Juan Maldonado - Teaching

Teaching

Theology in Paris had fallen into decay through the prevalence of philosophical quibbles and barbarous Latin; this Maldonado remedied, giving due precedence to Scripture, the Fathers, tradition and the theologians, relegating the philosophers to the lowest place, and keeping useless questions within bounds; he spoke Latin elegantly, and drew up a scheme of theology more complete than that which had been in use, adapting it to the needs of the Church and of France. The lecture-room and, after it, the refectory were found to be too small; Maldonado therefore carried on his classes, when the weather permitted, in the college courtyard Nobles, magistrates, doctors of the Sorbonne, college professors prelates, religious, and even Huguenot preachers went to hear him, engaging their places in advance, and sometimes arriving three hours before the beginning of the lecture. Bishops and other great personages living away from Paris employed copyists to transmit his lectures to them.

In 1574 the university accused him of impugning the Immaculate Conception of Mary. This was untrue, he only held that the doctrine was not as yet an article of faith, but that one might properly take a vow to defend it; Pierre de Gondi, Bishop of Paris, decided in his favour (January, 1575). Again, he was accused teaching that the pains of purgatory last ten years at most. What he really taught was that the duration of those pains is unknown and it would be rash to attempt to determine it, however, he favoured the opinion of Soto, that in some cases purgatory did not last longer than ten years.

Being an excellent theologian, well grounded, at Salamanca, in Latin and Greek, having also learned Hebrew, Syriac, Chaldaic, and Arabic in Paris, and knowing all that was then known of ancient history, the Fathers and the false interpretations of the heretics, Maldonado became, according to the opinion of Kuhn, superior to most exegetes of his time, and inferior to none. In Cornely's opinion, his "Commentaries on the Gospels" are the best ever published. He excelled, according to Simon, in explanation of the literal sense; according to Andres, in his comprehension of the text and in gathering the aptest and truest sense, leaving no difficulty unexamined.

Maldonado has played a major role in French demonology. He was of the opinion that a storm of demons is followed by the spread of heresy (Protestantism). Heresy degenerates in atheism and magic. Demons use heretics to deceive mankind. In his view, the denial of demons is as great a sin as atheism. Witchcraft and heresy are connected by curiosity. "More women than men are witches, since women are more curious."