Aonio Paleario (c. 1500July 3, 1570) was an Italian Christian termed a '' reformer''.William M. Blackburn, The Italian Reformer: The Life and Martyrdom of Aonio Paleario and the Book 'The Benefit of Christ's Death'," Solid Ground Christian Books, http://www.solid-ground-books.com/detail_601.asp.

Life

He was born about 1500 at

Veroli Veroli () is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Frosinone, Lazio, central Italy, in the Latin Valley. History Veroli (''Verulae'') became a Ancient Rome, Roman municipium in 90 BC. It became the seat of a bishopric in 743 AD, and was occupi ...

, in the

Roman Campagna The Roman Campagna () is a low-lying area surrounding Rome in the Lazio region of central Italy, with an area of approximately . It is bordered by the Tolfa and Sabatini mountains to the north, the Alban Hills to the southeast, and the Tyrrh ...

. Other forms of his name are Antonio Della Paglia, A. Degli Pagliaricci. In 1520 he went 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, ...

, where he entered the brilliant literary circle of

Leo X Pope Leo X (; born Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici, 11 December 14751 December 1521) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 March 1513 to his death in December 1521. Born into the prominent political and banking Me ...

. When Charles of Bourbon stormed Rome in 1527, Paleario went first to

Perugia Perugia ( , ; ; ) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber. The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and part of the valleys around the area. It has 162,467 ...

and then to

Siena Siena ( , ; traditionally spelled Sienna in English; ) is a city in Tuscany, in central Italy, and the capital of the province of Siena. It is the twelfth most populated city in the region by number of inhabitants, with a population of 52,991 ...

, where he settled as a teacher of Greek and Hebrew. In 1536 his didactic poem in Latin

hexameter Hexameter is a metrical line of verses consisting of six feet (a "foot" here is the pulse, or major accent, of words in an English line of poetry; in Greek as well as in Latin a "foot" is not an accent, but describes various combinations of s ...

s, ''De immortalitate animarum'', was published at

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

. It is divided into three books, the first containing his proofs of the divine existence, and the remaining two the

theological Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of an ...

and

philosophical Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

arguments for

immortality Immortality is the concept of eternal life. Some species possess "biological immortality" due to an apparent lack of the Hayflick limit. From at least the time of the Ancient Mesopotamian religion, ancient Mesopotamians, there has been a con ...

based on that postulate. The whole concludes with a

rhetoric Rhetoric is the art of persuasion. It is one of the three ancient arts of discourse ( trivium) along with grammar and logic/ dialectic. As an academic discipline within the humanities, rhetoric aims to study the techniques that speakers or w ...

al description of the occurrences of the Second Advent. In 1542 the Inquisition made his tract ''Della Pienezza, sufficienza, et satisfazione della passione di Christo'', or ''Libellus de morte Christi'' (The Benefit of Christ's Death), the basis of a charge of heresy, from which, however, he successfully defended himself. In Siena he wrote his ''Actio in pontifices romanos et eorum asseclas'', a vigorous indictment, in twenty testimonia, against what he now believed to be the fundamental error of the Roman Church in subordinating

Scripture Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They often feature a compilation or discussion of beliefs, ritual practices, moral commandments and ...

to tradition, as well as against various particular doctrines, such as that of

purgatory In Christianity, Purgatory (, borrowed into English language, English via Anglo-Norman language, Anglo-Norman and Old French) is a passing Intermediate state (Christianity), intermediate state after physical death for purifying or purging a soul ...

; it was not, however, printed until after his death (Leipzig, 1606). In 1546 he accepted a professorial chair at

Lucca Città di Lucca ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the Serchio River, in a fertile plain near the Ligurian Sea. The city has a population of about 89,000, while its Province of Lucca, province has a population of 383,9 ...

, which he exchanged in 1555 for that of Greek and Latin literature at

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

. Here about 1566 his enemies renewed their activity, and in 1567 he was formally accused by Fra Angelo, the

inquisitor An inquisitor was an official (usually with judicial or investigative functions) in an inquisition – an organization or program intended to eliminate heresy and other things contrary to the doctrine or teachings of the Catholic faith. Literall ...

of Milan. He was tried at Rome, condemned to death in October 1569, and executed in July 1570.

Works

An edition of his works (''Ant. Palearii Verulani Opera''), including four books of ''Epistolae'' and twelve ''Orationes'' besides the ''De immortalitate'', was published at Lyon in 1552; this was followed by two others, at

Basel Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...

, and several after his death, the fullest being that of Amsterdam, 1696. A work, entitled ''Benefizio di Cristo'' ("The Benefit of Christ's Death"), has been attributed to Paleario on insufficient grounds. Lives by Gurlitt (Hamburg, 1805); Young (2 vols., London, 1860); Bonnet (Paris, 1862).

Churchill Babington Churchill Babington (; 11 March 182112 January 1889) was an English classical scholar, archaeologist and naturalist. He served as Rector of Cockfield, Suffolk. He was a cousin of Cardale Babington. Life He was born at Rothley Temple, in ...

, vicar of Cockfield, Suffolk published an English translation of ''Benefizio di Cristo'' in 1855. Aonio Paleario is the subject of a 2014 novel ''A Dream of Shadows'' by Diana M. DeLuca. This novel was awarded two first place awards by Reader Views annual literary contest n the categories of Spiritual Fiction and Best in the Rocky Mountain region 2014.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Paleario, Aonio 1500s births 1570 deaths People from Veroli Italian Renaissance humanists Italian Lutherans Lutheran writers Academic staff of the University of Perugia Academic staff of the University of Siena 16th-century executions by Italian states Executed Italian people People executed by the Roman Inquisition People executed for heresy 16th-century Protestant martyrs 16th-century Lutherans