SALMANTICENSES. - Discalced Carmelite theologians of Salamanca, who wrote two great cursus of dogmatics and morals. After the College of the Discalced Carmelites of Alcalá (Complutum) had begun (1624), with great success, the Cursus Complutensis of philosophy, by decree of the supreme council of the Order (that is, of the Congregation of Spain) a course of theology was published by the Fathers of the theological College of Salamanca (founded in 1581) under the title: Collegii Salmanticensis Fratrum Discalceatorum B. M. de M. Carmelo cursus theologicus summam theologiam D. Thomae complexens.
It is not an ordinary commentary on the Summa theologica of the Aquinate, but a vast scholastic treatise (14 vols.), whose purpose is to explain and deepen the doctrine of St. Thomas; according to Scheeben it is the greatest and most complete work of the Thomistic school. The authors were: Fr. Antonio of the Mother of God (1583-1637), who took the initiative for it and sketched out for the entire course the method to be followed. He wrote vol. I: De Deo uno (Salamanca 1631), vol. II: De Deo trino (Segovia 1637) and vol. III: De angelis (ibid. 1637). After his death Fr. Domenico of St. Teresa (1604-60) compiled vol. IV: De fine ultimo, de beatitudine (Salamanca 1647).
Fr. Giovanni of the Annunciation (1633-1701) added vols. V-XI with the treatises: de Gratia, de iustificatione, de merito, de fide, spe, caritate, de statu religioso, de Incarnatione, de Sacramentis in genere, de Eucharistia (Lyons 1679 and 1687; Barcelona 1694). To these Fr. Antonio of St. John the Baptist (1641-99) added vol. XII in two parts: de paenitentia (Lyons 1704, Madrid 1712). Thus the publication of this course dragged on for almost a century, both because of the premature death of the first authors and because of typographical difficulties. Despite the diversity of the authors and the long duration of the composition, the work seems to be of a single cast and constantly follows the doctrine of St. Thomas. A compendium of the same course was published by Fr. Paolo of the Conception in his work: Tractatus theologici iuxta s. Thomae et cursus Salmanticensis doctrinam (5 vols., Madrid 1722-29). The last edition of the whole work came out in 20 vols. (in Paris 1870-83) at the Palme press.
The same College of Salamanca also published a course of moral theology, under the title: Collegii Salmanticensis FF. Discalceatorum B. M. de M. Carmelo cursus theologiae moralis (4 vols., Salamanca 1665-68). Other editions of this course at Lyons 1670, Antwerp 1672, Madrid 1709, ibid. 1717-24. The authors are: Fr. Francesco of Jesus Mary (d. 1677), Fr. Andrea of the Mother of God (d. 1674), Sebastiano of St. Joachim (d. 1714). Of this moral course too a compendium was published by Fr. Paolo Girolamo of St. Helena (1683-1770), entitled: Sacrae theologiae moralis medulis (Cologne 1754, Bologna 1772), as well as by Fr. Antonio of St. Joseph (1716-94) under the title: Compendium Salmanticense universae theologiae moralis (Rome 1779, ibid. 1787, Venice 1789, Pamplona 1791, ibid. 1797, Barcelona 1817, Madrid 1846) and, after the new Code, by Fr. Nicola of the Sacred Heart of Mary (Burgos 1931). Moreover there exists of this last compendium a version in the Castilian language by Fr. Marco of St. Teresa (Pamplona 1805, Madrid 1808, 1849).
Bibliography8 works
Ambrogio di Santa Teresa