Giustiniani, Agostino

Giustiniani, Agostino an Italian Orientalist of the preaching order, was born at Genoa in 1470. At the age of fourteen years he entered the convent of the Dominicans of Santa Marie del Castello, at Genoa. By the authority of the doge and the archbishop of Genoa, his parents sent him to Valencia, in Aragon, where lie contracted a serious disease. This caused him to again adopt his former project, and he returned to Pavia, took the Domninicau habit in 1488, and changed his Christian name from Pantaleon to Agostino. The study of Greek, Arabic, Hebrew, and Chaldee so absorbed his attention that he neglected theology and philosophy, and indifferently performed his duties as preacher and confessor. He taught in several schools of his order, but in 1514 resigned his duties as professor in order to devote himself exclusively to the editing of a polyglot Bible. Being appointed bishop of Nebbio, in Corsica, he assisted in 1516-17 at the Lateran council, and contested some articles of the concordat with Francis I and Leo X. The cardinal having fallen into disgrace, the bishop of Nebbio withdrew to Boniface Ferrier, bishop of Ivrea. Francis I, then ruler of the country of Giustiniani, invited him to remain in his kingdom. The king increased his pension, and appointed him professor of Hebrew in the University of Paris. Giustiniani was the first who taught this language there. He remained five years in France, during which time he made a voyage to the Netherlands and England, where he met with Erasmus and Thomas Morns. Recalled to his diocese by certain affairs, he remained there most of the time until his death, which occurred while returning from Genoa to Corsica, in 1586. He wrote a number of works, for mention of which see Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Generale, s.v.