Soto, Domingo de - Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. XI, p. 599

Machine translation of the 1948–1954 Italian original. The original text is authoritative.

SOTO, DOMINGO de. — Dominican theologian, born at Segovia in 1495, died at Salamanca on 15 November 1560.

Initially professor of philosophy at Alcalá (1520–24), he entered religious life at Burgos (1524), and from 1525 taught at the Studium and subsequently at the University of Salamanca (1532–49). He took part in the Council of Trent as theologian to Charles V (from 6 June 1545) and then as delegate of the Order’s vicar general (22 December 1545). He participated in the discussions on Sacred Scripture (IV session), distinguishing himself especially

SOTO, DOMINGO de — Frontispiece of the De Natura et gratia, Venice, Giunta, 1547 — Rome, copy in the National Library.

for his defense of the teaching of scholastic theology, which he upheld against certain Fathers who wished to abolish it or at least reduce II.
His interventions in the discussion of justification (VI session) were of decisive importance. Together with other theologians he drafted the Augsburg Interim. He was the Emperor’s confessor (1548–49), and a councillor of State and of the Holy Office. In 1550, at the wish of Charles V, he took part in the discussions then taking place between Sepulveda and Las Casas concerning methods of colonization. Twice prior at Salamanca (1550–52, 1556–60), in 1552 he succeeded Melchior Cano in the first chair of theology at that University. He engaged in a lively controversy with Ambrogio Catarino (v. POLITICA, LANCELLOTO) concerning the certainty of being in a state of grace, justification, and original sin. He left a course in philosophy in 4 volumes: Summulae (Burgos 1529; Salamanca 1539 and 1568); In dialecticam Aristotelis, Isagogae Porphirii, Aristotelis categoriae et De demonstratione commentarii (Salamanca 1543, 1566, 1574); In libros phisicorum comm. et quaestiones (there 1545). All these works went through various editions and were often used as textbooks in the universities. His commentary on De anima remained unpublished and has been lost. Among his many theological works are: Relectiones de ratione tegendi et delegendi secretum (Salamanca 1542); De natura et gratia libri tres (Venice 1547, Antwerp 1550), a work dedicated to the Fathers of the Council against the Lutheran and Pelagian heresies, which occasioned the controversy with Catarino; In Epistolam divi Pauli ad Romanos comm. (Antwerp 1550); De iustitia et iure (Salamanca 1556, a classic work, published 27 times); In quartum Sententiarum comm. (I, there 1557; II, there 1560).

BIBL.: V. CAROTO, D. de S. y el derecho de gentes, Madrid 1930; V. Beltrán de Heredia, El maestro D. de S. en la Universidad de Alcalá, in La ciencia tomista, 23 (1931, I), pp. 357–73; 23 (1931, II), pp. 28–51; id., El maestro D. de S. en la controversia de Las Casas con Sepulveda, ibid., 24 (1932, I), pp. 35–49, 177–93; id., D. de S. Juan Pero y Miguel de Molina, ibid., 25 (1933, II), pp. 41–67; id., El maestro Juan de la Peña, Salamanca 1936, pp. 13–25; id., D. de S. catedrático de Visperos en la Universidad de Salamanca, in La ciencia tomista, 29 (1938), pp. 37–67, 281–302; id., Controversia de certitudine Gratiae entre D. de S. y A. Catarino, ibid., 32 (1941, II), pp. 133–62; id., D. de S. en el Concilio de Trento, ibid., 33 (1942, II), pp. 113–47; 34 (1943, II), pp. 60–83; id., s. V. in DThC, XIV, coll. 2423–31; id., La teologia y los teólogos-juristas ante la conquista de América, I, Madrid 1944, pp. 408–42; II, there 1944, pp. 1–48; id., D. de S. y su doctrina jurídica, there 1943–44; id., Los Dominicos y el Concilio de Trento, Salamanca 1948, passim; J. Stegmüller, Zur Gnadenlehre des spanischen Konsilstheologen D. de Soto, in G. Schreiber, Weltbontzil von Trient, I, Friburgo in Br. 1951, pp. 169–230. Alfonso D'Amato