John de Pineda (Spanish: Juan de Pineda; 1558–27 January 1637) was a Spanish Jesuit theologian and

exegete Exegesis ( ; from the Greek , from , "to lead out") is a critical explanation or interpretation of a text. The term is traditionally applied to the interpretation of Biblical works. In modern usage, exegesis can involve critical interpretations ...

. He was a consultor to the Spanish Inquisition and nineteen printed works and six manuscripts of his writing are in existence.

Life

Pineda was born in

Seville Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...

. He entered the Society of Jesus in 1572, taught philosophy and theology five years in Seville and Cordova, and specialized in Scripture, which he taught for eighteen years in Cordova, Seville, and Madrid. He held the posts of Provost of the

professed house In the Society of Jesus, a professed house was a residence where - in a spirit of radical poverty - no member had a stable income. The Jesuit priests who lived there, all of whom have made the profession of the four vows, undertake their spiritual ...

and rector of the college of Seville. He was consultor to the

Spanish Inquisition The Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition ( es, Tribunal del Santo Oficio de la Inquisición), commonly known as the Spanish Inquisition ( es, Inquisición española), was established in 1478 by the Catholic Monarchs, King Ferdinand ...

, and, in this capacity, visited the chief libraries of Spain. The results of his visits was the ''Index Prohibitorum Librorum'' (1612), which won the appreciation of the Inquisition and of the chief inquisitor, Cardinal Sandoval,

Archbishop of Toledo This is a list of Bishops and Archbishops of Toledo ( la, Archidioecesis Metropolitae Toletana).

; it was re-edited (1632) for Cardinal Zapata. The fame he won by his erudition and sanctity is attested in many ways. On a visit to the

University of Evora A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

, he was greeted by a Latin speech, and a memorial tablet was set up with the legend, Hic Pineda fuit. He died in

Works

His learning is evidenced by the nineteen printed works and six manuscripts, chiefly of exegetical subjects, which remain to us of his writings: * ''Commentariorum in Job libri tredecim'' (Madrid, 1597–1601). Each chapter is paraphrased and fully commented upon. These two folios were often re-issued in Madrid, Cologne, Seville, Venice, and Paris. Seven indices served as guides to the student. Both Catholic and Protestant exegetes still praise this colossal storehouse of erudition. The archeology, textual criticism, comparison of various interpretations, use of historical data from profane writers, all show Pineda to have been far ahead of his time in scientific criticism of the Bible. * ''Prælectio sacra in Cantico Canticorum'' (Seville, 1602), issued as a greeting to Cardinal de Guevara, archbishop of Seville, on the occasion of his visit to the Jesuit college there. * ''Salomon prævius, sive de rebus Salomonis regis libri octo'' (fol, pp. 587; Lyons 1609; Mainz, 1613). The life, kingdom, wisdom, wealth, royal buildings, character, and death of Solomon are treated in a scholarly fashion; five indices are added as helps to the student. *''De C. Plinii loco inter eruditos controverso ex lib. VII. Atque etiam morbus est aliquis per sapientiam mori''. Considerable controversy resulted from his interpretation of Pliny (see

Carlos Sommervogel Carlos Sommervogel (8 January 1834 – 4 March 1902) was a French Jesuit scholar. He was author of the monumental ''Bibliothèque de la Compagnie de Jésus'', which served as one of the major references for the editors of the Catholic Encyclope ...

, ''infra''). * ''Commentarii in Ecclesiasten, liber unus'' (folio, pp. 1224; Seville, 1619), appeared in various editions, as did the commentary on Solomon. What astounds one most in the writings of this exegete of the old school is his vast knowledge, not merely of Latin, but of Greek and Hebrew.

References

*Nieremberg, ''Varones Ilustres de la Campagnie de Jesus'' VII (Bilbao, 1891), 195 * Sommervogel, Carlos, ''Bibliothèque de la Campagnie de Jesus'', (Paris, 1895), VI, 796; IX, 772 *Gilherme, ''Menologé de la Campagnie de Jesus Assistance d'Espagne'', I (Paris, 1902, 172.

External links

*''This article incorporates text from the 1913 ''

Catholic Encyclopedia The ''Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church'' (also referred to as the ''Old Catholic Encyclopedia'' and the ''Original Catholic Encyclopedia'') i ...

'' article " John de Pineda" by Walter Drum, a publication now in the

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.'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Pineda, John De 1558 births 1637 deaths 16th-century Spanish Jesuits 16th-century Spanish Roman Catholic theologians 17th-century Spanish Jesuits Spanish biblical scholars 17th-century Spanish Roman Catholic theologians