Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 12.djvu/273

 POMFONAZZI

227

PONCE

Epiphanius (ed. Gelzer, 535) ranks it as an autocepha- lous archdiocese, which title it probably received when Justinian (Novellas, xxix) reorganized the province of Paphlagonia. In the eleventh century Pompeiopolis became a metropolitan see (Parthey, "HieroclisSynec- demus", 97) and it was still such in the fourteenth century (Gelzer, " Ungedruckte-Texte der Notitiae episcopatuum", 60S). Shortly afterwards the diocese was suppressed. Le Quien (Oriens christ., I, 557-60) mentions fourteen titulars of this diocese, the last of whom, Gregory, lived about 1350. Among them were Philadelphus, at the Council of Nicffia (325) ; Sophro- nius, at that of Seleucia; Arginus, at Ephesus (431); ^therius, at Chalcedon (451); Severus, Constanti- nople (553); Theodore, Constantinople (680-1); Maurianus, Nicaea (787); and John, Constantinople (869). Pompeiopolis is now called Tach-Keupru (bridge of stone), because of an ancient bridge over the Tatai-Tchai or Gueul-Irmak, the ancient Ammias, and is in the sandjak and vilayet of Kastamouni twenty-five miles north-east of that town. It has about 7000 inhabitants, of whom 700 are Christians, the majority Armenian schismatics.

Ramsat, Geography of Asia Minor (London, 1890), 192, 318; Anderson, Studia Ponlica (Brua-sels. 1903), 93; Cuinet, La Turquie d'Asie, IV (Paris, 1894), 484-7.

S. VaileS.

Pomponazzi (Pompon atius), Pietro (also known as Peretto on account of his small stature), philos- opher and founder of the Aristotelean-Averroistic School, b. at Mantua, 1462; d. at Bologna, 1525. He taught philosophy at Padua, Ferrara, and Bologna. His pupils included eminent laymen and ecclesiastics, many of whom afterwards opposed him. At Padua, since 1300, the chairs of philosophy were dominated by Averroism, introduced there especially by the physician Pietro d'Albanio and represented then by Nicoletto Vernias and Alessandro Achillini. Pomponazzi opposed that system, relying on the commentaries of Alexander Aphrodisias for the defence of the Aristotelean doc- trines on the soul and Providence. His chief works are: "Tractatus de immortalitate animEe" (Bologna, 1516), in defence of which he wrote "Apologia" (1517) and "Defensorium" (1519) against Contarini and Agostino Nifo; "De fato, libero arbitrio, de prae- destinatione et de providentia libri quinque" (1523), where he upholds the traditional opinion about fate; " De naturalium effectuum admirandorum causis, sive de incantationibus" (1520), to prove that in Aris- totle's philosophy miracles are impossible. In oppo- sition to the Averroists, Pomponazzi denied that the intellectus possibilis is one and the same in all men; but, with Alexander, he asserted that the intellectus agens is one and the same, being God Himself, and consequently immortal, while the intellective soul is identical with the sensitive and consequently mortal, so that, when separated from the body and deprived of the imagination which supplies its object, it can no longer act and hence must perish with the body; fur- thermore, the soul without its vegetative and sensitive elements would be imperfect; apparitions of departed souls are fables and hallucinations. If religion and human law presuppose the immortality of the soul, it is because this deception enables men more easily to refrain from evil. Sometimes, however, Pomponazzi proposes this thesis as doubtful or problematic, or only contends that immortality cannot be demon- strated philosophically, faith alone affording us cer- tainty; and even on this point he expresses his willing- ness to submit to the Holy See. In controversy with Contarini he expressly declares that reason apodicti- cally proves the mortality of the soul, and that faith alone assures us of the contrary, immortality being, therefore, undue and gratuitous, or supernatural. Pomponazzi's book was publicly consigned to the flames at Venice by order of the doge; hence in book III of his "Apologia" he defends himself against the

stigma of heresy. The refutation by Nifo, already an Averroist, was written by order of Leo X. In the Fifth Latcran Council (1513; Sess. VIII, Const. "Apost. Regiminis") when the doctrine was con- demned, Pomponazzi's name was not mentioned, his book having not yet been published. He was de- fended by Cardinal Bembo, but was obliged by Leo X in 1518 to retract. Nevertheless, he published his "Defensorium" against Nifo, which, like his second and third apologies, contains the most bitter invective against his opponents, whereas Nifo and Contarini refrained from personalities. The philosophy of Pomponazzi has its roots in ancient and medieval ideas. Notable among his disciples and defenders are the Neapolitan Simone Porta and Jul. Ca'sar Scaliger; the latter is best known as an erudite philosopher.

FioRENTiNO, Pietro Pomponazzi (Florence, 1S68) : Podesta (Bologna. 1868); Renan, Averroe el I'Averroisme (Paris, 1862); ScHAAF, Conspectus HistorioB philosophifB recentis (Rome, 1910), 103-50, where Pomponazzi's doctrine is fully expounded.

U. Benigni.

Ponce, John, philosopher and theologian, b. at Cork, 1603, d. at Paris, 1670. At an early age he went to Belgium and entered the novitiate of the Irish Franciscans in St. Antony's College, Louvain. He studied philosophy at Cologne, hecnn the study of theology in Lou- vain, under Hugh Ward and John Colgan, was called by Luke Wadding to Rome, and ad- mitted 7 Sept., 1625, into the College of St. Isi- dore which had just been founded for the education of Irish Francis- cans. After re- ceiving his de- grees he was ap- pointed to teach philosophy and, later, theology in St. Isidore's. He lectured after- wards at Lyons and Paris, where he was held in great repute for his learning. In 1643 he published in Rome his "Cursus philoso- phiae". Some of his opinions were opposed by Mastrius, and Ponce replied in "Appendix apolo- geticus" (Rome, 1645), in which he says that although he accepts all the conclusions of Duns Scotus, he does not feel called upon to adopt all Scotus's proofs. Mastrius acknowledged the force of Ponce's reasoning and admitted that he had shed light on many philo- sophical problems. In 1652, Ponce pubHshed "In- teger cursus theologize" (Paris). These two works explain with great clearness and precision the teaching of the Scotistic school. In 1661, he published at Paris his great work, "Commentarii theologici in quatuor libros sententiarum", called by Hurter opus rarissimum. Ponce also assisted Luke Wadding in editing the works of Scotus. Wadding says that he was endowed with a powerful and subtle intellect, a great facility of communicating knowledge, a graceful style, and that though immersed in the severer studies of philosophy and theologj* he was an ardent student of the classics. Ponce succeeded Father Martin Walsh in the government of the Ludovisian College at Rome for the education of Irish secular priests; and for some time he filled the position of superior of St.

I the College of oc. Isidore, Rome