Delfini, Giovanni Antonio - Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. IV, p. 794

Machine translation of the 1948–1954 Italian original. The original text is authoritative.

DELFINI, GIOVANNI ANTONIO. – Philosopher and theologian of the Conventual Franciscans, born at Pomponesco (Cremona) on 26 March 1507, died at Bologna on 5 September 1561. He was regent at various houses of study of the Order; inquisitor of Romagna (1550–59), professor of metaphysics and logic at the University of Bologna (1553–1559), and apostolic vicar general of the Order (1559–1561). A theologian at the Council of Trent during its first and second periods (1545–47; 1551–52), he distinguished himself in the various congregations «de iustificatione» and «de Sacramentis». For the third period (1562–63), he had prepared a pamphlet entitled: De tractandis in Concilio Oecumenico (Rome 1561), but, having died prematurely, he was unable to witness its implementation.

Among his writings are: De cultu Dei et Sanctorum (Bologna 1549); De potestate ecclesiastica (Venice 1549); De Ecclesia (Venice 1552); De salutari... progressu (Camerino 1553); De matrimonio et coelibatu contra horum temporum impios et haereticos homines (there 1553); Didactica methodus rerum logicalium (Bologna 1554);

Dialectica (there 1555). In them D. reveals himself, besides being a philosopher and theologian of merit, as a skilled and resolute controversialist.

BIBL.: Conc. Trid., ed. Gorresiana, I, V, IX, XI, passim; XII, pp. 651–58; XIII, pp. 72–81, 364–83; Wadding, Scriptores, (1906), p. 120; Hurter, III, col. 155; F. Lauchert, Der ital. Franzisburger Joh. Delphinus, in Zeitschrift für Anth. Theologie, 34 (1910), pp. 39–70 and 414–17; id., Die ital. literar. Gegner Luthers, Friburgo in Br. 1912, pp. 487–536; Sbarales, II, pp. 30–31, 300; L. Garani, De Eccl. natura et constit. Doctrina I. A. Delphini, Padova 1943, pp. 11–35; G. Odoardi, Padre e teologi O. F. M. conv. al Conc. di Trento, in Misc. franc., 47 (1947), pp. 336–38; 353, 370–71.