PERRONE, GIOVANNI

Theologian; b. Chieri (Turin), March 11, 1794; d. Castelgandolfo, Aug. 28, 1876. He entered the Society of Jesus Dec. 14, 1815. A year later he began teaching dogmatic theology, a task he performed for the rest of his life, first at Orvieto for seven years (1817–24) and then at the Collegio Romano (1824–48), except for a short period when he was rector of the college at Ferrara (1830–34). Because of the revolutionary agitations of the Roman Republic in 1848, he went to England, where he taught theology at the Jesuit scholasticate at Benhart (Wales) from 1848 to 1851. He then returned to the chair of theology at the Collegio Romano where he was rector (1853–55) and prefect of studies until his death.

He played a principal role in the struggle against G. hermes and in the preparation for the definition of the dogmas of papal infallibility and the Immaculate Conception, which he defended in his work, De immaculato B. Marina conceptu (Rome 1847, 10th ed. Milan 1852). He had an excellent grounding in patristics and positive theology; at the same time he possessed a clear, concise, and methodical style.

He was the author of many doctrinal and controversial works. His principal doctrinal works were: Praelectiones theologiae dogmaticae (9 v. Rome 1835–42), which had 34 editions up to 1888; Praelectiones … in compendium redactae (5 v. Rome 1845), which had 47 editions up to 1892; De virtute religionis (Paris 1866); De Domini Nostri Jesu Christi divinitate adversus huius aetaris incredulos (3 v. Turin 1870); De matrimonio christiano (3 v. Turin 1870); and De romani pontificis infallibilitate (Turin 1874). His controversial works include: L'hermesianismo (3 fasc., Rome 1838–39); Il protestantesimo e la regola di Fede (3 v. Rome 1853); and Catechismo intorno al protestantesimo (2d edition, Turin 1883).

Bibliography: c. sommervogel et al., Bibliothèque de la Compagnie de Jésus (Brussels-Paris 1890–1932) 6:558–571. h. hurter, Nomenclator literarius theologiae catholicae (Innsbruck 1903–13) 5.2:1496–98. c. boyer, Dictionnaire de théologie catholique, ed. a. vacant et al. (Paris 1903–50) 12.1:1255–56. w. kasper, Lexicon für Theologie und Kirche, ed. j. hofer and k. rahner (Freiburg 1957–65) 8:282.

[c. testore]