Pellicia, Alexius Aurelius

Pellicia, Alexius Aurelius, an Italian theologian of note, was born at Naples in 1744, and was educated at the high school of his native place. When only twenty-one years old, and shortly after graduation, he translated Tillemont's Life of Christ into Italian, and enriched it with learned notes. Two years later he was teacher of liturgy at the Conference, and at twenty-seven was appointed professor of ethics and archaeology at his alma mater. A year later he wrote a dissertation on the obligation of the Church to the State. This was followed by other learned dissertations; but his chef d'aeuvre is De Christianae ecclesie primae, mediae, et novissinmae tatis politia libri iv (Naples, 1777, 3 vols. 8vo; new ed. by Ritter [Colossians 1829], with add. by Brown, in 1838), which is one of the best archaeological works written by Romanists. He died in 1823.