James of Viterbo ( it, Giacomo da Viterbo; – ), born Giacomo Capocci (nicknamed ''Doctor speculativus''), was an Italian
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
* Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
* Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...
Augustinian friar and
Scholastic theologian, who later became Archbishop of Naples.
Life
James was born Giacomo Capocci in
Viterbo
Viterbo (; Viterbese: ; lat-med, Viterbium) is a city and ''comune'' in the Lazio region of central Italy, the capital of the province of Viterbo.
It conquered and absorbed the neighboring town of Ferento (see Ferentium) in its early history ...
in the
Papal States
The Papal States ( ; it, Stato Pontificio, ), officially the State of the Church ( it, Stato della Chiesa, ; la, Status Ecclesiasticus;), were a series of territories in the Italian Peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope fro ...
around the year 1255. Little information is available regarding his early years. He joined the
Order of St. Augustine
The Order of Saint Augustine, ( la, Ordo Fratrum Sancti Augustini) abbreviated OSA, is a religious mendicant order of the Catholic Church. It was founded in 1244 by bringing together several eremitical groups in the Tuscany region who were fo ...
around the year 1272 at the monastery of the Most Holy Trinity in Viterbo. He was then sent to pursue theological studies at the Order's General House of Studies in Paris,
["June 4 - Blessed James of Viterbo", The Augustinains - Province of St. Thomas of Villanova]
/ref> where he studied under Giles of Rome
Giles of Rome O.S.A. (Latin: ''Aegidius Romanus''; Italian: ''Egidio Colonna''; c. 1243 – 22 December 1316), was a Medieval philosopher and Scholastic theologian and a friar of the Order of St Augustine, who was also appointed to the ...
.[
Capocci is first mentioned in the surviving historical records in the year 1283 in the capitular acts of the Augustinians’ Roman province as a recently appointed lecturer in the Convent of Viterbo, meaning that he must have spent at least five years at the ]University of Paris
, image_name = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg
, image_size = 150px
, caption = Coat of Arms
, latin_name = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis
, motto = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' (Latin)
, mottoeng = Here and a ...
, because the Augustinian Order required its lecturers to be trained in Theology in that city for a duration of five years. Giacomo returned to Paris for further studies,[ as his name is again mentioned in the capitular acts in 1288, where he is said to hold a Bachelor of Theology degree from the University of Paris.
Capocci received his Master of Theology degree in 1293, and taught in Paris for the next seven years, during which time his output was extensive as all of his works in the fields of speculative theology and metaphysics date from this time. In 1299 he became the Order's Regent of Studies. Around the year 1300, he was named as a member of the governing council of the Augustinian Roman Province by the Augustinians’ General Chapter. At the General Chapter of 1300, he had a very public disagreement with the Prior General, ]Agostino Novello
Agostino Novello (1240 – 19 May 1309), also known as Augustine of Tarano, but born Matteo da Termini, was an Italian religious figure.
He was born in the first half of the 13th century, at Termini Imerese, the village in Sicily from which he der ...
, when he defended a German friar whom he believed may have been unjustly accused of something.["An Augustinian by the Name of the "Speculative Doctor" - Blessed James of Viterbo, OSA", OSA]
/ref> In May 1300, he became regent master of the order's ''studium generale'' in Naples.[
In September 1302, ]Pope Boniface VIII
Pope Boniface VIII ( la, Bonifatius PP. VIII; born Benedetto Caetani, c. 1230 – 11 October 1303) was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 24 December 1294 to his death in 1303. The Caetani family was of baronial ...
appointed him Archbishop of Benevento
The Italian Catholic metropolitan Archdiocese of Benevento ( la, Archidioecesis Beneventana) has a long history; it now has five suffragan dioceses: the diocese of Ariano Irpino-Lacedonia, the diocese of Avellino, the diocese of Cerreto Sanni ...
,["Blessed James of Viterbo", ,Augustinian Recollects]
/ref> In December 1302, at the request of King Charles II of Naples, Capocci was transferred to the Archbishopric of Naples,[Côté, Antoine, "James of Viterbo", ''The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy'']
(Spring 2014 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.) where he oversaw construction of the Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary.
In 1303 Capocci obtained his Doctor of Theology, and published the treatise, ''De regimine christiano'' (''On Christian Government''). He was considered by his peers to be one of the best scholastic theologians of his time.[
He died in Naples in 1307, where he was venerated as a holy man. His cult was confirmed by ]Pope Pius X
Pope Pius X ( it, Pio X; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing modernist interpretations of ...
in June 1914[ He is commemorated in the Augustinian order on 4 June.][
]
Work
James wrote several works that reflected the teachings of Augustine of Hippo
Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Afr ...
.[
The works authentically attributed to him are listed as follows:][
* ''Lectura super IV libros Sententiarum''
* ''Quaestiones Parisius disputatae De praedicamentis in divinis''
* ''Quaestione de animatione caeli''
* ''Quaestiones disputatae de Verbo''
* ''Quodlibeta quattuor''
* ''Abbreviatio In Sententiarum Aegidii Romani''
* ''De perfectione specierum''
* ''De regimine christiano''
* ''Summa de peccatorum distinctione''
* ''Sermones diversarum rerum''
* ''Concordantia psalmorum David''
* ''De confessione''
* ''De episcopali officio''
]
References
Sources
*H. X. Arquillière (1926), ''Le plus ancien traité de l'Eglise: J., De regimine Christiano''
*R. W. Dyson (1995), ''James of Viterbo: On Christian Government (De regimine Christiano)''
Further reading
*
External links
Saints SQPN
Biography (Italian language)
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:James of Viterbo
1255 births
1307 deaths
13th-century venerated Christians
13th-century Italian Roman Catholic priests
14th-century Italian Roman Catholic archbishops
14th-century venerated Christians
Archbishops of Benevento
Archbishops of Naples
Augustinian friars
Augustinian bishops
Beatifications by Pope Pius X
Italian beatified people
People from Viterbo
13th-century Italian Roman Catholic theologians
Venerated Catholics