Apostolios, Aristobulus

APOSTOLIOS, ARISTOBULO. — Greek ecclesiastic and scholar, archbishop of Monembasia, son of the famous scholar Michele, b. in 1465 at Candia (Crete), d. in 1535 at Venice. Summoned to Florence by Lorenzo de' Medici in 1492, he collaborated for some time with Aldo Minuzio. In 1514 Leo X appointed him bishop of Monembasia, and on this occasion he changed his name from Aristobulo to Arsenio. The patriarch of Constantinople regarded this appointment as an intolerable interference by the Pope and the Republic of Venice in the affairs of the Eastern Church, and excommunicated the archbishop. Thus began a long, intricate, and largely obscure controversy that ended with A.'s return to his see after 1525. His attachment to the Roman Church, even if not disinterested, was constant and sincere. He had the defects of so many scholars of his time and nation, but he was a diligent editor and an extremely active copyist. Many codices written in his own hand have been preserved.