LIGUORI, R•-g,wo'r,% ALFONSO .11A It I A nt, Saint (1696-1787). A Roman Catholic ecclesias tic and theologian, founder of the lledempto•ist (q.v.) Order. Ile was born of a noble family at 31arianella, near Naples. and at first studied law, taking his doctor's degree at the age of six teen, and beginning to practice at twenty. Six years later he abandoned the profession for the purpose of devoting himself to a religions life. He was ordained priest in 1720. and undertook with great zeal the duties of his new Under the influence of Thomas Falcoja, Bishop of Castellamarc, he decided to found a new con gregation for missionary effort : and in 173:2, at Scala, near Amalfi, lie organized the 'Congrega tion of the (host Poly Redeemer.' which Pope Benedict XIV. approved in 1749. appointing the founder general for life. In 17(12 lie was appointed Bishop of Sant' Agata Guti, in the Kingdom of Naples. Ili; episcopate was a model in every way; but, shrinking from the re sponsibilities of such an oflice, he resigned his see in 1775, after which he returned to Id; Order and continued to live in simple ansterity until his death, at Nocera de' Pagani, in 1757. 11c was beat i tied in IS 1 6, canonized in 1839. and solemnly declared a doctor of the Church in 1871. The special importance of his teaching is in the department of moral theology. Under
the name of Trobabiliorism,' a modification of the earlier so-called Probabilism. it has been very widely followed in the direction of consciences in the Roman Catholic Church. His most impor tant work is his Theologia Months (1753), which grew out of an edition of 13nsembannes earlier treatise published by him in 1748 (Eng. trans.. abridged, 7th ed., 2 vols., New York. 1890). His complete works have liven frequently published. most recently at Turin (1877 sqq.), and part of a projected 1 ee.eG version (London. 1854 68). Consult lives by Capeeelatro (Siena. 1593) and Rispoli (Naples. 1537) in Italian: by Sain train (Tournai. 1579) arm Villeconrt (ib.. 1863) in French; and by Dilg.skron (Regensburg. 1887) in German. An English translation of the life by his disciple Tannoja (1798-1802), ed. F. W. Falter, appeared in London (1848-49). For a discussion of his moral theology. consult Gonsset, Justification de la th(ologir morale du Alphonse de Liguori (Besancon. 1832) : WittMann. Saint Alphonse et le por probobilisme (Dien, 1891) : :11cyrick, The Moral and Derotional Theology of the Church of _Rome According to the Authorita tive Teaching of saint Alfonso di Liguori (Lon don. 1850).