Gasper Grima
Encyclopedia
Gasper Grima was a minor Maltese mediaeval philosopher who specialised mainly in metaphysics
and logic
.
, Malta
, around 1680. He joined the Franciscan
friars towards the end of the 1690s, and studied philosophy and theology with the Franciscans at Val di Noto
, Sicily
. Grima taught philosophy and theology at Sicily
, and even occupied high offices within his religious order. In 1719, he went to Palestine
to do missionary work for a year. Back from the Holy Land
, he settled in Malta. He lectured at the College of Philosophy and Literature which the Franciscans had at Rabat, Malta
until his retirement and death.
, Malta
. Though no precise dates are known for when these manuscripts were composed, they are believed to come from some time during the period 1720/45. Though they are Aristotelian and Scholastic in style and content, they are not of the Thomistic hue, but rather Scotist. They works are the following:
Metaphysics
Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of being and the world, although the term is not easily defined. Traditionally, metaphysics attempts to answer two basic questions in the broadest possible terms:...
and logic
Logic
In philosophy, Logic is the formal systematic study of the principles of valid inference and correct reasoning. Logic is used in most intellectual activities, but is studied primarily in the disciplines of philosophy, mathematics, semantics, and computer science...
.
Life
Grima was born at MdinaMdina
Mdina, Città Vecchia, or Città Notabile, is the old capital of Malta. Mdina is a medieval walled town situated on a hill in the centre of the island. Punic remains uncovered beyond the city’s walls suggest the importance of the general region to Malta’s Phoenician settlers. Mdina is commonly...
, Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
, around 1680. He joined the Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
friars towards the end of the 1690s, and studied philosophy and theology with the Franciscans at Val di Noto
Val di Noto
Val di Noto is a geographical area of south east Sicily; it is dominated by the limestone Iblean plateau.-The Val di Noto in the Arts:...
, Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
. Grima taught philosophy and theology at Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
, and even occupied high offices within his religious order. In 1719, he went to Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
to do missionary work for a year. Back from the Holy Land
Holy Land
The Holy Land is a term which in Judaism refers to the Kingdom of Israel as defined in the Tanakh. For Jews, the Land's identifiction of being Holy is defined in Judaism by its differentiation from other lands by virtue of the practice of Judaism often possible only in the Land of Israel...
, he settled in Malta. He lectured at the College of Philosophy and Literature which the Franciscans had at Rabat, Malta
Rabat, Malta
Rabat is a village just outside Mdina, Malta. The name of the village is derived from the Arabic word for 'suburb': الرباط, as it was the suburb of the old capital Mdina. Half of the present-day village core also formed part of the Roman city of Melita, before the latter was resized during the...
until his retirement and death.
Extant works
Three works of Grima survive. They are all in Latin, and held at the archives of the Franciscans at VallettaValletta
Valletta is the capital of Malta, colloquially known as Il-Belt in Maltese. It is located in the central-eastern portion of the island of Malta, and the historical city has a population of 6,098. The name "Valletta" is traditionally reserved for the historic walled citadel that serves as Malta's...
, Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
. Though no precise dates are known for when these manuscripts were composed, they are believed to come from some time during the period 1720/45. Though they are Aristotelian and Scholastic in style and content, they are not of the Thomistic hue, but rather Scotist. They works are the following:
- Venimecum (A Compendium); 86 back to back folios. This is the first of three volumes which examine AristotleAristotleAristotle was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology...
’s fundamental philosophy. The writing opens with a prayer and is followed with a drawing by Grima of PorphyryPorphyry (philosopher)Porphyry of Tyre , Porphyrios, AD 234–c. 305) was a Neoplatonic philosopher who was born in Tyre. He edited and published the Enneads, the only collection of the work of his teacher Plotinus. He also wrote many works himself on a wide variety of topics...
’s ‘Tree’ showing man’s position in the hierarchy of being. Through a series of ‘Questions’ and ‘Parts’, Grima provides a practical and accessible help for the study of Aristotelian logic. - Disputationes (Disputations); 311 back to back folios. Grima’s second and largest volume deals with logic and metaphysics. It also includes various drawings by Grima himself concerning Aristotelian cosmology. The work is organised in ‘Disputations’, ‘Chapters’, and ‘Questions’.
- In Universam Aristotelis Metaphysica (An General Examination of Aristotle’s Metaphysics); 38 back to back folios. The third volume of Grima’s works deals with Aristotelian metaphysics, and complements the other two previous volumes. The work opens with an introduction, and then proceeds in ‘Questions’.
Sources
- Mark Montebello, Il-Ktieb tal-Filosofija f’Malta (A Source Book of Philosophy in Malta), PIN Publications, Malta, 2001.