Abstract

This chapter discusses Javelli’s frequently reprinted Compendium logicae (1540). The purpose of the work, as Javelli himself states at the beginning, is to introduce neophytes and novices to the study of logic. I focus in particular on the section devoted to demonstrative syllogism. Besides being traditionally overlooked by scholars, this doctrine was usually omitted in the scholastic tradition of the summulae logicales, on the grounds that it was too complex to be summarised and explained appropriately. By providing a thorough account of Aristotle’s doctrine of demonstrative syllogism, Javelli departs significantly from the previous interpretive tradition, and he does not always succeed in presenting the theory in a succinct and palatable way. After a brief introduction, I set Javelli’s Compendium against the background of the Dominicans’ exegetical tradition on Aristotle’s Posterior Analytics in the fifteenth century. I especially discuss the works of Dominicus of Flanders, Franciscus Thomae, and Girolamo Savonarola, before delving deeply into Javelli’s Compendium logicae. The chapter concludes with a comparison of this work to the commentary of Javelli’s confrère Francesco Silvestri, which offers an outstanding example of erudition and philological rigour. A final appendix provides a transcription of sections from the logical works of Dominicus of Flanders, Tommaso de Vio, Javelli and Francesco Silvestri.