Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 14.djvu/428

 SYLVESTER

372

SYLVESTRINES

he sent to him gives clear proof that he had now abandoned his earlier position in regard to the au- thority of the papal decisions concerning the disputed see. The pope established an ecclesiastical metro- politan for Poland at Gnesen, and one for Hungary at Gran. On 27 March, 1000, he granted the title of king to the ruler of Hungary and appointed him papal vicar for his country. He energetically maintained church discipline in the question of the marriage of the French King Robert, and obliged the king to send Bertha away. Sylvester returned to Rome soon after Otto's death, although the leaders of the chffer- ent parties of nobles still retained all their power. A little later he died. His epitaph has been preserved (cf. Forcella, "Iscrizioni delli chiese di Roma", VIII, 9). Besides a dogmatic treatise, "De corpore et sanguine Domini", Sylvester wrote a series of works principally on philosophical, mathematical, and physical subjects; they are to be found in P. L., CXXXIX; OUeris, "(Euvres de Gerbert, pape sous le nom de Sylvester 11" (Paris, 1867); "Opera mathe- matica", ed. Bubnov (Berlin, 1891); "Lettres de Ger- bert", published by Havet (Paris, 1889). He was held in high repute for his learning; the common peo- ple regarded him as a magician in league with the devil, and many legends grew up around his name. He is said to have introduced the use of Arabic figures into Western Europe, and to have invented the pen- dulum clock.

Liber pontiUculis. ei. Duchesne. II, 263; ,Iaff£, Regesta rom. pont., 2nd ed., I, 469sq.: Picavet, Gerbert, un pape philosophe, d'apr^s rhist. et la legende (Paris,- 1897) ; Lair, Eludes crit,, I. Lettres de Gerbert (Paris, 1S99) ; Hock, Gerbert oder Papst Sylvester II und sein Jahrh. (Vienna, 1837) ; Budinger, Ueber Gerberts wissen- scha/tl, und polit. Stellung (Cassel, 1851); Werner, Gerbert von Aurillac, die Kirche und die Wissenschaft seiner Zeit (2nd ed., Vienna, 1881); Schultess, Papst Sylvester II. ats Lehrer und Staatsmann (Hamburg, 1891) ; Idem, Die Sagen uber Sylvester II (Hamburg, 1893) ; Lux, Sylvesters II Einfiuss auf die Politik Ottos III (Breslau, 1898); Schlockwerder, Untersuchungen zur Chron. der Briefe Gerberts (Halle, 1893) ; Nagl, Gerbert und die Rechenkunst des X. Jahrh. in Sitzungshericht der Wiener Aka- demie, CXVI (1888). 861 sq.; Weissenborn, Zur Gesch. der Ein- fuhrung der jetzigen Ziffern in Europa durch Gerbert (Berlin, 1892) ; Hefele, Konziliengesch., IV (2nd ed.), 636, and passim; Mann, Lives of the Popes in the Early Middle Ages (London, 1910); IV, 352-67, and passim, V, 1-120: Allen, Gerbert, Pope Sylvester II in English Hist. Rev. (1892), 625-68; Dublin Rev., VI (1839).

J. P. KlR-SCH.

Sylvester III, antipope. See Benedict IX, Pope.

Sylvester IV(Maginulf), antipope. See Paschal II, Pope.

Sylvester, Bernard, of Chartres, more properly, of Tours, a twelfth-century philosopher of Neo-Pla- tonic tendencies. Little is known about him. Be- tween the years 114.5 and 1153 he composed a work called "De Mundi Universitate", which he dedicated to Thierry (Theodoric) of Chartres with the words "Terrico veris scientiarura titulis Doctori famosissimo Bernardus SUvestris opus suum ". From this inscrip- tion it is inferred that Bernard was probably a pupil of Thierry or of some other member of the famous School of Chartres. He is not, however, to be con- founded with Bernard of Chartres, who died in 1125, and is the author of a work "De Expositione Por- phyri". The treatise, "De Mundi Universitate" (re- published by Barach, "Bibliotheca Philosophorum Media; ^Etatis", I, Innsbruck, 1876), is divided by its author into two books, the first of which, "Mega- cosmus, sea Maior Mundus", is an address of Nature to Intellect, and the second, the response of Intellect to Nature. The style and method of composition re- mind one of Mareianus Capella. The contents are very curious indeed. There is a good de:d of Xco- Platonism and Neo-Pythagoreanisni, phildsophiciU tendencies which are very rare in the twelfth centun', and practically unknown utsi(l<' tlic Scliool of Char- tres. It is not at all inii)rol)al>le that Bernard, like the pantheists, Amaury and David, who were his con-

temporaries, was influenced by the writings of Eriu- gena. His philosophy is an attempt to account for the universe of nature (physics) by describing the cosmic emanations from an original Monad. Not the least valuable portions are those in which the author describes the mountains, rivers, animals, and plants, although the allegorical, poetical manner of the poem very often obscures the meaning. The pantheistic drift of Bernard's philosophy is clear from the ex- pression "Deus omnia, omnia ex Deo sunt". Tow- ards the traditional theology he seems to adopt a sceptical attitude: "Si theologis fidem prsebeas argu- mentis". His favourite philosopher is Plato, al- though it is clear that he is not acquainted with any of the "Dialogues", except, perhaps, the "Timseus".

Clerval, Ecoles de Chartres au Moyen-Age (Chartres, 1895); De Wclf, Hist, of Medieval Philosophy, tr. Coffet (New York, 1909), 220 sq.; Turner, Hist, of Philosophy (Boston. 1903). .306.

William Turner.

Sylvester Gozzolini, Saint, founder of the Sylves- trines, b. of the noble family of the Gozzolini at Osimo, 1177; d. 26 Nov., 1267. He was sent to studj- juris- prudence at Bologna and Padua, but, feeling within himself a call to the ecclesiastical state, abandoned the study of law for that of theology and Holj' Scrip- ture, giving long hours daily to prayer. On his retiu-n home we are told that his father, angered at his change of purpose, refused to speak to him for ten years. Sylvester now accepted a canonry at Osimo and de- voted himself to pastoral work with such zeal as to arouse the hostility of his bishop, whom he had re- spectfully rebuked for the scandals caused by the prelate's irregular life. The saint was threatened with the loss of his canonry, but decided to leave the world on seeing the decaying corpse of one who had formerly been noted for great beauty. In 1227 he retired to a desert place about thirty miles from Osimo and lived there in the utmost poverty until he was recognized by the owner of the land, a certain nobleman named Conrad, who offered him a better site for his hermitage. From this spot he was driven by damp and next es- tablished himself at Grotta Fucile, where he eventu- ally built a monastery of his order. In this place his penances were most severe, for he lived on raw herbs and water and slept on the bare ground. Disciples flocked to him seeking his direction, and it became necessary to choose a rule. According to the legend the various founders appeared to him in a vision, each begging him to adopt his rule. St. Sylvester chose for his followers that of St. Benedict and built his first monastery on Monte Fano, where, like another St. Benedict, he had first to destroy the remains of a pagan temple. In 1247 he obtained from Innocent IV, at Lyons, a bull confirming his order, and before his death founded a number of monasteries. An ac- count of his miracles and of the growth of his cultus will be found in Bolzonetti. His body was disinterred and placed in a shrine (1275-85) and is still honoured in the church of Monte Fano. Clement IV first rec- ognized the title of blessed popularly bestowed on Syl- vester, who was inscribed as a saint in the Roman ' MartvTology by order of Clement VIII (1598). His office and ^iass were extended to the Universal Church by Leo XIII. His feast is kept on 26 November.

Bolzonetti. // Monte Fano e un Grande .\nacoreta (Rome, 1906); Fabrinos, De Vila. . . b. Syhestri (Venice. 1599).

Raymund Webster.

Sylvestrines, a minor monsi-stic order or, strictly speaking, congregation following in general the Rvdc of St. Benedict but distinct from the Black monks and not forming a part of the confederation of Benedictine congregations. The Sylvestrines were fipuiulcd hy St. Sylvester (iozzolini on Monte Fano nc;ir I'abriimo in 12:51. The Rule of St. Benedict was olwerv(Ml in its jtrimitive form, but in many points the founder went considerably beyond it in point of austerity, laying special stress on the strict-