CARMELI, MICHELANGELO. — Franciscan philologist, born on 27 September 1705 at Cittadella (Venice), died at Padua on 15 December 1766. On 25 October 1723 he embraced the rule of the Order of Friars Minor in the Venetian province. After his theological studies, he went to Rome to perfect his knowledge of languages, and also studied Hebrew with the help of a rabbi. Returning to Padua, he devoted himself especially to the study of Hebrew, conversing with Jews; his teacher in Greek was Antonio Straticò. Through his writings on classical subjects, Fr. C. had acquired such fame that on 9 April 1744 he was appointed professor of the newly established chair «ad linguam hebraicam, graecam ceterasque orientales» at the University of Padua. He was subsequently also admitted to the College of Theologians, and then among its procurators, with the right to establish a permanent sixth chair there. In the convent of S. Francesco Grande, where he lived, he also founded a famous library, called by his name, which was incorporated into the University Library in 1836.
C. was an accomplished Hellenist, including with regard to New Testament Greek. He knew Hebrew very well, as demonstrated by his translations from the original text of Ecclesiastes and the Song of Songs; a skilled interpreter of Sacred Scripture, he strove to expound its literal sense. He deserves to be remembered and studied even today by biblical scholars. His printed works are, in chronological order: Ragionamento sopra il fenomeno apparso la notte del dì 14 dic. 1737 (Venice 1738); Panegirici (there 1738); P. Lacerni..., in militem
gloriosum Plauti commentarius, etc. (there 1742); Euripide..., Padua (1743–53); Risposta del p. C. ... sopra «Animadversiones in Hebraicum Exodi Librum et in Graecam LXX Interpretationem» (there 1744); Storia di vari costumi sacri e profani... (2 vols., there 1750, 2nd ed. there 1761; 3rd ed. Venice 1778); Pro Euripide et novo eis. italico interprete (Padua 1750); Il Pluto... di Aristofane (Venice 1752); Oratio apologetica... de sua Euripidis editione (Padua 1753); Spiegamento dell'Ecclesiaste sul testo ebreo... Venice 1765; Spiegamento della Cantica sul testo ebreo (posthumous, there 1767); Dissertazioni varie filologiche (posthumous, Rome 1768); Concilio degli Dei, poema (Padua 1777). Of the works that remained in manuscript, special mention should be made of the Osservazioni su le annotazioni fatte agli Evangeli dall'Autore del libro intitolato «Catena sacra» (Venice 1759); the Prolissioni; Fanzago lists many others.