JAVELLI, GIOVANNI CRISOSTOMO

Dominican philosopher and theologian; b. Casale, Italy, c. 1470; d. Bologna, c. 1538. He studied in Bologna, became bachelor of theology in 1513 and master in 1515, and was regent of studies from 1518 to 1521. His university career was confined entirely to Bologna in an era when the intellectual life of his order was directed by T. de Vio cajetan. Javelli studied under Cajetan and was a colleague of ferrariensis. Preferring the contemplative life of study and writing, Javelli wrote extensive commentaries on the works of Plato and of Aristotle and numerous treatises in theology. His philosophical works seek to defend the interpretation of Aristotle as found in St. Thomas Aquinas and to reject Averroism. They have been published under the general title Totius rationalis, naturalis, divinae, et moralis philosophiae compendium (Lyons 1567–80; Venice 1577). In 1611 he wrote a commentary on the prima pars of Aquinas's Summa theologiae (Mainz and Venice 1612), to which he added a treatise on the Trinity and one on predestination and reprobation. In order to avoid the errors of M. luther, Javelli took a position that seems to depart from the accepted Thomistic doctrine; it is regarded by Quétif and Échard as semi-Pelagianism or at least Molinism. Javelli took an active part in the controversies over the rationalistic Aristotelianism of Pietro pomponazzi of padua, at the latter's request. He refuted the errors of Pomponazzi's De immortalitate animae (1516) in a work entitled Solutiones rationum animae mortalium probantium (Bologna 1519). It was subsequently published by Pomponazzi with his own work (1525) and is reported to have saved Pomponazzi from more solemn condemnation at the hands of the inquisitor Jean de Torfani.

See Also: thomism, scholasticism.

Bibliography: j. quÉtif and j. echard, Scriptores Ordinis Praedicatorum 2.1:104–105. g. gieraths, Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche 5:885. Enciclopedia Universal Ilustrada Europa-Americana 28:2611–12. m. d. chenu, Dictionnaire de théologie catholique 8.1:535–537. l. cardin, Enciclopedia filosofica 2:1620. h. hurter Nomenclator literarius theolgiae catholicae 2:1209–1212. c. giacon, La seconda scolastica, 3 v. (Milan 1944–51) 1:87–90.

[f. j. roensch]