Bartholomew of Messina

Bartholomew of Messina[1] was a Sicilian scholar who worked as a translator of Greek into Latin at the court of King Manfred of Sicily (r. 1258–1266).

Almost nothing is known about Bartholomew's life beyond what can be deduced from the formulaic incipit that appears at the start of most of his translations: "Here begins the book ___, translated from Greek into Latin by master Bartholomew of Messina at the court of the most illustrious Manfred, most serene king of Sicily, lover of science, by his command.

[3] In a letter to the masters of the University of Paris, Manfred refers to his translators without naming them.

[6] Bartholomew's translations are highly literal, sometimes to the point that his Latin makes little sense.

[7] Bartholomew's translation of the De signis of Theophrastus of Eresus is valuable because it is older than the oldest extant Greek manuscript.