Petrus Egidius

Giles Antonini, commonly known as Giles of Viterbo, was an influential Italian Augustinian friar, bishop, cardinal, theologian, orator, humanist, and poet of the 16th century. Born in Viterbo in 1472, he died in Rome in 1532. He entered the Order of St. Augustine in 1488 and pursued extensive studies in philosophy and theology. His career included leadership roles such as Vicar General and Prior General of his Order, serving for three consecutive terms with the patronage of Pope Julius II. He was also a noted preacher, delivering a significant discourse at the opening of the Fifth Lateran Council in 1512. Elevated to cardinal by Pope Leo X in 1517, he held various titular churches and bishoprics, including Bishop of Viterbo and Latin Patriarch of Constantinople. He was known for his reformist zeal, presenting a promemoria to Pope Adrian VI. His personal library was destroyed during the Sack of Rome in 1527, leading to a period of exile. A prominent figure in Christian Kabbalah, Giles of Viterbo engaged with Jewish scholars like Elia Levita and Baruch di Benevento, believing Kabbalistic texts held Christian truths. He collected Hebrew manuscripts and advocated for Jewish people, attempting to prevent the introduction of the Inquisition against the Maranos. His scholarly works, though numerous, are largely in manuscript form, with notable treatises on Kabbalah and a historical work titled "Historia viginti sæculorum per totidem psalmos conscripta."