**AYROLI, GIACOMO MARIA** – Jesuit exegete, born in Genoa in 1660, professor of Hebrew at the Roman College, successor of Cardinal Tolomei in the chair of controversies, died in Rome on March 27, 1721.
He demonstrated broad learning in classical and Oriental languages in a *Dissertatio biblica* (Rome 1704), containing the philological exegesis of the most important passages of Sacred Scripture. He published various other dissertations on controversial biblical topics, especially on chronology. In the *Liber LXX hebdomadarum resignatus* (Rome 1713; reprints 1714 and 1748), he addressed the messianic prophecy of Dan. 9. In response to Fr. de Tournemine, who refuted his thesis, he defended himself by publishing (1720) the *Theses contra Iudaeos de LXX hebdomadarum*. In 1713 (reprints 1714 and 1748), the *Dissertatio chronologica de anno, mense et die mortis D.N.I.C.* appeared; in 1722, the *Dissertatio de annis ab exitu Israel de Aegypto ad IV Salomoni*.
The *Acta eruditorum* of Leipzig (1717, pp. 422-28; 1748, pp. 551-57), reviewing the dissertation on the prophecy of Daniel, praised the «praeclara atque singularis auctoris doctrina» both in the philological and chronological-historical fields, expressing the hope that his planned «opus ipsius quadripartitum» would soon be completed—a project the author was unable to carry out.
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