MARIA JAKUBOWSKA, Cardinal Bessarion’s Reflections on the Gospel of John (21:22), “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?”

SUMMARY

Bessarion’s disputation dedicated to the verse of St. John’s Gospel “Si eum volo manere, donec veniam, quid ad te?” is a polemical treatise against George of Trebizond’s interpretation, written first in Greek and then translated into Latin in the mid-15th century, although accurate dating remains a matter of some debate. Conclusions presented in the Cardinal’s treatise by the seem to be vital in regard to theological solutions based on grammatical and logical premises and in relation to the history of textual criticism and Renaissance translation theory. Bessarion’s attitude toward Holy Scripture emerged from the writings of Saint Jerome and Augustine, as well as from the pre-scholastic Suffraganeus Bibliothecae of Nicolò Maniacoria. He may also have drawn inspiration from authors such as Lorenzo Valla and Erasmus of Rotterdam. The first printed Latin edition of the work (1532) was highly recommended by Johannes Brassicanus.