Aegidius Antonini of Viterbo

Download PDF Add to Bookshelf Report an Error

The life and career of Aegidius Antonini of Viterbo (1469-1532) – Augustinian hermit and cardinal of the Catholic Church – challenge Renaissance historiography. His expertise in Greek and Latin poetry, his lifelong interest in Plato’s dialogues and Marsilio Ficino, along with his innovative reinterpretation of Hebrew mysticism may indeed fit the category of Renaissance hermetism, a cultural trend that, according to Frances Yates, paved the way for the advent of modern science. His commitment to a renovation of the Church to be attained with a return to Scriptures and an internal reformation of Catholic institutions, moreover, may be matched with other Christian humanists living in pre-Reformation Europe. At closer inspection, however, Aegidius’s numerous, albeit mostly…

1790 words

Citation: Soranzo, Matteo. "Aegidius Antonini of Viterbo". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 09 March 2012 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=12861, accessed 29 March 2024.]

12861 Aegidius Antonini of Viterbo 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

Save this article

If you need to create a new bookshelf to save this article in, please make sure that you are logged in, then go to your 'Account' here

Leave Feedback

The Literary Encyclopedia is a living community of scholars. We welcome comments which will help us improve.