RAMBERT OF BOLOGNA

Dominican Thomist theologian and bishop; b. Bologna, c. 1250; d. Castello or Venice, Nov. 8 or 9, 1308. A son of the influential Primadizzi family, he entered the order at an early age. While still a young man he was sent to Saint–Jacques, Paris, for theological training; he was in Paris during the second regency of St. thomas aquinas (1269–72). By 1288 he was a bachelor in theology. Returning to Bologna before receiving the degree of master, he occupied various positions of importance. As definitor of the province of Lombardy in 1291, he attended the general chapter of Palencia that deposed the Master General, Munio of Zamorra. In 1300 and 1301 he was considered a likely candidate for the office of master general. Meanwhile, between 1290 and 1295 be returned to Paris to obtain the university's license to incept in theology; he taught as regent master between 1295 and 1299. By April 1299 he returned to Bologna and was appointed consultor to the Holy Office. On Feb. 20, 1303, he was appointed bishop of Castello, near Venice, an office he filled until his death. He is buried in the Dominican church of SS. Giovanni e Paolo in Venice.

In reply to the Correctorium fratris Thomae of william de la mare, Rambert wrote an Apologeticum veritatis contra corruptorium (ed. J.P. Müller, Vatican 1943). see correctoria. This reply was written in Paris before his departure in 1299. It is incomplete, ending abruptly in the middle of a sentence in article 16 instead of at the end of 118 articles. Although it follows the structure of other correctoria and depends noticeably on the Correctorium "Circa" of john (quidort) of paris, it is highly original in that Rambert answers parallel criticisms of richard of middleton, henry of ghent, and giles of rome. He refers also to siger of brabant. Apart from this, a lost commentary on the Sentences, and one sermon for Easter, April 22, 1302, other works formerly ascribed to him are now known to be spurious: the Speculum exemplare was written by Petroboni Bentivegne of Bologna; the Determinatio de paupertate Christi et apostolorum was written by a Dominican known as Robert of Bologna; De potestate regia et papali is of unknown authorship. Only the compilation of Quodlibeta 1–9 of Henry of Ghent remains doubtful.

Despite the dearth of his writings, Rambert is a significant witness in the development of early thomism. His Apologeticum alone reflects the loyalty and fidelity of Italian Dominicans to Thomas Aquinas even before his canonization.

Bibliography: É. h. gilson, History of Christian Philosophy in the Middle Ages 414–416. p. glorieux, Répertoire des maîtres en théologie de Paris au XIII^e siècle 1:170–171. j. quÉtif and j. Échard, Scriptores Ordinis Praedicatorum 1.2:504. m. grabman, "La scuola tomistica italiana nel XIII e principio del XIV secolo," Rivista di filosofia neoscolastica 15 (Milan 1923) 127–131. f. corvino, Enciclopedia filosofica 3:1845–46.

[p. glorieux]