Pietro Balbi (or Petrus Balbus) (1399–1479), of

Pisa Pisa ( , or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower, the cit ...

, was an Italian humanist, a longtime member of the ''familia'' of Cardinal Bessarion who moved in the same circle as Nicolas Cusanus, whom he served with his expertise in Greek. During Pius II's pontificate, Balbi was the most prolific translator of Greek

patristics Patristics or patrology is the study of the early Christian writers who are designated Church Fathers. The names derive from the combined forms of Latin ''pater'' and Greek ''patḗr'' (father). The period is generally considered to run from ...

in Rome, probably using the Greek manuscripts in Bessarion's own library. One of the ''quattrocento'' defenders of Plato, he translated for Cusanus the

epitome An epitome (; gr, ἐπιτομή, from ἐπιτέμνειν ''epitemnein'' meaning "to cut short") is a summary or miniature form, or an instance that represents a larger reality, also used as a synonym for embodiment. Epitomacy represents "t ...

of Platonic Philosophy, ''Disciplinarium Platonis epitome'', of the 2nd-century philosopher Albinus and the immense ''Theologica Platonica'' of

Proclus Proclus Lycius (; 8 February 412 – 17 April 485), called Proclus the Successor ( grc-gre, Πρόκλος ὁ Διάδοχος, ''Próklos ho Diádokhos''), was a Greek Neoplatonist philosopher, one of the last major classical philosophers ...

in 1462, and circulated it in manuscript.

Giovanni Andrea Bussi Giovanni Andrea Bussi (1417–1475), also Giovan de' Bussi or Joannes Andreae, was an Italian Renaissance humanist and the Bishop of Aleria (from 1469). He was a major editor of classical texts and produced many incunabular ''editiones princip ...

printed his translation of Alcinous, and Cusanus cast Balbi and Bussi as interlocutors in his dialogue ''De lì non aliud'' in the winter of 1462. Balbi played a role in the deconstructing of

Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite (or Dionysius the Pseudo-Areopagite) was a Greek author, Christian theologian and Neoplatonic philosopher of the late 5th to early 6th century, who wrote a set of works known as the ''Corpus Areopagiticum'' or ...

, unmasking the dionysian corpus as apocryphal.Recognised by John Monfasani, in ''Supplementum Festivum: Studies in Honor of Paul Oskar Kristeller'' In 1463 Balbi, who was bishop of Nicotera, was appointed bishop of Tropea in Calabria.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Balbi, Pietro 1399 births 1479 deaths Italian Renaissance humanists People from Pisa