BALLERINI, PIETRO and GEROLAMO. – Veronese priests and brothers, educated first at the Jesuit college and then at their native seminary. They lived and worked together, devoting themselves to the publication of many works, for which it is not always possible to distinguish the contribution belonging to each; it may be said that Pietro appears more the theologian and canonist, Gerolamo more devoted to criticism and history. Their publications are indeed distinguished by extensive and well-controlled erudition, meticulous care, and excellent criticism.
PIETRO was born in Verona on 7 September 1698 and died there on 28 March 1769. To him are owed: a Saggio della storia del probabilismo nella descrizione del cangiamento di sei insigni probabilisti in probabilioristi (Verona 1736), in which he defended himself against accusations of probabilism that had arisen on the occasion of another earlier work of his, Il metodo di s. Agostino negli studi (there, 1724). Against usury, after the publication of the Summa of s. Antonino of Florence (4 vols., there, 1740–41) and the Summa of s. Raimondo da Peñfort (there, 1744), he published: De iure divino et naturali circa usuram (2 vols., Florence 1774–1777); against Febronius: De potestate ecclesiastica SS. pontificum et conciliorum generalium (Verona 1765); De ex ac ratione primatus romanorum pontificum (there, 1766). He also devoted himself to the edition of S. Zenonis, episc. veronensis sermones (there, 1739), and, by order of Benedict XIV, to a new edition of the works of s. Leone Magno, to replace that of the Jansenist Quesnell: S. Leonis M. pontificis opera (3 vols., Venice 1753–56–57, reprinted by Migne, PL 54–56). Following the publication of vol. I, the title of Doctor of the Church was solemnly decreed for s. Leone Magno.
GEROLAMO was born in Verona on 22 January 1702 and died there on 23 February 1781. He collaborated on almost all of his brother’s works and, with his assistance, published the writings of his fellow countryman, Cardinal E. Noris: Henrici Noris veronensis, augustiniani S. R. E. Presbyteri Cardinalis opera omnia nunc primum collecta et ordinata (3 vols., Verona 1729–33), with the addition of several interesting studies, especially the one on the patriarchate of Aquileia. Also: I. Matthaei Giberti, ep. veronensis opera (there, 1732); Ratherii, ep. veronensis opera (there, 1765; reprinted by Migne, PL 136).
The two brothers also left thirty-six volumes of manuscripts.