessau and the districts of Köthen, Schönebeck and Jerichower Land.- History :...
. He subsequently stayed in Tübingen
Tübingen
Tübingen is a traditional university town in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, on a ridge between the Neckar and Ammer rivers.-Geography:...
where he may have studied under the philhellene Martin Crusius Martin Crucius at de.wikipedia.org.
After a stay in Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
we went to 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...
, where he studied at the Collegio Pontifico Greco
Roman Colleges
Note: This article is based on the "Catholic Encyclopedia" 1913 and contains a large amount of out-dated information throughout, including the numbers of students...
of Agios Athanasios (1605–1613) associated with the church Sant'Atanasio dei Greci, which operated under a Venetian administration. He studied Greek, Grammar, Theology and Philosophy and subsequently taught these subjects to new students. He moved to the University of Padua
University of Padua
The University of Padua is a premier Italian university located in the city of Padua, Italy. The University of Padua was founded in 1222 as a school of law and was one of the most prominent universities in early modern Europe. It is among the earliest universities of the world and the second...
in 1613 and began studies in Medicine until 1615. From 1615 he taught Rhetoric, Poetry and the works of Aristotle at the University of Bologna
University of Bologna
The Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna is the oldest continually operating university in the world, the word 'universitas' being first used by this institution at its foundation. The true date of its founding is uncertain, but believed by most accounts to have been 1088...
. He published there his first two books. His second book De conficiendo epigrammate was dedicated to Louis XIV and was taken to him in person by a Cretan priest named Antonios Boumboulis. The Macedonian Kottounios was hoping in an initiative by the king of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
for a crusade to liberate Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, as did many of his fellow countrymen, including his former fellow student from 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...
and French diplomat Leonardos Filaras from Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
. Following the death of Camillo Belloni, Κottounios was appointed associate professor of Philosophy at the University of Padua
University of Padua
The University of Padua is a premier Italian university located in the city of Padua, Italy. The University of Padua was founded in 1222 as a school of law and was one of the most prominent universities in early modern Europe. It is among the earliest universities of the world and the second...
in 1633. In 1637 he succeeded his former teacher, the renowned Italian philosopher Cesare Cremonini
Cesare Cremonini (philosopher)
Cesare Cremonini, sometimes Cesare Cremonino , was an Italian professor of natural philosophy, working rationalism and Aristotelian materialism inside scholasticism...
, at the Chair of Philosophy at the University of Padua
University of Padua
The University of Padua is a premier Italian university located in the city of Padua, Italy. The University of Padua was founded in 1222 as a school of law and was one of the most prominent universities in early modern Europe. It is among the earliest universities of the world and the second...
. In 1648 he founded in Padua
Padua
Padua is a city and comune in the Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Padua and the economic and communications hub of the area. Padua's population is 212,500 . The city is sometimes included, with Venice and Treviso, in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area, having...
the
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
F. Marchesini wrote that the French helped financially in the foundation of the Cottunian College. It was under the administration of the Collegio degli Artisti and later came under the jurisdiction of the University of Padua
University of Padua
The University of Padua is a premier Italian university located in the city of Padua, Italy. The University of Padua was founded in 1222 as a school of law and was one of the most prominent universities in early modern Europe. It is among the earliest universities of the world and the second...
. It was a theological college whose students were obliged to attend the Christmas and Easter Mass at the San Giorgio dei Greci
San Giorgio dei Greci
San Giorgio dei Greci is a church in the sestiere or neighborhood of Castello, Venice, northern Italy. It was the center of the Scuola dei Greci, the Confraternity of the Greeks in Venice....
in Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
. Kottounios was a friend of Martin Crusius, Leo Allatius
Leo Allatius
Leo Allatius was a Greek scholar, theologian and keeper of the Vatican library....
and other personalities of his time. He was an eminent scholar and commentator on the works of Aristotle
Aristotle
Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology...
. He died in Padua
Padua
Padua is a city and comune in the Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Padua and the economic and communications hub of the area. Padua's population is 212,500 . The city is sometimes included, with Venice and Treviso, in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area, having...
, in 1657.
Works of Ioannis Kottounios
- Ioannes Cottunius De triplici statu animae rationalis ad aures ac tenorem Aristotelis,, veraeque philosoph. hoc est ... opus, Bononiae, 1628.
- Ioannes Cottunius De conficiendo epigrammate liber unus, 1632, dedicated to Luis XIV.
- Ioannes Cottunius Manuale Scholasticum de vitiis et peccatis, Padua, 1635.
- Ioannes Cottunius Immortalitati Alcidii Philhellini, Padua, 1642.
- Ioannes Cottunius Commentarii in quatuor libros Aristotelis de Caelo, 1653.
- Ioannes Cottunius Commentarii lucidissimi in tres Aristotelis libros de Anima, 1656.