MAZZOLINI, SILVESTRO (PRIERIAS). — Dominican theologian, born at Priero (Cuneo) in 1456, died in Rome in 1527. He entered religious life at Genoa in 1471 and studied at Bologna, where he received his doctorate in theology (1498); subsequently he held various offices in the Order. In 1515 Leo X appointed him Master of the Sacred Palaces. In this capacity he found himself at the forefront of the struggle against Luther.
As soon as the 95 theses were published (31 October 1517), M. wrote: In praesumptuosas M. Lutheri conclusiones de potestate papae dialogus (Rome 1518), in which, at times with biting style and with solid arguments, he set forth Catholic doctrine concerning the Church, the Pope, and indulgences. Luther replied with an invective. M. responded in a conciliatory tone with the Epitome responsionis ad M. Lutherum (there 1519), and then with the more extensive work: Errata et argumenta M. Lutheri recitata, detecta (there 1520, Florence 1521, Rome 1527), in which he took up again the theses concerning the authority of the Pope.
M. wrote other works. Among them are: Conflatum ex angelico doctore s. Thoma volumen primum (Perugia 1519), a vast commentary on the Summa that remained incomplete, and especially the Summa summarum quae Silvestrina dicitur (Rome 1516), which went through approximately 50 editions.