BALLERINI, ANTONIO

Jesuit moral theologian; b. Medicina, near Bologna, Oct. 10, 1805; d. Rome, Nov. 27, 1881. He entered the Society of Jesus in 1826 and became professor of Church history at the Gregorian University in Rome in 1844 and then professor of moral theology in 1855. Among his early writing was Sylloge monumentorum ad mysterium conceptionis Immaculatae Virginis Deiparae illustrandum (2 v. Rome 1854–56), an historic work. Turning to moral theology, he published De morali systemate s. Alphonsi M. de Ligorio (Rome 1863) and then contributed annotations to the 17th edition of J. P. Gury's Compendium theologiae moralis (2 v. Rome 1866), which added to the value and to the further widespread use of that work. Ballerini was a strong defender of probabilism, and his interpretation of certain Alphonsian doctrines brought him into controversy with some of the Redemptorists. His last great work, Opus theologicum morale in Busembaum medullam, was nearly completed at the time of his death, and the last volume was written by D. Palmieri (7 v. Prato 1889–93). Ballerini was outstanding among his contemporaries for his contribution to the restoration and progress of moral theology.

Bibliography: c. sommervogel et al., Bibliothèquede la Compagnie de Jésus, II v. (Brussels-Paris 1890–1932) 1:843–48, 8:1733–34. r. brouillard, Dictionnaire d'histoire et de géographie ecclésiastiques 6:398–99. c. sommervogel, Dictionnaire de théologie catholique 2.1:130–31. h. hurter, Nomenclator literarius theologiae catholicae 5.2:1793–95.

[j. c. willke]