Niccolò Riccardi

Niccolò Riccardi (born at Genoa, 1585; died at Rome, 30 May 1639) was an Italian Dominican theologian, writer and preacher.

Life

Niccolo Riccardi (1585-1639), student of Lemos (1545-1629) at Valladolid, professor of Theology at the College in 1621. Granted Galileo the imprimatur for his "Diologue" in 1630

Physically he was unprepossessing, but he was encouraged by his parents who sent him to Spain to study. He studied with Tomas de Lemos (1545-1629) at University of Valladolid.

He entered the Dominican Order and was invested with its habit in the Convent of St. Paul, where he studied philosophy and theology.

After completing his studies he was made a professor of Thomistic theology at Pincia. While discharging his academic duties, he acquired a reputation as a preacher: Philip III of Spain named him "The Marvel", a sobriquet by which he was subsequently known in Spain and at Rome.

In Rome from 1621, he acquired the confidence of Pope Urban VIII. He was made regent of studies and professor of theology at the College of St. Thomas, the future Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Angelicum.

In 1629 Urban VIII appointed him Master of the Sacred Palace to succeed Niccolò Ridolfi, recently elected Master General of the Dominicans. Shortly after this the same pontiff appointed him pontifical preacher.

Works

His extant works number twenty. Besides several volumes of sermons for Advent, Lent, and special occasions, his writings treat of Scripture, theology, and history. One of his best known works is the "History of the Council of Trent" (Rome, 1627). His commentaries treat of all the books of Scripture; two other commentaries treat of the Lord's Prayer and the Canticle of Canticles.

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