(Γεώργιος ὁ Γεμιστός), or GEO'RGIUS PLETHO (ὁ Πλήθων). one of the later and most celebrated Byzantine writers, lived in the latter part of the fourteenth and in the beginning of the fifteenth century. He was probably a native of Constantinople, but passed most of his life in the Peloponnesus. In 1426 he held a high office, under the emperor Manuel Palaeologus. He was called Γεμιστός, or Πλήθων, on
240
account of the extraordinary amount of knowledge which he possessed in nearly all the branches of science; and the great number of writings which he left prove that his surname was by no means mere flattery. Gemistus was one of the deputies of the Greek church that were present at the council of Florence, held in 1438, under pope Eugenius IV., for the purpose of effecting a union between the Latin and Greek churches. Gemistus at first was rather opposed to that union, since his opinion on the nature of the Holy Ghost differed greatly from the belief of the Romish church, but he afterwards gave way, and, without changing his opinion on that subject, was active in promoting the great object of the council. The union, however, was not accomplished. Gemistus was still more renowned as a philosopher than as a divine. In those times the philosophy of Aristotle was prevalent, but it had degenerated into a mere science of words. Disgusted with scholastic philosophy, Gemistus made Plato the subject of long and deep study, and the propagation of the Platonic philosophy became henceforth his principal aim: the celebrated cardinal Bessarion was one of his numerous disciples. During his stay at Florence he was introduced to Cosmo de Medici; and having succeeded in persuading this distinguished man of the superiority of the system of Plato over that of Aristotle, he became the leader of a new school of philosophy in the West. Plato's philosophy became fashionable at Florence, and had soon gained so much popularity in Italy as to overshadow entirely the philosophy of Aristotle. But Gemistus and his disciples went too far: it was even said that he had attempted to substitute Platonism for Christianism; and before the end of the century Plato had ceased to be the model of Italian philosophers. Gemistus is, nevertheless, justly considered as the restorer of Platonic philosophy in Europe. He was, of course, involved in numberless controversies with the Aristotelians, in the West as well as in the East, among whom Georgius, of Trebizond, held a high rank, and much bitterness and violence were displayed on each side. In 1441 Gemistus was again in the Peloponnesus as an officer of the emperor: he was then advanced in years. He is said to have lived one hundred years, but we do not know when he died.[W.P]