Giuseppe MESSINA. - Jesuit, Iranist, and historian of the religions of the Ancient East, b. at S. Cataldo (Caltanissetta) on 6 Jan. 1893, d. at Messina on 28 June 1951. After his early studies at the Jesuit College in Messina, he entered the Society of Jesus on 4 Apr. 1907. He studied philosophy at the College of Jersey and theology at that of Valkenburg. Appointed to teach the history of religions at the Pontifical Biblical Institute, he devoted himself to special studies at the University of Berlin under the guidance of the renowned philologist and Iranist Giuseppe Markwart, graduating with highest honours in 1930.
At the Biblical Institute he taught Iranistics (Sanskrit, Pahlavi, Avestan, Neo-Persian) and the history of the religions of the Ancient East, especially Buddhism, Manichaeism, and the Greco-Hellenistic religions, taking into account their relations with Christianity. In 1942 he was awarded the libera docenza at the University of Rome in recognition of his merits as an Iranist. He twice spent many months in Iran for scientific research and to deepen his knowledge of the languages and culture of that region.
He was a very prolific writer, both in the strictly scientific field and in that of high-level popularization (especially as a contributor to La Civiltà Cattolica). His work Cristianesimo, buddhismo e manichismo nell'Asia antica (Rome 1947) is a valuable compendium of his many scientific researches. His principal work is the Diatessaron persiano (Rome 1951; edition of the text with Italian translation and copious introduction), based on a manuscript from the Biblioteca Medicea in Florence of the Diatessaron of Tatian, in Persian, important for the history of the evangelical text and of religious currents.