Francisco de Toledo (4 October 1532 in
Cordoba (
Castille) – 14 September 1596 in
Rome) was a Spanish
Jesuit priest and theologian,
Biblical exegete and professor at the
Roman College. He is the first Jesuit to have been made a
cardinal (in 1593).
He was ordained
priest at
Salamanca in 1556 and two years later, in 1558, entered the Jesuit order. After a brief period of spiritual formation he was called to
Rome by the
Superior General,
Diego Láynez, where the budding Roman College was in great need of professors. Toledo successively (and successfully) taught
Philosophy (1559-1562), Scholastic and
Moral Theology (1562-1569), and was prefect of studies of the fast-growing university.
In the 1570s he published a number of commentaries on
Aristotle's works.[2]
(1) Philosophical: "Introductio in dialecticam Aristotelis" (Rome, 1561), thirteen editions, apparently the first work of a Jesuit to be printed in Mexico; "Commentaria una cum quæstionibus in universam Aristotelis logicam" (Rome, 1572), seventeen editions; "Commentaria de physica auscultatione" (Venice, 1573), fifteen editions; "De generatione et corruptione" (Venice, 1575), seven editions; "De anima" (Venice, 1574), twenty editions; "Opera omnia. Opera philosophica" (Lyons, 1586–92), only one volume issued.
(2) Theological: "In Summam theologiæ S. Thomæ Aquinatis enarratio" (4 vols., Rome, 1869), published by Father José Paría, S.J.; "Summa casuum sive instructio sacerdotum" (Lyons, 1599), forty-six editions (Spanish tr., Juan de Salas; Italian, Andreo Verna; French, Goffar; summaries in Latin, Spanish, French, and Italian).
(3) Exegetical: "In sacrosanctum Joannis Evangelium commentarium" (Rome, 1592), nine editions; "In prima XII capita Sacrosancti Jesu Christi D. N. Evangelium secundum Lucam" (Rome, 1600), printing supervised by Father Miguel Vázquez, S.J.; "In Epistolam B. Pauli Apostoli ad Romanos" (Rome, 1602), Aramaic tr., Father
Luis de Azevedo. Manuscripts: "Emmendationes in Sacra Biblia vulgata", corrected by direction of Clement VIII; "Regulæ hebraicæ pro lingua sancta intelligenda". Sermons: "Motivós y advertencias de casas dignas de refomación cerca del Breviario".[4]