ABBAS ANTIQUUS. — This name is commonly used to designate, in distinction from NICCOLÒ DE' TUDESCHIS, known as the Abbas Siculus or Panormitanus or Modernus, a Provençal canonist of the second half of the 13th century, about whom until a few years ago it was known with certainty only that he was a pupil of PETER OF SAMpson and the author of a *Lectura* on the Decretals of GREGORY IX, another on those of INNOCENT IV, and some *Distinctiones*. The first of these three works was written not before the end of 1259 nor after the beginning of 1266, and two editions of it are known (Strasbourg 1510, and Venice 1588); the other two, still unpublished, seem to have been written in 1260 or 1261.
Recently the A. A. has been identified with BERNARD OF MONTMIRA (near St-Mamert, to the northwest of Nîmes). This man (not to be confused with BERNARD COMPOSTELLANUS JUNIOR, to whom the name BERNARDUS DE MONTE MIRATO was also erroneously given) studied at Bologna not later than about 1240; he then taught in the Studium of the same city at least from 1260 to 1266. He entered the Benedictine Order, perhaps before becoming a professor at Bologna (it is not known whether he did so even before being a student there).
In September 1266 he is mentioned as chamberlain of the abbey of Aniane (near Montpellier) and as inquisitor in the trial against RAYMOND, bishop of Toulouse. On 15 October 1266 he was appointed by the Pope abbot of the abbey of Montmajour; then, at an unspecified date between 17 June 1277 and 31 October 1278, he was appointed by NICHOLAS III rector of the Marca Anconitana (a position he left between 4 March and 12 June 1281), though he remained, at least until July 1286, abbot of Montmajour. On 20 June 1286 Pope HONORIUS IV appointed him bishop of Tripoli in Syria, but he remained in Italy, where he had various other assignments from NICHOLAS IV, who in 1291 or 1292 sent him also to England and Sweden to organize a crusade; on 14 December 1295 Boniface VIII appointed him administrator of the abbey of Montecassino, where he died, probably on 20 July of the following year.
*ABBASIDI*: V. ISLĀM.
*ABBAS MODERNUS*, (*PANORMITANUS*, *SICULUS*): V. DE' TUDESCHI, NICCOLÒ.