MARTINI, ANTONIO. — Archbishop of Florence, translator and commentator of the Bible, b. at Prato on 20 April 1720, d. at Florence on 31 December 1809.
He completed his secondary studies at the Cignognini Lyceum in his native city; he took a degree in literature at Pisa in 1748. In 1751, King Carlo Emanuele III appointed him rector of the Congregation of the 12 priests attached to the basilica of Superga. He directed that institute of higher ecclesiastical culture commendably until 1765, when he obtained from the King release from his duties, together with the title of State councillor and a pension from the abbey of S. Giacomo in Bessa, in order to devote himself more freely to the translation and commentary on the Bible. Responding to the invitation of Cardinal Vittorio Amedeo delle Lanze, he thus intended to carry out the desire of Benedict XIV, expressed also in the brief of 13 June 1757, which permitted translations of the Bible into the vernacular, provided that they were furnished with notes drawn from the holy Fathers and learned Catholic authors.
For the vicissitudes of his translation, which appeared between 1769 and 1778 in a counterfeit version produced by the Jansenists, V. BIBBIA. The definitive edition, published at Florence between 1702 and 1792, continues to be reproduced to this day and also survives in the version commented on and updated by M. Sales and G. Girotti (thus far 10 vols., Turin 1918–42).
After Vittorio Amedeo III had proposed him for the episcopate of Bobbio, he was appointed by Pius VI to the archbishopric of Florence, which he held from 25 April 1781 until his death.
In addition to the Holy Bible (Naples 1771–81 and many other editions), approved by a brief of Pius VI dated 17 March 1778,
M. wrote, among other works: Istoria e concordia evangelica spiegata al popolo (Florence 1812; in Latin, Milan 1829); Istruzione sopra il Simbolo degli Apostoli (Milan 1814); Responsio atque declaratio contra libr. ab episc. Collensi circa quaestionem de decisivo voto prael. (1787), in which he denies parish priests the decisive vote. General edition: Opera omnia (10 vols., Milan 1830; 32 vols., Venice 1833–35).
Pietro De Ambroggi