Ubaldi, Ubaldo

UBALDI, UBALDO. - Prelate and biblical scholar, b. in Rome in 1838, d. there on 12 Dec. 1884.

A pupil of the Roman Seminary, he obtained his degree in philosophy, theology and in utroque iure at S. Apollinare; he succeeded Arcangeli in the chair of Sacred Scripture, at the Apollinare and at the College of Propaganda Fide. He was a canon of the basilica of S. Maria ad Martyres and spiritual father of the North American College.

He was a profound connoisseur of biblical problems, very versatile in the study of Oriental languages (he knew more than 17 of them). He wrote: Introduccio ad Sacram Scripturam (3 vols., Rome 1879), whose rapid succession of editions indicates its intrinsic value; Il Cantico dei Cantici (ibid. 1883); L'Ecclesiastie (ibid. 1883); Il libro di Giobbe (ibid. 1883): written against the attacks of Renan. His premature death prevented him from carrying to completion the work: Esame critico-storico del razionalismo moderno, in two parts, of which the first, virtually finished, treats of the Cause generali e particolari del razionalismo moderno. These manuscripts of U. passed into the Library of the major Seminary of Apuania (Massa Carrara), donated by his niece Tecla Del Frate-Cicala.

Luigi Mussi