DI BARTOLO, SALVATORE. — Theologian from Palermo, born 6 November 1838, died 15 June 1906.
He completed his studies under the guidance of Msgr. Domenico Cilluffo (Elogio funebre di D. Cilluffo, arcivescovo di Adana, Palermo 1873) at the seminary of Palermo. He was rector of the church and orphanage of S. Lucia, then canon (1884) and archdeacon of the Cathedral; professor of general and isagogic theology and of the philosophy of Catholicism at the University of Palermo; and an active member of the Accademia di religione cattolica of Rome and of the R. Accademia di scienze, lettere e arti of Palermo, in whose Acts he published various brief studies from 1875 to 1897. Attempting to develop an apologetics suited to the needs of the times, he published, in addition to many other pamphlets, Introduzione ad un lavoro scientifico intorno la Creazione, il Cristo, la Chiesa (Palermo 1862); Saggio d'un esame critico dell'opera del prof. G. Draper, La storia del conflitto tra religione e scienza (there 1881); Gesù Cristo... Risposta a... R. Schiatarella... (there 1897).
In order to promote the return of dissidents, he undertook to «reduce to the indispensable minimum the Church’s doctrinal decisions» and, in the work I criteri teologici: La storia dei domini e la libertà delle affermazioni (Turin 1888; placed on the Index [decree of 14 May 1891]; the Roman edition of 1904 is permitted), followed by Giudizi sovra i criteri teologici (Turin 1891), distinguishing various degrees in biblical inspiration (of maximum intensity in the passages concerning faith and morals, minimum in geography and physics, and intermediate in historical narratives), he asserted that inspiration in its lowest degrees is compatible with error. It was a convenient but erroneous way of resolving the «biblical question», analogous to the theories of H. Holden, A. Rohling, F. Lenormant, and H. J. Newman; those who coincide with D. B. are J. Didioi and Msgr. d’Hulst. The encyclical Providentissimus (18 November 1893) would formally condemn this «broad school». I criteri teologici was placed on the Index on 14 May 1891. D. B., commendably submissive, prepared a new, corrected edition (Nuova esposizione dei criteri teologici, Rome 1904).