Gregorio Ugdulena Bust

Gregorio Ugdulena brought the study of ancient languages into a politically unsettled life. Born in Termini Imerese in 1815, he became a priest and taught Hebrew at the University of Palermo. Liberal convictions also drew him into the Sicilian revolution of 1848.

After Bourbon authority was restored, he lost his teaching post and was confined on Favignana. There he began work on an Italian translation of scripture checked against the original languages and supplied with commentary. Two volumes appeared in 1859; political events interrupted the larger project.

In 1860 Ugdulena supported Garibaldi and served in the provisional government of Sicily with responsibility for education. He later entered national parliamentary life and continued teaching, first in Florence and then in Rome, where he held a university post until his death in 1872.

His biography joins subjects that modern readers may expect to find apart: priesthood, philology, liberal politics, and national government. For Ugdulena, the authority of a text and the education of citizens were both matters requiring sustained scholarly work.