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The Clavis Prophetarum or De Regno Christi in Terris Consummato written by Antonio Vieira, S.J. (1608-97) should be considered by scholars as one of the most important works of the seventeenth century. In it, Vieira introduces the reader to his interpretation of the theological concept of "Fifth Empire," one that illustrates his imperial ideology, and consequently, a vision that might have influenced Portuguese imperial ideology during the reign of John IV of Portugal (r. 1640-56).
This article introduces the recently discovered partial manuscript of the Clavis Prophetarum found at St. Bonaventure University in the "Franciscan" Collection, ms. 28 and compares it with the two main existing manuscripts: Biblioteca Casanatense ms. 706 and Arquivo Nacional da Torre do Tombo (ANTT), Conselho Geral do Santo Ofício, ms. 122. This study will analyze more deeply how Vieira understood the concept of "invincible ignorance of God," taking into consideration the differences in content in the St. Bonaventure, Franciscan Institute, ms. 28 compared to the other two manuscripts.
Keywords: Clavis Prophetarum, António Vieira, Jesuits, invincible ignorance of God, Brazilian Indians, St. Bonaventure, Casanatense, Antonio Bonucci, Carlo Casnedi
In 1714, the Italian Jesuit Carlo Antonio Casnedi was charged by the Portuguese Inquisition with examining and organizing the Clavis Prophetarum, a text written by one of the Society of Jesus' most renowned brethren, António Vieira.
The Portuguese Jesuit, António Vieira, died in Brazil in 1697 at eighty-nine years old without completing his magnum opus. Following his death, his papers were catalogued by Giovanni Andreoni, S.J., and locked in a trunk with two keys: one given to the rector of the College of Bahia and the other to the Jesuit Provincial of Brazil.1 Later, in 1714, the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, Michelangelo Tamburini, ordered Vieira's papers to be shipped to Rome. On its way to Rome, the ship made a routine stop in Lisbon during which two officials of the Portuguese Inquisition sequestered Vieira's trunk. The trunk contained a lengthy manuscript treatise of Vieira's magnum opus, the summation of a lifetime of eschatological expectations and theological thought. The Clavis Prophetarum immediately raised eyebrows due to its potentially controversial content-on the Fifth Empire-and because it had been written by António Vieira. The Portuguese Holy Office had judged and condemned Vieira...