Benedict Pereira

(PEREYRA, PERERA, PERERIUS)

Philosopher, theologian, and exegete, born about 1535, at Ruzafa, near Valencia, in Spain; died 6 March, 1610, at Rome. He entered the Society of Jesus in 1552 and taught successively literature, philosophy, theology, and Sacred Scripture in Rome. He published eight works, and left a vast deal of manuscript. (Sommervogel, infra, mentions twelve sets.) The main difficulties of Genesis are met in “Commentariorum et disputationum in Genesim tomi quattuor” (Rome, 1591-99). This is a mine of information in regard to the Deluge, ark of Noah, tower of Babel, etc. and is highly esteemed by Biblical scholars, even men of the critical bias of Richard Simon (Histoire critique du Vieux Testament, III, xii). The “Commentariorum in Danielem prophetam libri sexdecim” (Rome, 1587) are much less diffuse, and evidence the critical acumen, untiring energy, and historical research of the author. Other writings of importance published by Pereira were five volumes of exegetical dissertations on: “Exodus”, 137 dissertations (Ingolstadt, 1601); “The Epistle to the Romans”, 188 dissertations (Ingolstadt, 1603); “The Apocalypse”, 183 dissertations (Lyons, 1606); “The Gospel of St. John”, 214 dissertations on the first nine chapters (Lyons, 1608); 144 dissertations on five following chapters (Lyons, 1610). To the fourth volume of the dissertations is appended a curious work of twenty-three dissertations to show that Mohammed was not the Antichrist of the Apocalypse and of Daniel.