The Chrysoloras Revival of Plato in Italy (1350–1456)

Abstract

Throughout the Middle Ages the Roman Church had effectively suppressed efforts to translate Plato into any western language. In France, for example, the Church encouraged the translation into Latin of the complete works of the Greek Father Dionysius Areopagite, but when Abaelard showed an interest in Plato, he was ruthlessly silenced (Jayne, 1991, pp. 466–490). As late as 1350 the only dialogues of Plato that had been translated into any western language were the Timaeus, translated in Spain by Calcidius about 385, and the Phaedo and Meno, translated in Sicily by Henricus Aristippus between 1154 and 1156. Thus when Petrarch, impressed by the praise of Plato that he found in the works of Augustine, tried to acquire copies of Plato’s works, he was at first able to find only a Calcidius Timaeus (Petrarch’s copy is now Paris, BN lat. 6280) and an Aristippus Phaedo (Petrarch’s copy is now Paris, BN lat. 6567A) (Nolhac, 1954; Trinkaus, 1979).