CLARIO, ISIDORO. - Bishop, exegete and orator, b. at Chiari (Brescia) in 1495 and d. at Foligno on 28 May 1555. His name was Taddeo Cucchi: he was called Clarius from the Latinized name of his native town; Isidoro is his religious name. C. became a Benedictine monk at St. John's in Parma on 24 June 1517; he was abbot of St. James's in Pontida and then of St. Mary's in Cesena. He took part in the Council of Trent. Having been made bishop of Foligno by Paul III, C. became a promoter of wise reforms, concerning studies as well. He wrote a great deal and almost exclusively on the Bible.
His most important work was the Vulgata editio Novi et Veteris Testamenti etc., Venice 1541-42, in which he set out to sift and perfect the ordinary edition of the Bible, comparing it with the original texts and with ancient codices. From the critical standpoint the work was judged variously, nor were harsh censures lacking for its dependence on Sebastian Münster. The Vulgata editio, which was reprinted by the Protestants in the Critici sacri (v.; London 1660), drew upon the author an ecclesiastical condemnation because of the preface and the prolegomena, judged too servile toward heretical criticism. In a second (posthumous) edition with the title Bibbia sacramenta etc. (Venice 1557-64), the censurable points were corrected.
Other works of C.: Adhortatio ad concordiam (Milan 1450); In Cantica Canticorum scholia etc. (Venice 1544); In Evangelium secundum Lucam orationes 54 (ibid. 1565); In sermonem Domini in monte habitum secundum Matthaeum orationes 69 (ibid. 1566); Orationum quas extraordinarias appellant libri 2 (ibid. 1567); Epistolae (Modena 1705); etc.
Bibliography3 works
Angelo Penna