BASTIDA, FERNANDO de la. - Spanish theologian, b. at Valladolid in 1539, d. there in 1637. Having entered the Society of Jesus in 1588, he taught theology in his native city; then, summoned to Rome, he became the principal champion of the Order (after Gregorio de Valencia and Pedro Arrubal) in the fourth phase of the controversy de auxiliis, where he disputed against Fr. Tomás de Lemos O.P., in 1604 before Clement VIII on middle knowledge, and in 1605-1606 before Paul V on physical predetermination.
His discourses are found in the Historia controversiarum de divina gratiae auxiliis by Fr. Livinus de Meyer (Antwerp 1705). B. also intervened in defense of Paul V in the controversy over the Venetian interdiction: Antidoto a las venenos consideraciones de fra Paulo de Venedia sobre las censuras de N. S. Paulo V (Venice and Lyons 1667; in Italian, Rome 1607).
In 1619 B. left the Society of Jesus (it was said that his Jewish descent had been discovered, which at that time constituted an impediment to entry into the Order), and was made canon and professor at the University of Valladolid. He left two manuscript volumes on the history of the Congregation de auxiliis, later used by Fr. Gabriel Henao in his Scientia medica historica propugnata (Salamanca 1655).