JOHN OF FAENZA (Ioannes Faventinus). - One of the greatest glossators of Gratian's Decretum, d. after 1220. The dates of his birth and death are unknown. He was a professor at Bologna, where he probably also studied, until 1174, then a canon at Faenza, and not bishop of that place; so thinks Argnani against the earlier tradition, deducing it from the register of the chapter's decisions of that cathedral church, in which G. da F. signs as a priest. He favored the imperial party of Frederick Barbarossa, together with his bishop Giovanni II, who died in the Emperor's retinue in Palestine (1191).

After 1171 he wrote one of the best-known Summae on Gratian's Decretum, drawn up along the lines of that of the master Rufinus and of Stephen of Tournai; this Summa is still unpublished.

More important are his glosses on the Decretum itself, written after the Summa.

Certain Quæstiones and glosses on the Appendix Concilii Lateranensis have also been attributed to him, but the attribution is uncertain. His influence on later authors was notable.

The date of his death used to be placed around 1190, but Argnani, on the basis of certain subscriptions of a Giovanni, learned in canon law, found in the Capitular Archive of Bologna, moves the date of death to after 1220.

Bibliography5 works

BIBL.: J. F. Schulte, Die Glosse zum Decret Gratians von ihren Anfängen bis auf die jüngsten Ausgaben, Vienna 1872, pp. 40-44; id., Die Geschichte der Quellen und Literatur des can. Rechts, I, Stuttgart 1877, pp. 137-40; J. Juncker, Summen und Glossen, in Zeitschr. der Savigny-Stift., Kan. Abt., 45 (1925), pp. 462-71; J. Argnani, Ioannes Faventinus glossator, in Apollinaris, 9 (1935), pp. 425-35, 641-58; St. Kuttner, Repertorium der Kanonistik (1140-1234), I (Studi e testi, 71), Città del Vaticano 1937, passim, especially pp. 143-46, 216 ff.

Pietro Palazzini

@incollection{ec6_giovanni_da_faenza_ioannes_fav, author = {Palazzini, Pietro}, title = {Giovanni da Faenza (Ioannes Faventinus)}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {VI}, pages = {557}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1951}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/giovanni-da-faenza-ioannes-faventinus} }

One of some 20,000 entries brought back from the twelve printed volumes (1948–54). Spotted something? Help us improve it.

John of Faenza (Ioannes Faventinus)

About this entry