Antonius Agellius, C.R. or Antonio Agellio (1532–1608) was bishop of Acerno ''(in Latin)'' ''(in Latin)'' and a member of the

Theatines The Theatines, officially named the Congregation of Clerics Regular (; abbreviated CR), is a Catholic order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men founded by Archbishop Gian Pietro Carafa on 14 September 1524. Foundation The order wa ...

, born in

Sorrento Sorrento ( , ; ; ) is a City status in Italy, city and overlooking the Gulf of Naples, Bay of Naples in Southern Italy. A popular tourist destination, Sorrento is located on the Sorrentine Peninsula at the southern terminus of a main branch o ...

. He was an editor of the Clementine edition of the

Latin Vulgate The Vulgate () is a late-4th-century Latin translation of the Bible. It is largely the work of Saint Jerome who, in 382, had been commissioned by Pope Damasus I to revise the Gospels used by the Roman Church. Later, of his own initia ...

.''Illustrations of Biblical Literature'', vol. II, Rev. James Townley, 1856

Biography

Antonius Agellius was born at

, in the year 1532. When nineteen years of age he put on the habit of his order, and in the following year, 1552, made his profession in

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

, where he had passed his

novitiate The novitiate, also called the noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a Christian ''novice'' (or ''prospective'') monastic, apostolic, or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether ...

. Having displayed singular ability in the study of

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

and languages, he was sent by the superiors of his order to

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, and placed under the tuition of the celebrated Gugliemo Sirleto, who at that time superintended the theological studies of the young members. Here he speedily distinguished himself, and became thoroughly versed in the

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

, and Chaldee languages. On the introduction of his order into

Genoa Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...

, he was chosen the first preposito, in 1572, in the Casa di S. Maddalena, which office he held for three years. The

Council of Trent The Council of Trent (), held between 1545 and 1563 in Trent (or Trento), now in northern Italy, was the 19th ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. Prompted by the Protestant Reformation at the time, it has been described as the "most ...

having recommended a revision of the Sacred Scriptures, Agelli was one of the learned men selected by Pius V to whom this important work was confided. Their attention was first directed to the

Septuagint The Septuagint ( ), sometimes referred to as the Greek Old Testament or The Translation of the Seventy (), and abbreviated as LXX, is the earliest extant Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible from the original Biblical Hebrew. The full Greek ...

version, on which Agelli was principally employed, and for which he collated a vast number of Hebrew and Greek

manuscript A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand or typewritten, as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced in some indirect or automated way. More recently, the term has ...

s. This revised version was afterwards published at Rome, in 1587, in folio. He likewise had a great share in the Latin version of the Septuagint published by Flaminio de' Nobili, in 1588, in folio; and aided much in the completion of the correction of the

Vulgate The Vulgate () is a late-4th-century Bible translations into Latin, Latin translation of the Bible. It is largely the work of Saint Jerome who, in 382, had been commissioned by Pope Damasus I to revise the Gospels used by the Diocese of ...

published in 1592, in folio. He was also one of the six persons, called ''scolastici'', who presided over the Vatican press, and examined the works to be printed there, by comparing them with good manuscripts. In midst of these literary labours he performed the duties of visitor in Rome and

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

, and the other places comprised within this district. Clement VIII held him in such high esteem, that he entrusted to him the education of his grand nephew, Ippolito Aldobrandini, made him consultore of the Congregation of the Index, and in the year 1593 bishop of Acerno, in the Campagna Felice. This dignity he retained until the year 1604, when, the service of the Church requiring his constant residence in Rome, he resigned his bishopric, receiving from Pope for his maintenance an abbey, and apartments in the episcopal palace at Rome. Here he died in the year 1608.

Works

In addition to his editorial labours mentioned above, he wrote the following works, which are described by

Ughelli Ughelli is a town in Delta State, Nigeria, and one of the 24 kingdoms that make up the Urhobo people, Urhobo Nation. It also serves as the headquarters of Ughelli North local government area of Delta State. The city is indigenous to the Urhobo ...

as most accurate, copious, and valuable: # ''Commentarium in Lamentationes Hieremiæ ex Auctoribus Græcis collectum, cum Explicatione e Catena Græcorum Patrum ex ejusdem Versione''. Romæ, 1585, 4to. # # It is said that Cardinal Bellarmine, who had written upon the

Psalms The Book of Psalms ( , ; ; ; ; , in Islam also called Zabur, ), also known as the Psalter, is the first book of the third section of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) called ('Writings'), and a book of the Old Testament. The book is an anthology of B ...

, declared, in allusion to the commentaries of Agelli, that he never would have published his own work, unless compelled so to do by the general of his order, as Agelli had forestalled all the praise and carried off the palm of honour. # ''In Proverbia Salomonis Commentarius'', published by Novarini in his ''Varia Opuscula'', Veronæ, 1649, fol. Part III, p. 109. # ''Cyrilli Alexandrini Libri XVII de Adoratione in Spiritu et Veritate, e Græco in Latinum translati et Scholiis illustrati''. Romæ, 1588, folio. # ''Cyrilli Alexandrini adversus Nestorii Blasphemias Contradictionum Libri V, e Græco in Latinum translati, cum Scholiis''. Romæ, 1607, fol. This work of

Cyril of Alexandria Cyril of Alexandria (; or ⲡⲓ̀ⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ Ⲕⲓⲣⲓⲗⲗⲟⲥ; 376–444) was the Patriarch of Alexandria from 412 to 444. He was enthroned when the city was at the height of its influence and power within the Roman Empire ...

had never before been published. # ''Procli Patriarchæ Constantinopolitani Epistola de Fide ad Armenos Agellio interprete'', published in vol. XI of the ''Bibliotheca Patrum'', Paris, 1654, fol. In addition to the above, the following works are preserved in manuscript in the Quirinal Library of the Regular Clerks: # ''Opusculum de Ponderibus et Mensuris''. # ''In Isaiam Prophetam à cap XXI ad finem''. # ''In Danielem Expositio''. # ''In Duodecim Prophetas Expositiones''. # ''In Epistolas Pauli et Catholicas Annotationes, Græce et Latine''. # ''In Tria Priora Capita Apocalypsis''. # ''Selecta ex Rabbinorum Commentariis in Job''. # ''Rabbi Bravatellus in Habacuc, Latine''. # ''Scholia in Dionysium Areopagitam, Græce''. # ''Phraseologia Demosthenis et Nazianzeni, Græce''. He likewise assisted Mario Altieri in the correction of the Gallican Psalter, and by order of Clement VIII made a strict criticism of the

Talmud The Talmud (; ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of Haskalah#Effects, modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cen ...

. Neither the corrections nor criticism have been published.

Bibliography

* * *

Notes

External links and additional sources

* (for Chronology of Bishops) * (for Chronology of Bishops) {{DEFAULTSORT:Agellius, Antonius 1532 births 1608 deaths Bishops in Campania Theatines People from Sorrento Theatine bishops Italian biblical scholars Italian philologists