Here he studied medicine and philosophy. The precisecourse of Ficino’s education is uncertain, but it is plausible thatfrom a young age he was exposed to the medical traditions shared byhi… Ficino was the son of a physician who was acquainted with the Florentine ruler and patron of learning Cosimo de’ Medici. © 2004-2020 ReligionFacts. Marsilio Ficino, with many hobbies, engaged in the following three major activities. Any unauthorized use, without prior written consent of Catholic Online is strictly forbidden and prohibited. Ficino follows this line of thought in speaking of the human soul, which he considered as the image of the God-head, a part of the great chain of existence coming forth from God and leading back to the same source, giving us at the same time a view of the attributes of God of his relations to the world. It was only in the 19th century that the difference between neo-Platonism and Platonism was first realized. The documentary "Les mystères du Tarot de Marseille" (Arte, 18 February 2015) claims that the work of Marsilio Ficino can be credited as having inspired imagery specific to the Marseilles. On this basis, it becomes clear why Marsilio devotes so much attention to the soul of an individual. A philosopher, philologist, physician, b. at Florence, 19 Oct., 1433; d. at Correggio, 1 Oct, 1499. He studied at Florence and at Bologna; and was specially protected in his early work by Cosmo de' Medici, who chose him to translate the works of Plato into Latin. Son of the physician of Cosmo de' Medici, he served the Medicis for three generations and received from them a villa at Monte Vecchio. Angelo Poliziano was one of his pupils. He taught Plato in the Academy of Florence, and it is said he kept a light burning before a bust of Plato in his room. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. The influence of his ideas can be traced in the "Birth of Venus" and "Spring" by Botticelli, "Pane" Signorelli, as well as in the cycle of paintings "History of the Volcano" by Piero di Cosimo and others. She retained her attractiveness for many Western European thinkers later. His disposition was mild, but at times he had to use his knowledge of music to drive away melancholy. Saint of the Day for Friday, Nov 27th, 2020. The overriding concern in Ficino's literary labors among the classics of Greek thought was clearly religious. Ficino, relying on the works written by Hermes Trismegistus, argued that the main stages of the development of philosophy appear as "illumination", therefore its meaning is to prepare the human soul for the perception of revelation. Copyright 2020 Catholic Online. Therefore, the knowledge of your soul should be the main occupation of any person. Finished about 1470 but not printed until 1484, Ficino’s was the first complete translation of Plato into any European language. A philosopher, philologist, physician, b. at Florence, 19 Oct., 1433; d. at Correggio, 1 Oct, 1499. Son of the physician of Cosmo de' Medici, he served the Medicis for three generations and received from them a villa at Monte Vecchio. He received a traditional education in humane letters at the universities of Florence and Pisa and studied medicine briefly at … As a philologist his worth was recognized and Renchlin sent him pupils from Germany. Ficino in the same years becomes the secretary of Cosimo Medici, head of the Florentine Republic. Ficino became an ardent admirer of Plato and a propagator of Platonism, or rather neo-Platonism, to an unwarranted degree, going so far as to maintain that Plato should be read in the churches, and claiming Socrates and Plato as fore-runners of Christ. It first appeared in a letter to Alamanno Donati in 1476, but was later fully developed all along his work, mainly his famous De amore. It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. He received a traditional education in humane letters at the universities of Florence and Pisa and studied medicine briefly at Bologna. He taught Plato in the Academy of Florence, and it is said he kept a light burning before a bust of Plato in his room. As a translator his work was painstaking and falthful, though his acquaintance with Greek and Latin was by no means perfect. Among his friends were the greatest representatives of the Renaissance in various fields: philosophers, political figures, poets, artists and other prominent personalities. His thought also was expressed in a collection of letters and in De vita libri tres (1489; “Three Books on Life”), a series of tracts on medicine and astrology. The informal circle of friends who gathered about Ficino at the Medici villa in Careggi to discuss the teachings of the ancient philosophers has been called, somewhat misleadingly, the Platonic Academy. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. In the years 1462-1463 it was Marsilio who translated the works attributed to Hermes Trismegistus into Latin, as well as “Comments on Zoroaster” and “Hymns of Orpheus”. His knowledge of medicine was applied very largely to himself, becoming almost a superstition in its detail. He was introduced to the Latin versions of the works of Plato and the Neoplatonists by such Western writers as Augustine of Hippo (5th century) and the leading medieval scholastic Thomas Aquinas. After his death his biographers had a difficult task trying to refute those who spoke of his homosexual tendencies. Marsilio Ficino was born at Figline near Florence on Oct. 19, 1433, the son of a prominent physician. Ficino died at Careggi. This text is in the public domain because its copyright has expired. vol. In Ficino's view, ancient philosophy was part of the process of divine revelation and had prepared for the coming of Christ. Ficino was ordained a priest in 1473 and later was named a church official of Florence Cathedral. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. Ficino argued that in Platonic doctrine he found the rational philosophical arguments to buttress Christian theology. He became famous primarily as a translator. They are endless, immaterial, immortal, indivisible. All Rights Reserved. In Ficino, in accordance with this logic, a so-called concept of universal religion arises. Catholic Online is a Project of Your Catholic Voice Foundation, a Not-for-Profit Corporation. His versions of both Plato and Plotinus remained in general use until the 18th century. This theory of spiritual, or “Platonic,” love dominated European poetry and literature during the 16th century. hoped to persuade Jews, rationalists, and skeptics (among the last principally the Aristotelians, who rejected the immortality of the soul) to approach the true faith of Christianity. Therefore, both the Christian doctrine and ancient philosophy have a common source - the Divine Logos. The biography and ideas of this thinker, which we briefly described, are of great interest today. He also translated Plotinus, Porphyry, Proclus, Iamblichus, Alcinous, Synesius, Psellus, the "Golden Thoughts" of Pythagoras, and the works of Dionysius the Areopagite. In 1489, Ficino's medical treatise "On Life" was published, in which he relied on astrological laws, like other representatives of the Renaissance. Marcilio Ficino (19th October 1433–1st October 1499) was an Italian philosopher and Catholic priest, who devoted most of his life to the study and translation of the dialogues of Plato and the Neoplatonists from ancient Greek into Latin. In his opinion, the world consists of the following five levels: matter, quality (or form), soul, angel, god (ascending). Copyright © 2020 LoveToKnow. He then acquired a thorough knowledge of Greek in order to read and interpret the classical philosophers in their original texts. He means by the concept of love the reunion in the god of the carnal, real man with the idea of him. FAMpeople is your site which contains biographies of famous people of the past and present.