Alexander of San Elpidio (1269–1326) was an Italian Augustinian.

Biography

He was born in S. Elpidio nella Marca (Ascoli Piceno). In 1300, he was summoned by the Prior General of the Augustinians to be ''primus lector'' in the Augustinian ''studium'' in Avignon. He studied at the University of Paris, and took the degree of bachelor. In 1303, he attended the General Chapter of his Order in Perugia as a delegate of the province of the Marches. He returned to Paris to continue his studies, taking the degree of master of theology (1308). He rose to become Prior General of the order of the Hermits of St. Augustine (O.E.S.A.). He attended the General Chapter in Viterbo in 1312, where he was elected to a three-year term. In Padua, in 1315, he was reelected, and in 1318, at Rimini he was elected again. He was re-elected twice more, at Rimini in 1321 and a Montpellier in 1324. He was known as a writer on theology and political matters, and, for less than eight months, as

bishop of Melfi The Italian Catholic Diocese of Melfi-Rapolla-Venosa ( la, Dioecesis Melphiensis-Rapollensis-Venusina, it, Diocesi di Melfi-Rapolla-Venosa) is in Basilicata, southern Italy. In 1986 the historic Diocese of Melfi-Rapolla was united with the Dioce ...

. Following the report of the death of Bishop Guillelmus of Melfi,

Pope John XXII Pope John XXII ( la, Ioannes PP. XXII; 1244 – 4 December 1334), born Jacques Duèze (or d'Euse), was head of the Catholic Church from 7 August 1316 to his death in December 1334. He was the second and longest-reigning Avignon Pope, elected b ...

provided (appointed) him to the reserved see of Melfi on 18 February 1326. Bishop Alexander died in Avignon before 6 October 1326. He was a follower of

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 ...

, regarded as an extreme

papalist The words Popery (adjective Popish) and Papism (adjective Papist, also used to refer to an individual) are mainly historical pejorative words in the English language for Roman Catholicism, once frequently used by Protestants and Eastern Orthod ...

. In 1324 he condemned Nicholas of Fabriano for his support of Louis of Bavaria, the opponent of

. He wrote a commentary on ''

De Civitate Dei ''On the City of God Against the Pagans'' ( la, De civitate Dei contra paganos), often called ''The City of God'', is a book of Christian philosophy written in Latin by Augustine of Hippo in the early 5th century AD. The book was in response ...

''.

Works

*''Tractatus de ecclesiastica potestate. Aliquoties adest inserta donatio Constantini Magni facta Ecclesiae Romanae.'' *''De iurisdictione Imperii et auctoritate Summi Pontificis Libri II.'' Lugduni, Claudius Giboletus, 1498. *''Expositio in Evangelium S. Ioannis'' *''Compendium librorum B. Augustini de Civitate Dei.'' *''De cessione sedium, fundatione et mutatione.'' *''De paupertate Evangelica, Liber 1.'' *''Alexandri.... Metaphisicae distinctiones.'' *''Quodlibetorum libri tres.'' *''Quaestiones ordinariae Theologicae.'' *''De triplici sacerdotio tractatus tres.'' *''Commentaria in Aristotelis libros Topicorum et Analyticorum Priorum.'' Catalogued by: David Aurelius Perini; and by the Autorenliste of ''Monumenta Germaniae Historica. Poetae Latini medii aevi.''Autorenliste – Autoren A
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Editions

Notes and references

Bibliography

*Casagrande, Carla (1995)
"FASSITELLI, Alessandro."
In: ''Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani'' Volume 45 (1995). *Colucci, Giuseppe (1789)
''Delle antichità Picene''
Tomo V. Fermo: G.A. Paccaroni, 1789. pp. 15-18. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Elpidio, Alexander Of San 1269 births 1326 deaths 14th-century Italian Roman Catholic theologians Bishops of Melfi Augustinian friars Augustinian bishops 14th-century Italian Roman Catholic bishops 14th-century Latin writers