Lelio Sozzini

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Lelio Sozzini (Latin: Laelius Socinus; 1525–1562), the Italian theologian namesake of Socinianism.[1]

Lelio Francesco Maria Sozzini, or simply Lelio Sozzini (

belief system known as Socinianism.[1][2] His doctrine was developed among the Polish Brethren in the Polish Reformed Church between the 16th and 17th centuries,[1][3][4] and embraced by the Unitarian Church of Transylvania during the same period.[1][3][5]

Life

Lelio Sozzini was born and raised in

freethinker in the Sozzini family.[1]

Lelio (who spelled his surname Sozzini,

Rome
".

Lelio Sozzini gained some knowledge of

Bibliander) as well as Greek, but was never a laborious student. His father supplied him with means and, on coming of age, he repaired to the Republic of Venice, home to the headquarters of the Protestant churches in medieval Italy. A tradition—first published by Christopher Sandius in his book Bibliotheca antitrinitariorum (1684) and Andrzej Wiszowaty in his book Narratio Compendiosa (1668)—and amplified by subsequent writers makes him a leading spirit in theological conferences called the Collegia Vicentina at Vicenza between the years 1546 and 1547.[6][7]

At this period, the standpoint of Sozzini was that of evangelical reform of the Christian faith; he exhibits a singular union of enthusiastic piety with subtle theological speculation. At

Quakers. Pursuing his religious travels throughout early modern Europe, his family name and his personal charm ensured him a welcome in the Old Swiss Confederacy, the kingdoms of France and England, and the Republic of the Netherlands
.

1548–1554

Returning to Switzerland at the close of 1548, with commendatory letters to the Swiss Protestant churches from

Konrad Pelikan) between the years 1549–1550. He was next at Wittenberg (July 1550–June 1551), first as Melanchthon's guest, then with professor Johann Forster, for the improvement of his knowledge of Hebrew. From Wittenberg he returned to Zürich (end of 1551), after visiting Vienna in the Holy Roman Empire, then Prague and Kraków in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
.

Political events drew him back to Italy in June 1552; with two visits to Siena. In the Republic of Siena,

Fausto. Lelio was at Padua (not Geneva, as is often said) at the date of Michael Servetus's execution (27 October 1553), burned at the stake with the accusation of heresy
. Thence he made his way to Basel (January 1554), Geneva (April), and Zürich (May), where he took up his abode.

sacraments (to Johann Wolff). It was the fate of the Spanish theologian Michael Servetus that directed his mind to focus on the doctrine of the Trinity
.

At Geneva (April 1554) he made, incautious remarks on the common doctrine, emphasized in a subsequent letter to Martinengo, the Italian pastor. Bullinger, at the instance of correspondents (including Calvin), questioned Sozzini as to his faith, and received from him an explicitly orthodox confession (reduced to writing on 15 July 1555), with a frank reservation of the right of further inquiry.

A month before this Sozzini had been sent with

Ochino
as pastor of the Italian church at Zürich; and it is clear that in their subsequent intercourse the minds of Sozzini and Ochino (a thinker of the same type as Camillo, with finer dialectic skill) acted powerfully on each other in the radical discussion of theological problems.

1555–1562

In 1555, Lelio turned 30 years old. From 1556 following the death of his father, who left him nothing by will, Sozzini was involved in pecuniary anxieties. With influential introductions (one from Calvin) he visited in 1558 the courts of Vienna and Kraków to obtain support for an appeal to the reigning duke at

Athanasius when he fled from Egypt to Trier
.

Well received out of Italy, Sozzini could do nothing at home, and apparently did not proceed beyond Venice. The Inquisition had its eye on the family; his brother Cornelio Sozzini was imprisoned at Rome; his brothers Celso Sozzini and Camillo and his nephew Fausto were "reputati Luterani," suspected of Lutheranism, and Camillo Sozzini had fled from Siena. In August 1559 Sozzini returned to Zürich, where his brief career was closed by his death on 4 May 1562, at his lodging in the house of Hans Wyss, a silk-weaver.

Legacy

Plaque in the Sozzini's palace in Siena to remember Fausto and Lelio Socini. The inscription say: "During ages of fierce despotism, with their new doctrines they awoke the free thought"

No authentic portrait of him exists; alleged likenesses on medals, etc., are spurious. The news of his uncle's death reached Fausto at Lyons through Antonio Maria Besozzo. Repairing to Zürich Fausto got his uncle's few papers, comprising very little connected writing but a good many notes.

Fausto continually gave credit to his uncle for many of his ideas, in particular noting:

  1. Fausto derived from Lelio in conversations (1552–1553) the germ of his theory of salvation;
  2. Fausto derived many interpretations of specific Bible verses from Lelio. For example, Lelio's reading (1561) of "In the Beginning" in John 1:1 as "the beginning of the gospel" was taken up in Fausto's interpretation which denied the pre-existence of Christ. Likewise Lelio's interpretation of "Before Abraham was I am" John 8:58 as relating to the resurrection of Abraham was taken up by Fausto.

Works

Sozzini’s extant writings are:

  • De sacramentis dissertatio (1555), On the sacrament. four parts
  • De resurrectione On resurrection (a fragment 1549?)
  • Brevis explicatio in primum Iohannis caput Short explanation of John 1. published posthumously by Ferenc David in De falsa et vera unius Dei Patri, filii, et spiritus sancti 1568, Alba Iulia. This is often confused with the similarly titled Brevis explicatio in primum Iohannis caput (Amsterdam 1565)[8]
  • Confessio Fidei (Zurich July 1555)

An extensive correspondence in Latin and Italian exists, consisting of 53 letters from and to Sozzini with Bullinger, Calvin and B. Amerbach.

Notes

  1. ^
    Enciclopedia Treccani. Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (in Italian). Vol. 93. Rome
    : Treccani. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  2. LCCN 2010000384
    .
  3. ^
    ISBN 978-0-943549-83-5
    .
  4. ^ M. Hillar: "Poland's Contribution to the Reformation: Socinians/Polish Brethren and Their Ideas on the Religious Freedom," The Polish Review, Vol. XXXVIII, No.4, pp. 447–468, 1993. M. Hillar, "From the Polish Socinians to the American Constitution," in A Journal from the Radical Reformation. A Testimony to Biblical Unitarianism, Vol. 4, No. 3, pp. 22–57, 1994. M. Hillar, "The Philosophical Legacy of the XVIth and XVIIth Century Socinians: Their Rationality." in the book "The Philosophy of Humanism and the Issues of Today," eds. M. Hillar and F. Prahl, pp. 117–126, American Humanist Association, Houston, 1995. Marian Hillar, “The Philosophical Legacy of the 16th and 17th Century Socinians: Their Rationality.” In The Proceedings of the Twentieth World Congress of Philosophy, Alan M. Olson, Executive Editor, Vol 4. Philosophies of religion, Art, and Creativity, Kevin Stoehr (ed.), (Charlottesville, Virginia: Philosophy Documentation Center, 1999) Marian Hillar, “The XVIth and XVIIth Century Socinians: Precursors of Freedom of Conscience, of Separation of Church and State, and of the Enlightenment.” In Essays in the Philosophy of Humanism, Vol. 9, pp. 35–60, 2001, eds. Robert D. Finch, Marian Hillar, American Humanist Association, Houston, TX 2001. Marian Hillar, “Laelius and Faustus Socinus Founders of Socinianism: Their Lives and Theology.” Part 1. Journal from the Radical Reformation. Testimony to Biblical Unitarianism, Vol. 10, No. 2. Winter 2002. pp. 18–38. Marian Hillar, “Laelius and Faustus Socinus Founders of Socinianism: Their Lives and Theology.” Part 2. Journal from the Radical Reformation. Testimony to Biblical Unitarianism, Vol. 10, No. 3. Spring 2002. pp. 11–24.
  5. ^ Wilbur, Earl Morse (1952) [1945]. "The Unitarian Church under Calvinist Princes: 1604-1691". A History of Unitarianism: In Transylvania, England, and America. Vol. 2. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. pp. 121–122.
  6. ^ Philip Knijff, Sibbe Jan Visser, Piet Visser, 2004, Bibliographia Sociniana: a bibliographical reference tool for the Study of Dutch Socinianism and Antitrinitarianism, p.11
  7. ^ Earl Morse Wilbur, 1952, A history of Unitarianism, Volume 1, p. 81
  8. ^ also published Alba Iulia 1568, by Francis David in his Refutatio propositionum Melii but misattributed as a second version of the commentary by Lelio Sozzini - which to an extent it is, but by the nephew.

See also

References

  •  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Socinus". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
  • Marian Hillar, Laelius and Faustus Socinus : Founders of Socinianism, Their Lives and Theology, in "The Journal from the Radical Reformation. A Testimony to Biblical Unitarianism." (Part I, Vol. 10, No. 2, 2002; Part II, Vol. 10, No. 3, 2002)
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