BIANCHI, Ugo. Cavriglia, Arezzo 13.10.1922 — Firenzuola, Florence 14.4.1995. Italian Scholar of Iranian Religion. Son of a parastatal employee, grew up in Rome. Studies of classical philology, ancient history and especially History of Religions at Sapienza in Rome under Pettazzoni. Ph.D. 1944. In 1952-56 member of Istituto italiano per la storia antica in Rome, also worked as schoolteacher. From 1959 PD of History of Religions at Rome, but soon, 1960-62 Professore straordinario and 1963-71 ord. of History of Religions at Università di Messina, then 1971-74 Professor at Bologna, and from 1974 until 1992 Professor of History of Religion at Sapienza University of Rome. Himself a staunch Christian and Catholic, also taught at Catholic University of Milano (from 1972-91 as Prof. incaricato) and at Pontifical University Urbaniana in Rome (from 1977-95 as Professor of Etnologia religiosa). President of International Association of the History of Religions. Hon. dr. 1980 Uppsala and Louvain-la-Neuve. Died of a heart attack. Married 1956 Adriana Giorgi (d. 2016), four children.
Bianchi was specially interested in Zoroastrianism, Manichaeism, and Gnosticism, but also in Graeco-Roman religions. In his studies he emphasized historical and comparative approach.
Publications: Zamān i Ōhrmazd. Lo Zoroastrismo nelle sue origini e nella sua essenza. 263 p. Turin 1958.
– Il dualismo Religioso. Saggio Storico ed Etnologico. 215 p. Rome 1958.
– “Le dualisme en histoire des religions”, RHR 159, 1961, 1-46; “Le problème des origines du gnosticisme et l’histoire des religions”, Numen 12, 1965, 161-179; “L’inscription ‘des daivas’ et le zoroastrisme des Achéménides”, RHR 192, 1977, 3-30; and many other studies in Numen, etc.
– The History of Religions. 228 p. Leiden 1975.
– Selected Essays on Gnosticism, Dualism and Mysteriosophy. 12+471 p. Leiden 1978.
– Books on Gnosticism, classical religion, etc.
Sources: *G. Casadio (ed.), U.B. Una vira per la storia delle religioni. Bibl. de Storia delle Rel. 3. Rome 2002 (with full bibliography); G. Casadio in encyclopedia.com; G.S. Gasparro, Hist. of Rel. 37, 1997, 99f.; K. Rudolph, Numen 42, 1995, 225-227; Chi é 1961; Who’s Who in Italy 3rd ed. 1980; *Giulia Sfameni Gasparro (ed.). Agathè elpis. Studi storico-religiosi in onore di Ugo Bianchi. Roma 1995 (with life and bibliography) ; Italian Wikipedia.
Last Updated on 24 hours by Admin
