FLUL researchers identify original manuscript by Father António Vieira S.J.

Ana Travassos Valdez, principal researcher at the History Center of the University of Lisbon, and Arnaldo do Espírito Santo, Professor Emeritus at the Faculty of Letters of the University of Lisbon (FLUL), presented their extraordinary discovery of the identification of an original manuscript of the Clavis Prophetarum (Key of the Prophets) by Father António Vieira S.J. at a public session on May 30.

The 17th-century manuscript was thought to be missing until 2020, when Ana Travassos Valdez identified it in the Historical Archive of the Pontifical Gregorian University (PUG) in Rome and, with the help of Arnaldo do Espírito Santo, validated its status as an original through an annotation in the margin of the text. The team that collaborated in the discovery, research and subsequent restoration of the manuscript also included Father Martín Morales S.J., Professor at the PUG and director of the Historical Archives, Irene Pedretti, restorer and archivist, and conservators Giulia Venezia and Maria Stella Maggio.

Although incomplete, this work served the Jesuit priest as a foundation for later texts and is, as its name suggests, the key to interpreting biblical prophets and prophecies. It is currently being transcribed and translated with a view to later publication, which will make the document accessible to other researchers.

The presentation session took place at the Faculty of Letters of the University of Lisbon and at the Pontifical Gregorian University, and the recording, with subtitles, is available on YouTube for viewing. The session was opened by the Director of FLUL, Miguel Tamen, and the Portuguese members of the team, Ana Travassos Valdez and Arnaldo do Espírito Santo, described the discovery process and the importance of the document. They also gave an overview of what was known about it so far, through indirect sources. The members of the team in Italy also spoke from Rome.

Helena Pereira, President of the Board of Directors of the FCT, also spoke at the session, highlighting the importance of interdisciplinarity in scientific research, the joint work of "multiple actors, in different centers of knowledge and research and different geographies, in fact constituting a global web of knowledge" and the integration of the different structures of the scientific system, which are fundamental elements for the implementation of the research presented. Luís Ferreira, Rector of the University of Lisbon, closed the session by highlighting the work of the researchers involved and the role of institutions and their funding in the success of scientific work.

This discovery was supported by the History Centre of the University of Lisbon (CH-ULisboa) and the Centre for Classical Studies of the University of Lisbon (CEC), units funded by the FCT, and researcher Ana Travassos Valdez is funded by the FCT, through the Stimulus to Scientific Employment program.

Photos: Archive of the Pontifical Gregorian University (APUG) / Reserved Rights