Isidore of Seville

Profile

Isidore, born in Cartagena in Spain in 570 and died in Seville in 636, was bishop of Seville and one of the greatest scholars of the early Middle Ages. He wrote books on theology, history, and grammar, but by far his most celebrated work is the encyclopedia entitled Etymologiae (or Origines), which embraces every field of knowledge and was widely circulated in medieval cultural circles. Dante places him in Paradise, in the crown of the Heaven of the Sun beside Bede and Richard, as a representative of the medieval encyclopedists, of whom Isidore was the foremost. In the Commedia he is mentioned by the single name «Isidore», paired with Bede and Richard. Isidorean echoes and quotations are recognizable throughout Dante's work, even though direct knowledge of the source on the poet's part cannot be demonstrated with certainty. His presence in the crown of the doctors emphasizes the role of transmitter and organizer of knowledge that is attributed to him.