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MURATORI

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Originally appearing in Volume V19, Page 31 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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MURATORI . LUDOVICO See also:

ANTONIO (1672-1750), See also:Italian See also:scholar, historian and See also:antiquary, was See also:born of poor parents at Vignola in the duchy of See also:Modena on the 21st of See also:October 1672. While See also:young he attracted the See also:attention of See also:Father Bacchini, the librarian of the See also:duke of Modena, by whom his See also:literary tastes were turned toward See also:historical and antiquarian See also:research. Having taken See also:minor orders in 1688, Muratori proceeded to his degree of See also:doctor in utroque jure before 1694, was ordained See also:priest in 1695 and appointed by See also:Count Carlo See also:Borromeo one of the doctors of the Ambrosian library at See also:Milan. From See also:manuscripts now placed under his See also:charge he made a selection of materials for several volumes (Anecdota), which he published with notes. The reputation he acquired was such that the duke of Modena offered him the situation of keeper of the public archives of the duchy. Muratori hesitated, until the offer of the additional See also:post of librarian, on the resignation of Father Bacchini, deter-See also:mined him in 1700 to return to Modena. The preparation of numerous valuable tracts on the See also:history of See also:Italy during the See also:middle ages, and of See also:dissertations and discussions on obscure points of historical and antiquarian See also:interest, as well as the publication of his various philosophical, theological, legal, poetical and other See also:works absorbed the greater See also:part of his See also:time. These brought him into communication with the most distinguished scholars of Italy, See also:France and See also:Germany. But they also exposed him in his later years to envy. His enemies spread abroad the rumour that the See also:pope, See also:Benedict XIV., had discovered in his writings passages savouring of See also:heresy, even of See also:atheism. Muratori appealed to the pope, repudiating the See also:accusation.

His Holiness assured him of his See also:

protection, and, without expressing his approbation of the opinions in question of the learned antiquary, freed him from the imputations of his enemies. Muratori died on the 23rd of See also:January 1750, and was buried with much pomp in the See also:church of See also:Santa Maria di See also:Pomposa, in connexion with which he had laboured as See also:parish priest for many years. His remains were removed in 1774 to the church of St Augustin. Muratori is rightly regarded as the " father of Italian history." This is due to his See also:great collection, Rerum italicarum scriptores, to which he devoted about fifteen years' See also:work (1723—1738). The gathering together and editing some 25 huge See also:folio volumes of texts was followed by a See also:series of 75 dissertations on See also:medieval Italy (Antiquitates italicae medii aevi, 1738—1742, 6 vols. folio). To these he added a Nevus See also:thesaurus inscriplionum (4 vols., 1739—1743), which was of great importance in the development of See also:epigraphy. Then, anticipating the See also:action of the learned See also:societies of the 19th See also:century, he set about a popular treatment of the historical See also:sources he had published. These Annali d'Italia (1744—1749) reached '2 volumes, but were imperfect and are of little value. In addition to this See also:national' enterprise (the Scriptores were published by the aid of the Society palatina of Milan) Muratori published Anecdota ex ambrosianae bibliothecae codd. (2 vols. 4to, Milan, '697, 1698; See also:Padua, 1713); Anecdota graeca (3 vols. 4to, Padua, 1709); Antichita Estens (2 vols. fol., Modena, 1717); Vita e rime di F.

Petrarca (1711), and Vita ed epere di L. Castelvetro (1727). In biblical scholarship Muratori is chiefly known as the discoverer of the so-called Muratorian See also:

Canon, the name given to a fragment (85 lines) of See also:early See also:Christian literature, which he found in 1740, embedded in an 8th-century codex which forms a compendium of theological tracts followed by the five early Christian See also:creeds. The document contains a See also:list of the books of the New Testament, a similar list concerning the Old Testament having apparently preceded it. It is in barbarous Latin which has probably been translated from See also:original See also:Greek—the See also:language prevailing in Christian See also:Rome until c. 200. There is little doubt that it was composed in Rome and we may date it about the See also:year 190. See also:Lightfoot inclined to See also:Hippolytus as its author. It is the earliest document known which enumerates the books in See also:order. The first See also:line of the fragment is broken and speaks of the See also:Gospel of St See also:Mark, but there is no doubt that its compiler knew also of St See also:Matthew. Acts is ascribed to St See also:Luke. He names thirteen letters of St See also:Paul but says nothing of the See also:Epistle to the See also:Hebrews.

The alleged letters of Paul to the Laodiceans and Alexandrians he rejects, " for See also:

gall must not be mixed with See also:honey." The two Epistles of See also:Peter and the Epistle of See also:James are not referred to, but that of See also:Jude and two of See also:John are accepted. He includes the See also:Apocalypse of John and also the Apocalypse of Peter. The Shepherd of See also:Hermas he rejects as not of apostolic origin, but this test of canonicity is not consistently applied for he allows the " See also:Wisdom written by the See also:friends of See also:Solomon in his See also:honour." He rejects the writings of the Gnostics See also:Valentinus and See also:Basilides, and of Montanus. The list is not an authoritative See also:decree, but a private See also:register of what the author considers the prevailing Christian sentiment in his neighbourhood. He notes certain See also:differences among the Gospels, because not all the evangelists were See also:eye-witnesses of the See also:life of Jesus; yet Mark and Luke respectively have behind them the authority of Peter and of Paul, who is thus regarded as on a footing with the Twelve. The See also:Fourth Gospel was written by John at the See also:request of the other apostles and the bishops on the basis of a See also:revelation made to See also:Andrew. The letters of Paul are written to four individuals and to seven different churches, like the seven letters in the Apocalypse of John. It is interesting to See also:notice the coincidence of his list with the See also:evidence gained from See also:Tertullian for See also:Africa and from See also:Irenaeus for See also:Gaul and indirectly for See also:Asia Minor. Before the year 200 there was widespread agreement in the sacred See also:body of apostolic writings read in Christian churches on the See also:Lord's See also:Day along with the Old Testament. Muratori's Letters, with a Life prefixed, were published by Lazzari, (2 vols., See also:Venice, 1783). His See also:nephew, F. G.

Muratori, also wrote a Vita del celebre Ludov. See also:

Ant. Muratori (Venice, 1756). See also A. G. Spinelli " Bibliographia delle lettere e stampa di L. A. Muratori " in Bolletino dell' instituto storico italiano (1888), and See also:Carducci's See also:preface to the new Scriptores. The Muratorian Canon is given in full with a See also:translation in H. M. Gwatkin's Selections from Early Christian Writers. It is also published as No.

I of H. Lietzrnann's Kleine Texte far theologische Vorlesungen (See also:

Bonn, 1902). See also See also:Journal of Theological Studies, viii. 537.by See also:Queen See also:Olga of See also:Wurttemberg. After the See also:war he was successively first secretary at See also:Paris, See also:chancellor of the See also:embassy at See also:Berlin, and then See also:minister at See also:Copenhagen. In See also:Denmark he was brought much into contact with the imperial See also:family, and on the See also:death of See also:Prince Lobanov in 1897 he was appointed by the See also:Tsar See also:Nicholas II. to be his minister of See also:foreign affairs. The next three and a See also:half years were a See also:critical time for See also:European See also:diplomacy. The See also:Chinese and Cretan questions were disturbing factors. As regards See also:Crete, Count See also:Muraviev's policy was vacillating; in See also:China his hands were forced by Germany's action at Kiaochow. But he acted with singular legerete with regard at all events to his assurances to Great See also:Britain respecting the leases of See also:Port See also:Arthur and See also:Talienwan from China; he told the See also:British See also:ambassador that these would be " open ports," and afterwards essentially modified this See also:pledge. When the Tsar Nicholas inaugurated the See also:Peace See also:Conference at the See also:Hague, Count Muraviev extricated his See also:country from a situation of some embarrassment; but when, subsequently, See also:Russian agents in See also:Manchuria and at See also:Peking connived at the agitation which culminated in the Boxer rising of 'goo, the relations of the responsible foreign minister with the tsar became strained. Muraviev died suddenly on the 21st of See also:June 'goo, of See also:apoplexy, brought on, it was said, by a stormy interview with the tsar.

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