Stefano Antonio Morcelli

Stefano Antonio Morcelli (17 January 1737 – 1 January 1822) was an Italian Jesuit scholar, known as an epigraphist. His work De stilo Latinarum inscriptionum libri III, published in three volumes in 1781, which shows a rigorous method, a novelty and originality of approach, as well as a solid preparation, gave him his European fame and is considered a milestone in the development of epigraphy.[1][2]

Life

Morcelli was born at Chiari near Brescia. He studied at the Jesuit College of Brescia and was admitted into the Society of Jesus, 3 November 1753. He successively taught grammar at Fermo, humanities at Ragusa, and oratory at the Roman College where he established an academy of archaeology at the Kircher Museum.

After the suppression of the Society of Jesus (1773) he became librarian to Cardinal Albani and in 1791 was appointed to a provostship in his native town. He declined the offer of the Archbishopric of Ragusa and died in Chiari, a member of the restored Society of Jesus.

Works

He owes his reputation not only to his extensive knowledge of ancient inscriptions, but also to his classical Latinity. Among his works are:

  • De stilo inscriptionum latinarum (Rome, 1781);
  • Inscriptiones commentariis subjectis (Rome, 1783)
  • To a second edition of these two works was added the Parergon Inscriptionum novissimarum (Padua, 1818–22);
  • Mēnologion tōn euangeliōn heortastikon sive Kalendarium Ecclesiæ Constantinopolitanæ etc. (Rome, 1788);
  • Africa Christiana (Brescia, 1816-7);
  • Opuscoli Ascetici (Brescia, 1819 or 1820).
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References
  1. Mazzoleni, Danilo (2012). "MORCELLI, Stefano Antonio". Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani, Volume 76: Montauti–Morlaiter (in Italian). Rome: Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana.
  2. Sandys, Sir John Edwin (1919). Latin Epigraphy: An Introduction to the Study of Latin Inscriptions. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 29.

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Stefano Antonio Morcelli". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.

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