John of Torquemada
1388-26.09.1468

A brief biography.

Juan de Torquemada, or rather Johannes de Turrecremata, was born at Valladolid 1388 and was educated in that city. At an early age he joined the Dominican Order and soon distinguished himself through learning and devotion. In 1415 he accompanied the general of his order to the Council of Constance (1416), whence he proceeded to Paris for study and took his doctor's degree in 1425. After teaching for some time in Paris, he became prior of the the priory  in Valladolid and then in Toledo.

Torquemada attended the Council of Basel (1431-1449) as a representative of his order and of the king of Castile. At the Council of Basel he was one of the ablest supporters for the view of the Roman curia, and he was made reponsable requiring the value of the visions of Birgit of Sweden. He was rewarded with the office of Master of the Sacred Palace (1434) and then with the Cardinal's hat in 1439. Torquemada participated in the Council of Florence. He also worked on behalf of pope Eugenius IV on missions to Germany and France before settling in the Roman Curia. Torquemada supported papal Crusade policy, reform of religious houses and papal primacy. He participated in four papal elections, casting the deciding vote in the election of Pope Nicholas V (1447-1455). He died at Rome on 26 September 1468,  and was buried at the church of the Dominican priory Santa Maria sopra Minerva in Rome.

His study Los Sinodales de Aguilafuente (Segovia) was the first printed book in Spain (1472). Juan de Torquemada was an uncle of the famous Inquisitor Thomas of Torquemada.

His principal works are:

In Gratiani Decretum commentarii (4 vols., Venice, 1578)
Expositio brevis et utilis super toto psalterio (Mainz, 1474)
Quaestiones spirituales super evangelia totius anni (Brixen, 1498)
 

Summa ecclesiastica (Salamanca, 1550) [or Summa de ecclesiastica potestate]
The last-named work has the following topics:
De universa ecclesia
De Ecclesia romana et pontificis primatu
De universalibus conciliis
De schismaticis et haereticis

His De conceptione deiparae Mariae, libri viii. (Rome, 1547), was
edited with preface and notes by EB Pusey (London, 1869 seq.).
Other works include polemical tracts and sermons.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Title page from Los Sinodales, Sehgovia 1472.

Spain 1973, Mi 2061, Sc 1793.

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