MESSINA, GIUSEPPE. - 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. Destined to teach the history of religions at the Pontifical Biblical Institute, he devoted himself to specialized studies at the University of Berlin under the guidance of the celebrated philologist and Iranist Giuseppe Markwart, and took his degree there, with full marks, in 1930.
At the Biblical Institute he taught Iranian studies (Sanskrit, Pahlavi, Avestan, New Persian) and the history of the religions of the Ancient East, especially of Buddhism, Manichaeism and the Greco-Hellenistic religions, taking into account their relations with Christianity. In 1942 he was granted the libera docenza at the University of Rome, in recognition of his merits as an Iranist. Twice he stayed for 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 popularization (the latter especially as a contributor to La Civiltà Cattolica). His work Cristianesimo, buddhismo e manicheismo nell'Asia antica (Rome 1947) is the precious compendium of his many scientific researches. His principal work is the Diatessaron persiano (Rome 1951; an edition of the text with Italian translation and copious introduction), from a manuscript of the Diatessaron of Tatian in Persian in the Biblioteca Medicea of Florence, important for the history of the Gospel text and of religious currents.