Ciasca, Agostino

CIASCA, AGOSTINO. - Augustinian cardinal, b. at Polignano a mare (Bari) on 7 May 1835, d. on 6 Feb. 1902. A learned orientalist, he took part in the Vatican Council as theologian and interpreter for the Eastern bishops. In 1879 he carried out an important pontifical mission in Egypt and in the regions of the East. On this occasion he examined and in large part corrected the Syriac Breviary, and collected, acquiring them for Propaganda, important manuscripts, almost all of them Christian Arabic. He was also prefect of the Vatican Archive, titular archbishop of Larissa (1891); delegate of the Holy See as president at the Ruthenian Synod of Lvov in the same year; secretary of Propaganda (1893). He was created cardinal on 9 June 1899.

He left many works; among those published the following should be noted: I papiri copti del museo Borgiano... translated and annotated (ibid. 1881); Tatiani Diatessaron seu Evangeliorum harmoniae Arabicae (ibid. 1888); Sacrorum Bibliorum fragmenta Copto-sahidica musei Borgiani... (2 vols., ibid. 1888); he had the third volume ready, but could not complete it because he was overtaken by death; it was published by G. Balestri, Sacr. Bibliorum fragmenta Copto-sah., III, Novum Testamentum, ibid. 1904); Acta et decreta Synodi provincialis Routhonorum, habitae Leopoli an. 1891 (ibid. 1896).

Alfonso C. de Romanis