Conimbricenses
From the Catholic Encyclopedia
(Or Collegium Conimbricenses).
The name by which Jesuits of the University of Coimbra in Portugal were known. On the register of the college at various times appeared the names of two hundred Jesuits including professors and students. Toward the end of the sixteenth century and the beginning of the seventeenth, voluminous commentaries on the philosophical writings of Aristotle went forth from the university. These commentaries were dictations to the students by the professors and as such were not intended for publication. Still they were actually published, but fraudulently. In order to interpret and disown incorrect and unauthorized editions, Father Claudius Acquaviva, the General of the Society of Jesus, assigned Father Peter Fonseca, the provincial of the Portuguese province, the task of supervising the revision of these commentaries for publication. Father Fonseca was widely known as the Aristotle of Portugal. The different treatises appeared in the following order:
- "Commentarii Collegii Conimbricensis Societatis Jesu in octo libros physicorum Aristotelis Stagyritæ" (Coimbra, 1591);
- "Commentarii Collegii Conimbricensis Societatis Jesu in quattuor libros physicorum Aristotelis de Coelo" (Coimbra, 1592);
- Commentarii etc. in libros meteorum Aristotelis Stagyritæ (Coimbra, 1592);
- Commentarii etc. in libros Aristotelis qui parva naturalia appelantur (Coimbra, 1592);
- Commentarii etc. in libros Ethicorum Aristotelis ad Nichomachum aliquot Cursus Conimbricensis disputationes in quibus præcipua quaedam Ethicæ disciplinæ capita continentur (Coimbra, 1595);
- Commentarii etc. in duos libros Aristotelis de generatione et coruptione" (Coimbra, 1595);
- Commentarii etc. in tres libros Aristotelis de Animâ (Coimbra, 1592). This treatise was published after the death of Father Emmanuel Golz (whom Father Fonseca had commissioned to publish the earlier volumes by Father Comas Maggalliano (Magalhæns). To it he added a treatise of Father Balthazaar Alvarez "De Animâ Separatâ" and his own work "Tractatio aliquot problematum ad quinque Sensus Spectantium".
- Commentarii etc. in universam dialecticam nunc primum (ed. Venice, 1606).
Langhorst in Kirchenlex., s.v.; Sommervogel, Bibl. de la c. de J., II; Braga, Historia da Universidade de Coimbra (Lisbon, 1892-1902).
JOHN J. CASSIDY