VERCELLONE, CARLO GIUSEPPE. - Biblical scholar, b. at Sordevolo near Biella on 10 Jan. 1814, d. at Rome on 19 Jan. 1869. In 1829 he entered the Barnabites at Genoa. Ordained a priest in 1836, he taught in various colleges until he was called to Rome (1847), where he held important offices, among them those of procurator and superior general of his Order. Continuing the work of Ungarelli (v.), V. concerned himself in particular with the textual criticism of the Bible.
By Pius IX he was entrusted with the edition of the Codex Vaticanus (B), already prepared by A. Mai. The work came out in 5 vols. in 1857, but it appeared disfigured at once by not a few errors. V. himself prepared a better edition of it for the New Testament in 1859, and then, in collaboration with G. Cozza Lizzi, the whole codex was reprinted (Rome 1869-1872; in 5 vols., in addition to the introductory one).
Much more appreciated is his edition of the Vulgate (Biblia sacra Vulgatae editionis... recognita atque edita, Rome 1861). His essays Sulla autenticità della Bibbia Volgata secondo il decreto tridentino (Rome 1866) and those, usually concerning the history of the Latin version and questions of textual criticism, collected in the Dissertazioni accademiche (ibid. 1864), reveal a scientific critical sense.
The principal work of V., a true monument of textual criticism, consists of the collection of very numerous variants of the principal codices of the Vulgate; making use in part of the notes left by Ungarelli, V. published Variae lectiones Vulgatae (2 vols., Rome 1860-64). Both the material collected and the excellent prolegomena that accompany it constitute a preparatory work of the first order for a critical edition of the Vulgate. The two imposing volumes do not go beyond the books of Kings.
Bibliography3 works
Angelo Penna