Catholics and Lutherans mark 500th anniversary of Reformation

OCTOBER 31, 2017 BY INSIDE THE VATICAN STAFF LEAVE A COMMENT

October 31st 2017 marks the 500th anniversary of the day on which German theologian Martin Luther published his 95 theses, setting in motion the events of the Protestant Reformation.

To mark the occasion, the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the Lutheran World Federation on Tuesday issued a joint statement, giving thanks for the spiritual and theological gifts received through the Reformation and recalling the commemorative events that have taken place over the past year.

Exactly one year ago, Pope Francis travelled to the Swedish cities of Lund and Malmo to take part in a joint commemoration of the Reformation alongside leaders of the Lutheran World Federation. A moving liturgy in the ancient Lund cathedral and a joyful celebration of young people in Malmo arena focused on asking forgiveness for the sins of past centuries, while also celebrating the progress of the last fifty years and pledging to step up joint efforts in the service of those most in need.

Commitment to continue the ecumenical journey

One year on, today’s statement recalls those historic events, in particular the commitment by Pope Francis and former LWF president Bishop Munib Younan to continue the ecumenical journey.

The statement says the shared journey of the past fifty years has resulted in “the removal of prejudices, the increase of mutual understanding and the identification of decisive theological agreements”.

While Catholics and Lutherans can still not share at the Eucharistic table, the two Churches acknowledge their “joint pastoral responsibility to respond to the spiritual thirst and hunger of our people to be one in Christ “.

New insights into Reformation

Commemorating the Reformation together in many countries around the world, the statement says, has allowed Lutherans and Catholics new insights into events of the 16th century which led to their separation. Noting the theological progress that was made through the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification, the statement says growing communion and shared service are a sign of hope for the world of today to overcome divisions and fragmentation.

The statement concludes with a commitment to continue the journey towards unity, guided by God’s Spirit, in the knowledge that “what we have in common is far more than that which still divides us”.

Please find the full statement below:

Joint Statement by the Lutheran World Federation and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity on the conclusion of the year of the common commemoration of the Reformation, 31st October 2017

On 31st of October 2017, the final day of the year of the common ecumenical Commemoration of the Reformation, we are very thankful for the spiritual and theological gifts received through the Reformation, a commemoration that we have shared together and with our ecumenical partners globally. Likewise, we begged forgiveness for our failures and for the ways in which Christians have wounded the Body of the Lord and offended each other during the five hundred years since the beginning of the Reformation until today.

We, Lutherans and Catholics, are profoundly grateful for the ecumenical journey that we have travelled together during the last fifty years. This pilgrimage, sustained by our common prayer, worship and ecumenical dialogue, has resulted in the removal of prejudices, the increase of mutual understanding and the identification of decisive theological agreements. In the face of so many blessings along the way, we raise our hearts in praise of the Triune God for the mercy we receive.

On this day we look back on a year of remarkable ecumenical events, beginning on 31st October 2016 with the joint Lutheran – Catholic common prayer in Lund, Sweden, in the presence of our ecumenical partners. While leading that service, Pope Francis and Bishop Munib A. Younan, then President of the Lutheran World Federation, signed a joint statement with the commitment to continue the ecumenical journey together towards the unity that Christ prayed for (cf. John 17:21). On the same day, our joint service to those in need of our help and solidarity has also been strengthened by a letter of intent between Caritas Internationalis and the Lutheran World Federation World Service.

Pope Francis and President Younan stated together: “Many members of our communities yearn to receive the Eucharist at one table, as the concrete expression of full unity. We experience the pain of those who share their whole lives, but cannot share God’s redeeming presence at the Eucharistic table. We acknowledge our joint pastoral responsibility to respond to the spiritual thirst and hunger of our people to be one in Christ. We long for this wound in the Body of Christ to be healed. This is the goal of our ecumenical endeavours, which we wish to advance, also by renewing our commitment to theological dialogue.”

Among the blessings of this year of Commemoration is the fact that for the first time Lutherans and Catholics have seen the Reformation from an ecumenical perspective. This has allowed new insight into the events of the sixteenth century which led to our separation. We recognize that while the past cannot be changed, its influence upon us today can be transformed to become a stimulus for growing communion, and a sign of hope for the world to overcome division and fragmentation. Again, it has become clear that what we have in common is far more than that which still divides us.

We rejoice that the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification, solemnly signed by the Lutheran World Federation and the Roman Catholic Church in 1999, has also been signed by the World Methodist Council in 2006 and, during this Commemoration Year of the Reformation, by the World Communion of Reformed Churches. On this very day it is being welcomed and received by the Anglican Communion at a solemn ceremony in Westminster Abbey. On this basis our Christian communions can build an ever closer bond of spiritual consensus and common witness in the service of the Gospel.

We acknowledge with appreciation the many events of common prayer and worship that Lutherans and Catholics have held together with their ecumenical partners in different parts of the world, as well as the theological encounters and the significant publications that have given substance to this year of Commemoration.

Looking forward, we commit ourselves to continue our journey together, guided by God’s Spirit, towards the greater unity according to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ. With God’s help we intend to discern in a prayerful manner our understanding on Church, Eucharist and Ministry, seeking a substantial consensus so as to overcome remaining differences between us. With deep joy and gratitude we trust “that He who has begun a good work in [us] will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil 1:6).

Vatican Radio

FILED UNDER: NEWS

TAGGED WITH: ANGLICAN COMMUNION, BISHOP MUNIB YOUNAN, CATHOLICS, DOCTRINE OF JUSTIFICATION, LUND, LUTHERAN WORLD FEDERATION, LUTHERANS, MALMO, MARTIN LUTHER, PROTESTANT REFORMATION, REFORMATION, WESTMINSTER ABBEY, WORLD METHODIST COUNCIL

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Indonesian Protestants embrace papal teaching on Christian Unity 

NOVEMBER 2, 2017 BY INSIDE THE VATICAN STAFF LEAVE A COMMENT

Indonesian Protestants who are marking the 5th centenary of the Protestant Reformation, have embraced Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation “Evangelii Gaudium” on the proclamation of the Gospel in today’s world, calling it a document that can significantly help mend ties among Christians in a country experiencing a surge in religious intolerance.

The Reformation was sparked by the publication on October 31, 1517 of the famous 95 theses by German Augustinian friar Martin Luther, in what he saw as the much needed reforms for the Catholic Church of his day. This 16th Reformation was the second major split in Christianity within the Western Church, after the so-called Great Schism of 1054 that split the followers of Christ into Eastern Orthodoxy and Western Catholicism. 

During their celebrations in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, on Oct. 31, Indonesian Protestant leaders said the Pope’s 2013 Apostolic Exhortation “Evangelii Gaudium” or “The Joy of the Gospel”, in which he has called on Churches to avoid blaming each other, has a special relevance in Indonesia as fears grow over rising intolerance in the country.

Nearly 100 Protestants, Catholics and Muslims attended the event.

Abandon condemnation, embrace mercy

“The invitation by Pope Francis in the document is very relevant, asking Churches to distant ourselves from blaming and slandering attitudes,” Rev. Henriette T. Lebang, chairwoman of Communion of Churches in Indonesia, said at the Oct. 31 gathering.

She said she was impressed with the Pope’s messages in the encyclical which inspire their theme for the 5th centenary celebration.  One message, she said, is to “abandon the language of condemnation and embrace that of mercy.”

Stressing the importance that Pope Francis gives to unity among Christians, Rev. Lebang recalled the Pontiff’s visit to Lund, Sweden, last year on Oct. 31, where at the invitation of the Lutheran World Federation, he attended the inauguration of a year of activities marking the 5th centenary of the Protestant Reformation.  In particular, they committed themselves to continue their ecumenical journey.

“I am not only impressed but also touched by the pope’s efforts to reconcile and build relationship with other  Churches, and even other religions,” Lebang added.




Healing relationships

Rev. Lebang encouraged Christians to use the 500th anniversary to build peace and reconciliation among Christian Churches.   She also asked Protestant Churches to consider adopting the Catholic Church’s tradition of praying for peace and unity among Christians every third week of January. “Catholics in Indonesia follow this tradition each year, 




but not among Protestant Churches,” she said.

Franciscan Father Antonius Eddy Kristiyanto, a lecturer at the Jesuit’s Driyarkara School of Philosophy in Jakarta, said not everything that Martin Luther did was wrong. Luther, he said, even encouraged reform in the Catholic Church.  “Martin Luther has even saved the Catholic Church, and pushed it to reformulate Church teachings,” he said.  “It’s part of our history. Let’s move forward and reshape our relationship,” he urged.

Maria Isnawati, a Catholic participant, said Christianity in Indonesia is facing many challenges that need the unity of Churches.  “We should increase ecumenism and focus on becoming salt and light for other people and don’t be fanatical about our Churches,” she said.   (Source: UCAN)

Vatican Radio

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Notre Dame university hosts ecumenical prayer service

NOVEMBER 9, 2017 BY DAVID HILT LEAVE A COMMENT

The service on Sunday November 5th brought together leaders of the Catholic, Lutheran, Episcopal and Presbyterian Churches to mark the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. Bishop Denis Madden, former chairman of the U.S. Bishops’ Conference committee on ecumenical and interreligious affairs, led the congregation in prayers of repentance and thanksgiving  for the “rich history and unique contributions of diverse Christian traditions”.

Inclusion, not division

Bishop Elizabeth Eaton, presiding bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America preached on the Beatitudes, noting that they mark Jesus’ inaugural address, as he “sets forth his program for what the reign of God is going to look like”.

After 500 years, she said, we witness to the truth that inclusion, not division, is the will of God. The Beatitudes, she said, remind us of God’s “improbable message of promise that we are a reconciled creation”.

Reflecting on the latest mass shooting at a Baptist Church in Texas, Bishop Eaton also prayed for healing for that community and for the whole nation.

Vatican Radio

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The Book in Europe in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance

JUNE 1, 2016 BY LUCY GORDAN

“I Fioretti,” or “Little Flowers,” an anonymous biography of St. Francis of Assisi composed at the end of the 14th century, probably in Tuscany

Two splendid exhibitions this spring concern the history of the book in Europe during the Middle Ages and Renaissance and its impact on European and thus world culture: I Libri Che Hanno Fatto l’Europa (The Books That Made Europe) on at Palazzo Corsini in Trastevere, Rome, until July 22 (Via della Lungara 10, Rome, entrance free, hours: Monday, Wednesday and Friday: 9 AM to 1 PM; Tuesday and Thursday 9 AM to 5 PM; Saturday and Sunday: closed) and Aldo Manuzio: il rinascimento di Venezia (Aldo Manuzio: The Renaissance in Venice) on until June 19 at the newly-renovated Accademia, Venice’s most important art museum (entrance fee: 6 euros, Monday 8:15 AM-2 PM, Tuesday-Sunday 8:15 AM-7:15 PM, free audio guide and splendid catalog [45 euros] both in English).

In these present times of economic crisis, political instability, and mass migration from Syria, Afghanistan, and Africa, Europe is struggling with a devastating identity crisis. In contrast, The Books That Made Europe, which looks at the birth of European culture through ancient manuscripts and the earliest printed books, extols the melting pot of cultures, which has shaped Europe.

The nearly 190 volumes on display, written in Latin, Greek, Chaldean, Arabic, and Hebrew, Oïl, French, and Italian between the 8th and 16th centuries, both manuscripts and printed, were chosen to show that culture is the unifying force of Europe. “If these volumes teach us anything today, it’s that Europe’s wealth lies in the plurality of its cultures,” said curator Roberto Antonelli at a press preview. The majority already belongs to the exhibit’s site, this magnificently frescoed library of the prestigious Biblioteca Corsiniana e dell’Accademia dei Lincei (Lincean Academy), the first European academy devoted to the natural sciences founded in 1603. Its core collection dates to the donation in 1733 by Pope Clement XII of his personal library to his nephew Cardinal Neri Maria Corsini. A public library since 1754, it conserves numerous precious manuscripts, the most complete collection of books printed by Sweynheim and Pannartz, the German typographers of the first books printed in Italy between 1465 and 1473, and numerous cinquecentine (books printed during the 1500s,) including many printed by Aldo Manutius.

Paolo Orosio’s “Historiarum Adversum Paganos Libri VII,” or “The Seven Books of History agains the Pagans”

The loans are from other historically important public libraries in Rome: The Angelica, The Casanetense or Casanata, The Nazionale Centrale, and the Vallicelliana, as well as the Vatican Library (see my Interview with Father Raffaele Farina, ITV, July 2005).

The Books That Made Europe is divided into 5 macro-areas with 19 sections: The Classical-Christian Tradition with I. Trivium (the medieval university curriculum, based on that of ancient Greece: the study of grammar, logic, and rhetoric), II. Quadrivium (again based on the ancient Greek curriculum: the study of arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy), III. Bible, IV. Auctores (ancient Roman authors), and V. Founding Fathers of the Church; Towards The New European Culture with VI. Encyclopedias and VII. Treatises of Science; The New European Culture with VIII. Law, IX. Aristotelianism, X. Hagiography and Didactic Literature, XI. Historiography, XII. Epic Poetry, XIII. Romance, XIV. Lyric Poetry, XV. Laudari and Mystery Plays; The First Canon with XVI. Dante, XVII. Petrarch, XVIII. Boccaccio, and Towards Modernity with XIX. Towards Modernity.

Sadly, but typically Italian, the forthcoming catalog to this tour-de-force exhibition will not published until the exhibition is about to close, and the wall panels and explanations for each volume are only in Italian. However, at the entrance the curators have graciously supplied visitors with a free pamphlet of explanations for each macro-area with a list of its important volumes in the English as well as the Italian versions.

For The Classical-Christian Tradition, the pamphlet explains that after the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 AD, for more than 1000 years, “knowledge and cultural education in Europe were almost exclusively assured through territorial structures and church schools inspired by the works and teachings of the ‘Fathers of the Church,’” in particular St. Augustine and St. Jerome, also “founders” of Classical-Christian culture, and by the Bible.

Of special note here is the exhibition’s very first entry, a 12th/13th century manuscript by 6th-century Latin grammarian Priscian, Institutio de arte grammatica, used as a grammar manual for over 1,000 years and often present in medieval and humanistic libraries, but even in Sigmund Freud’s. Another is an 8th-century manuscript, the oldest in the exhibition, of fragments of Gregory the Great’s Moralia in Job. This small codex originally contained Palimpsest fragments of the Codex Theodosianus, the compilation of the laws of the Roman Empire under the Christian emperors, scratched away to write Gregory the Great’s text on top. Moreover, Professor Armando Petrucci, paleographer and medievalist, recently found 38 strips of parchment from an incunabula containing the writings of St. Augustine placed there later to reinforce the binding. Also special is one of the c. 100 so-called “Atlantic” Bibles. Of enormous format and weighing over 40 pounds each, they were produced between the middle of the 11th century and the second half of the 12th century in Central Italy.

A 15th-century manuscript from Tuscany, “La Spagna”

The stars of the other macro-areas are:

from Towards the New European Culture: Isidore of Seville’s Etymologiae, the greatest early Middle Ages encyclopedia about the origins of names and of things; Il Tresor, written by Dante’s teacher Brunetto Latini in Oïl, the first encyclopedia written in a modern language; the apex of Arab-Islamic encyclopedias in Arabic, Al-Safadi’s al-Wafi bi-al-wafayat, or “Encyclopedia of Illustrious Men,” about the V.I.P.s who lived between the foundation of Islam and the 14th century; Pliny the Elder’s’ treatise Naturalis Historia, printed by Johann of Speyer, among the first German typographers to work in Venice, on September 18, 1469; and Yahya ibn Zakariyya’ibn Abi al-Raga’s Nur al’uyun wa-gami’ al funun or “Treatise of Ophthalmology” in Arabic, and many other medieval medical texts.

from The New European Culture:

Law:

The jurist Gratian’s Decretum, the 12th-century text or the first complete try at organizing Canon Law, used until Pope Benedict XV’s reform in 1917. Peter Schöffer, Gutenberg’s disciple and successor in Mainz, printed this volume on August 13, 1472; one of the first editions of Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologiae, a compendium of all the main theological teachings of the Catholic Church and one of most influential works of Western literature, printed in Padua by Albrecht Stendhal on October 5, 1473.

Hagiography and Didactic Literature: A manuscript of Legendae sanctorum, a compilation by Jacopo da Varrazze of sacred stories about the lives of the saints and liturgical festivals, was extremely popular, counting over 1,000 manuscripts and 70 printed versions, not to mention the number of biographies of individual saints in the ever-growing use of the vernacular, examples being I Fioretti di San Francesco and Considerazioni sulle sacre stimmate, which opens with a woodcut based on Giotto of St. Francis receiving the stigmata. The latter remained very popular in Italian households until a few decades ago.

Historiography: Paulus Orosius’ masterpiece, Historiarum Adversum Paganos Libri VII, on display here in its Italian translation by Bono Giamboni, is considered to be one of the books with the greatest impact on historiography during the period between antiquity and the Middle Ages, as well as being one of the most important Hispanic books of all time. “Its importance,” Wikipedia explains, “is the fact that Orosius was the first Christian author to write not a church history, but rather a history of the secular world interpreted from a Christian perspective. Read and copied without interruption through the Middle Ages and Renaissance, without a doubt it’s one of ‘the books that made Europe.’”

A manuscript of Petrarch-inspired poems by Vittoria Colonna

Epic Poetry: Attributed to the Florentine Sostegno di Zanobi and likely composed between 1350 and 1360, La Spagna, one of the most famous works of the Carolingian tradition in Italian, is an adaptation of the story of Charlemagne’s battles in Spain and the adventures of his nephew, the Paladin Orlando. It includes the tale of Orlando’s duel with Ferraguto and his ultimate death at Roncesvalles. It was an important inspiration for Ariosto’s Orlando furioso, also on display.

Romance: The Vatican’s manuscript Reg. lat. 1725 contains Chrétien de Troyes’ four very famous novels in verse including Yvain, the Knight of the Lion and Lancelot. Chrétien was a late 12th century poet and trouvère known for his work on Arthurian subjects. His work represents some of the best-regarded medieval literature and has inspired authors for centuries with his use of structure, particularly in Yvain, seen as a step towards the modern novel. Also on display here is one of the 300 surviving manuscripts of the most successful medieval allegorical romance, Roman de la Rose.

Lyric Poetry: Side by side here are a manuscript of the first anthology of poems inspired by Petrarch and written by a woman, Marchioness Vittoria Colonna (1492-1547), one of the most popular poets of 16th-century Italy and a friend of Michelangelo, with whom she exchanged verses, as well as the first printed volume of her poems and thus of poems written by a woman.

from The First Canon:

Dante: includes several editions of The Divine Comedy, with a commentary by humanist and prolific writer Cristoforo Landino and illustrations by Botticelli, printed in Florence on August 30, 1481; another with a commentary by Jacopo della Lana, printed in Venice by Johann and Wendelin of Speyer, and a manuscript handwritten by the poet Antonio Pucci and paginated by Boccaccio.

Petrarch: includes Petrarch’s personal copies of Virgil with his marginal notes and of Cicero’s Tusculanae disputationes, also with his marginal notes.

Boccaccio: a manuscript of Teseida, his long epic poem, which is the main source for “The Knight’s Tale” in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales and the original source of Two Noble Kinsmen, a collaboration between Shakespeare and John Fletcher.

Francesco Colonna’s “Hypnerotomachia Poliphili,” printed by Aldus Manutius in Venice

The first printed book of poems by a woman

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

from Towards Modernity:

Among this last section’s selection of early printed books are Poliziano’s personal copy of Catullus, Tibullus, Statius, and Propertius with his marginal notes, printed in Venice in 1472 by Johann and Wendelin of Speyer; Lorenzo Valla’s Elegantiae linguae latinae, also printed in Venice by Nicolaus Jenson before 1471, a manual for his contemporaries on how to reproduce the elegant style of the ancients in modern writings; Erasmus of Rotterdam’s Folly, printed in Venice by Aldus Manutius’ heirs and Andrea Torresano, in 1515, shortly after Aldus’ death; and Francesco Colonna’s Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, printed by Aldus Manutius in Venice in December 1499.

Long considered to be the most beautiful Renaissance printed book, the first one with illustrations (172 refined woodcuts), this volume, a mysterious arcane allegory/love story entitled in English Poliphilo’s Strife of Love in a Dream, and the art it inspired, are the subject of Section III, “A Dream of Erotic Strife” of Aldo Manuzio: The Renaissance in Venice. It’s the only contemporary fiction Manutius printed.

This exhibition, divided into eight sections: “From Rome to Venice,” “Manutius’ Enterprise and Impresa,” “Manutius and the Greek Legacy,” “A Dream of Erotic Strife,”“Domestic Classics,” “All’Antica Devotion,” “Rediscovering Country Life,” “Modern Classic­s,” and “Divine Proportions,” commemorates the 500th anniversary of this unique publisher’s death on February 6, 1515. It successfully shows how the books Manutius published not only influenced the other visual arts being produced in Renaissance Venice, but also changed the world.

Vittore Carpaccio’s “St. Ursula and the Pilgrims Meet Pope Cyriacus Outside Rome”

As the opening wall panel tells us, “In the late fifteenth century printed books began to replace manuscripts. This was an epoch-making change, comparable to the digital revolution of our own age. And Venice was its Silicon Valley. From 1495 to 1515 Aldus Manutius (1449-1515) published around one hundred books of a previously unrivalled beauty. They were mainly Greek and Latin classics, impeccably edited with a very refined layout designed to facilitate reading.”

Born in Bassiano, a small town in the Papal States, some 60 miles south of Rome, to a wealthy family, Manutius was educated as a humanistic scholar, studying Latin in Rome and Greek in Ferrara before becoming a tutor himself in 1480 to Princes Alberto and Leonello Pio, the nephews of Manutius’ illustrious old friend and fellow-humanist Giovanni Pico.

It is not clear why Manutius moved to Venice between 1489 and 1490, but at first he probably continued his work as a teacher, as shown by the publication of his Latin grammar Institutiones grammaticae Latinae, printed on March 8, 1493 by the already successful typographer Andrea Torresano, who would soon become Manutius’ business partner and later his father-in-law. Possibly Manutius’ interest in printing developed gradually due to his dissatisfaction with the poor quality of the texts and books on which he had to rely as a teacher. In what better place than the publishing capital of Europe with its 150 presses, also the home of one of the greatest libraries of Greek (482 mss.) and Latin (264 mss.) literature, which Cardinal Bessarion (1403-1472) had bequeathed to the Senate of Venice in 1468!

Cima da Conegliano’s “Saint Helena”

As the exhibition’s website www.mostraaldomanuzio.it tells us: “The founding of the Aldine press dates from 1494. The first work was the Greek grammar Erotemata by Constantine Lascaris, printed between February and March 1495. Thanks to the generosity of his former pupil Alberto Pio, the first tome of Aristotle’s works followed in 1495, which was to be completed in 1498 with five folio volumes.” In the preface of the first volume Manutius had written: “It is our lot to live in turbulent, tragic, and tumultuous times. Times when men more commonly turn to arms than books. And yet I shall have no rest until I have created a plentiful supply of good books.”

Lorenzo Lotto’s “Allegories of Virtue and Sin”

At first intending to publish only high-quality Greek classical texts for the diffusion of Greek culture, his principal objective, Manutius a few years later expanded his offerings to include Latin and Italian classics. However, more than once he had to modify his titles or shut down his business because of political unrest and wars. Besides Aristotle, his Greek authors included Aristophanes, Theocritus, Hesiod, Thucydides, Sophocles, Herodotus, Xenophon, Euripides, Demosthenes, Lucian, Plutarch, Plato, and Pindar, among others.

Beginning in 1501, after a considerable drop in requests for Greek texts, Manutius began to print Latin texts, first Virgil in April, followed by Persius and Juvenal, Martial, Cicero, Ovid, Catullus, Tibullus and Propertius, not to mention Italian classics like Petrarch’s Cose Volgari, and the following year Dante’s Terze Rime. His most prestigious contemporary client was Erasmus of Rotterdam, who lived with the Manutius/Torresano family between 1506-9, while Aldus was editing and publishing his Adages, a compendium of Greek and Roman mottoes that became the first Europe-wide bestseller. It is here that Erasmus relates that Manutius’ logo of a dolphin curled around an anchor came from a coin of the Roman Emperor Titus that Pietro Bembo, the great humanist man-of-letters, had presented to Manutius.

As the publisher’s Marsilio accompanying pamphlet tells us, “the extensive publication of classical texts also had repercussions on the art world. Lucian’s written descriptions of lost masterpieces of antique painting, such as Apelles’ Calumny or The Centaur Family by Zeuxis, were borrowed from the pages of books and made into miniatures, prints, sculptures, and paintings.” Furnishings, drawings by Dürer and paintings by Vittore Carpaccio, Lorenzo Lotto, Giorgione and Bellini among many others, with increasingly allegorical and mythological subjects clearly of classical inspiration, began to enter cultured Venetian homes, as did portraits of their owners or of important saints like Cima da Conegliano’s St. Helena with local countryside backgrounds. So did sculptures with rustic themes inspired by Theocritus or Virgil.

For his Latin and Italian volumes, Manutius used a new typeface, italics, and new pocket editions (defined in his 1503 catalog as “libelli portatiles in formam enchiridia”). With this smaller size his intention was not so much to lower prices as to encourage a different use of the book, up to then limited to the clergy, professors, and scholars. With his easily portable “pocket-editions” he wanted to enter into the lives of people. He’d not only revolutionized the book itself, but created a reading public who read for pleasure.

Titian’s “Portrait of Jacopo Sannazaro” holding an Aldine book

Parmigianino’s “Portrait of a Young Man” holding an Aldine Petrarch

In fact, the exhibition ends with four portraits from the first decades of the 16th century: two men, by Titian and Parmigianino, and two women, by Palma il Vecchio and Lorenzo Lotto, all four holding Aldine pocket books. Often with attractive customized bindings, these little volumes had become must-have fashion accessories.

Besides inventing italic type and introducing “inexpensive” books in small format, Manutius established the modern use of the semicolon, and developed the appearance of the comma. After his death in 1515, Aldus’ wife and her father managed the press until his son Paolo (1512-1574) took over. His grandson Aldo then ran the firm until his death in 1597. Today antique books printed by the Aldine Press in Venice are referred to as Aldines. The most nearly complete collection of Aldine editions ever brought together was in the Althorp Library of the 2nd Earl of Spencer, now in the John Rylands Library, Manchester, England. For further reading: Barolini, Helen, Aldus and His Dream Book (New York, Italica Press, 1992) and Davies, Martin, Aldus Man­utius, Printer and Publisher of Renaissance Venice (1995).

FILED UNDER: BOOKS

TAGGED WITH: BOCCACCIO, BOOKS, DANTE, EPIC POETRY, EUROPE, JUNE-JULY 2016, LAW, MIDDLE AGES, PETRARCH, RENAISSANCE, ROMANCE

About Lucy Gordan

A former editor at the American Academy in Rome (1970-1980) and consultant for the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (1981-1986), Lucy Gordan has been a member of Associazione della Stampa Estera in Italia (Foreign Press Association) since 1988, a non-resident member of the National Press Club in Washington D.C. since 1990, and a member of the Overseas Press Club of America since 2011. She is also a member of IFW&TWA (International Food, Wine, and Travel Writers Association). In 2006 she won the Heidelberg Club International Mark Twain Travel Journalism Award. In June 2011 the Croatian National Tourist Organization awarded her in the city of Osijek, Slavonia,the "Ztalana Penkala" or "Golden Pen" top journalistic award for the best article about Croatia published in the United States during 2010. Hers, "Egypt in Zagreb", published in KMT: a modern journal on ancient Egypt, was a profile of the ancient Egyptian collection in Zagreb's Archeological Museum.

She is Culture Editor of Inside the Vatican, Rome's Bureau Chief of Epicurean-Traveler.com, and a regular contributor to German Life, KMT: a modern journal of ancient Egypt, and La Madia, an Italian eno-gastromonic and travel monthly.

Her freelance articles have appeared in Yerevan, Art & Antiques, The Baltimore Sun, New York Daily News, The New York Observer, The European, Denver Post, Cucina italiana (the English edition), Qantas's Australian Way, Book, Antiquarian Book Monthly, United's Hemispheres, EgyptAir's Horus, Gulf Air's Golden Falcon and Bahrain Gateway, Singapore Airlines' SilverKris, US Air's Attaché, Sabena's Passport, Diversion, Europe, Travel Agent Magazine, Period Living and Traditional Homes, Delta's Sky, There, Renaissance, Wilson Library Bulletin, Poets & Writers, Bookdealer and Biblio. In 1997 Italica Press in New York City published Sparrow, her translation of Giovanni Verga's first successful novel.

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