Alamanni, Cosmo
ALAMANNI, COSMO
Italian philosopher, theologian, and commentator on the works of St. thomas aquinas; b. Milan, Aug. 30, 1559; d. Milan, May 24, 1634 (according to Sotwell) or July 24, 1634 (according to Ehrle). Alamanni entered the Jesuit novitiate at Novellara on Sept. 11, 1575, one of five brothers to do so; he studied theology at the Roman College under F. suÁrez and G. vÁzquez, and taught at Brera College in Milan. In 1590 he prepared for publication a theological opusculum entitled Correctiones in Fonescam, but it remained in manuscript only. Delicate health forced him to interrupt his teaching career in Milan after 17 years. In 1606 he was called to be the bishop's theologian at the Pavia curia, where he remained for 17 years also. During his sojourn in Pavia, Alamanni completed his Summa totius philosophiae e divi Thomae Aquinatis doctrina (Pavia 1618–23). This was edited a second time with augmentations by J. Frontenau (Paris 1640) and again by F. Ehrle (Paris 1885–94). The Summa presented a clear and accurate exposition of the teaching of St. Thomas, and was considerably influential in the revival of thomism in the twentieth century.
Bibliography: Summa philosophiae, ed. f. ehrle, 3 v. (Paris 1885–1894), pref. vi–viii. n. sotwel, Bibliotheca scriptorum Societatis Jesu (Rome 1676) 161–162, 519.
[f. j. roensch]