Commentarii una cum Quaestionibus in 1 & 2a Diui Thomae a quaestione 1a De Ultimo fine hominis.

Lima: 1608-09.

Price: $17,500.00


About the item

Manuscript in ink. 147 leaves. 4to. Contemporary vellum, minor spotting to title leaf, final leaf starting, first blank torn, covers starting. In custom red half morocco slipcase and chemise. Provenance: Libreria de S[a]n. Pablo de la Compa[ñia]. De Jesus de Lima (note at foot of title leaf); Blue Cloud Abbey, South Dakota (bookseller's pencil annotation to first blank). See Saldamando, Los antiquos Jesuitas del Peru, 1882, pp 318-22; and Skinner, The Present State of Peru, 1805, pp 378-81.

Item #300934

A rare survival: a manuscript commentary on Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologiae by an eminent Peruvian Jesuit. The work forms a discussion of the First Part of the Second Part, Questions 1-5 – namely, “De ultimo fine hominis” which focuses on the question of human happiness (“beatitude”)

Clearly a working manuscript, evident in the various crossings out and revisions, the different dates on the title page and colophon indicate the text was completed overs several months, finally being completed on February 14, 1609. The number 6 written on the upper cover indicated this could be the final volume of the six volume commentary on Aquinas’s work Menacho published.

Having studied at the university of Lima, Menacho entered the Jesuit order in 1583. He taught at the college of San Pablo and was appointed to the chair of theology at the university of San Marcos in 1601. The author was a casualty of the now famous earthquake that destroyed Lima on 19 October 1609 (eight month after completing this ms.). He was left paralyzed for the remaining 16 years of his life, though continued to write and teach until his death.

He is the author of 13 other works including Privilegios de los indios, Theologiae moralis tractatus; Redditibus eccleciasticae, and Privilegios de la Compañia de Jesus.