Benedict Pereira facts for kids

An old book, similar to those Benedict Pereira wrote.

Benedict Pereira (also known as Pereyra or Benet Perera) was a Spanish Jesuit priest. He was a smart thinker, a theologian (someone who studies religion), and an exegete (someone who explains religious texts). He lived from 1536 to 1610.

Who Was Benedict Pereira?

Benedict Pereira was born in a place called Ruzafa, near Valencia, in Spain. This was in 1536. When he was 16, in 1552, he joined the Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuits. He taught many subjects in Rome, where he later passed away. He taught literature, philosophy, theology, and sacred scripture.

What Did Benedict Pereira Write?

Benedict Pereira wrote many books and left behind a lot of notes. He published eight main works during his life. He also had many other writings that were not published as books.

His Main Philosophy Book

One of his most important books was about philosophy. It was called De communibus omnium rerum naturalium principiis et affectionibus libri quindecim. This book was published in Rome in 1576. It explored the basic ideas and features of all natural things.

Explaining the Bible

Pereira also spent a lot of time explaining parts of the Bible. He wrote a big work called Commentariorum et disputationum in Genesim tomi quattuor. This book, published between 1591 and 1599, looked at the tough questions in the Book of Genesis. It had lots of information about big events like the Deluge (the great flood), Noah's Ark, and the Tower of Babel. Many people, including a famous scholar named Richard Simon, thought highly of this work.

He also wrote about the book of Daniel. His "Commentariorum in Danielem prophetam libri sexdecim" (published in 1587) was less detailed than his work on Genesis.

Pereira published five more volumes of detailed explanations on other parts of the Bible:

• Exodus: 137 explanations (published in 1601).
• The Epistle to the Romans: 188 explanations (published in 1603).
• The Apocalypse (also known as Revelation): 183 explanations (published in 1606).
• The Gospel of St. John: 214 explanations on the first nine chapters (published in 1608).
• The Gospel of St. John: 144 explanations on five more chapters (published in 1610).

In one of his books, he also included 23 explanations to show that Mohammed was not the Antichrist.

His Debate About Mathematics

Benedict Pereira had a famous debate with another Jesuit named Christopher Clavius. This debate happened at the Collegio Romano, a very important Jesuit college. They disagreed about the nature of mathematics.

What Was the Debate About?

Pereira believed that mathematics, like geometry, showed how numbers and shapes related to each other. However, he thought it didn't explain why things were the way they were. He felt mathematics didn't truly explain the causes or essence of things. He also argued that mathematics didn't have a real subject of its own. It just connected different properties.

Clavius disagreed. He argued that mathematics was very important. He said that mathematics studied matter itself, because all mathematical ideas are "immersed" in the physical world.

Why Was This Debate Important?

This debate was a big deal for the Jesuits. It affected whether mathematics would be a main subject taught in Jesuit schools. Pereira's views could have made mathematics less important in their education system. In the end, mathematics remained a key part of the Jesuit curriculum.

See also

In Spanish: Benito Pereira para niños