SIXTUS OF SIENA

Biblical scholar; b. Siena, 1520; d. Genoa, 1569. Converted from Judaism in his youth, he first became a Franciscan, but later, when convicted of heresy and condemned to death, he was spared through the intercession of Michael Ghislieri, OP (later Pius V), who persuaded him to recant and become a Dominican (1551). In 1559 he was appointed censor of Hebrew books by Pius V, and in this office he was able to save many valuable works from destruction. In 1566 he published at Venice his celebrated Bibliotheca Sacra, containing eight "books" in two volumes: (1) division and authority of Scripture, (2) alphabetic and historical indexes, (3) interpretation of the inspired books, (4) alphabetic list of Catholic interpreters,(5) hermeneutics [also published separately as De arte interpretandi sacra volumina (Cologne 1577)], (6) and (7) exegetical interpretations, and (8) apologia. Some later editions arrange the eight books in a different order. Since it was based on scientific principles, this work is considered to be the first of the modern Biblical introductions. In it were used for the first time the terms protocanonical and deuterocanonical that later became standard for distinguishing respectively the OT books that are regarded as canonical by Jews and Protestants as well as by Catholics and those that are so regarded only by Catholics.

Bibliography: j. quÉtif and j. Échard, Scriptores Ordinis Praedicatorum, 5 v. (Paris 1719–23); continued by r. coulon (Paris 1909–); repr. 2 v. in 4 (New York 1959) 2.1:206–208. Dictionnaire de la Bible, ed. f. vigouroux, 5 v. (Paris 1895–1912) 5.2:1799–1800.

[a. smith]