II. Lacunza-Jesuit Herald of Second Advent

MANUEL DE LACUNZA, or Juan Josafat Ben-Ezra (f 731-1801), Jesuit advent herald of Chile and Italy, was born in Santiago. Of substantial parentage, he received a careful religious education in letters, Latin grammar, and rhetoric at the Colegio Maximo, or Superior School, and was admitted to probation in the Jesuit Order in 1747, at the age of sixteen. Completing his two-year vows, he continued the study of philosophy and theology at Bucalemu, finishing with honors. As his third year of probation ended, he received sacred orders. Restive under the silence and retirement imposed by such a life, he was given the instructional and spiritual supervision of the younger students. But even this did not fully satisfy him, so he became professor of Latin, and pursued studies in astronomy and geometry. ^{1Bibliographical and historical data for this sketch are gathered from the most authoritative sources, including the sketches appearing in the introductions to the various editions of La Venida. Doubtless the most exhaustive and thoroughly documented treatise on Lacunza is a recent work by Alfred-Felix Vaucher titled Une celebrite oubilee le P. Manuel de. Lacunza y Dia^ (1731-1801) de la Societe de Jesus auteur de “La Venue, du Messie en gloire el majeste (1941).}PFF3 307.3

Lacunza was celebrated locally as a preacher, and in 1766 took the four vows of the Jesuits. But. in the autumn of 1767 he was expelled from Chile, with all members of the order, by decree of Charles III of Spain, which action involved all Spanish dominions. Lacunza went first to Cadiz, Spain, and then located at Imola, near Bologna, in central Italy, residing there until his death. He expressed no bitterness over his exile on strange soil, but in 1772 retired from the world, becoming an anchorite, or recluse, for the remainder of his days, holding converse only with his books. His frugal life was without comforts, as his living stipend was meager. To find relief from his disappointments, he began the study of the Fathers and then of the prophecies, reading all the commentaries he could find in a near-by convent. He was untiring in his application to study, constantly invoking the grace of the Holy Spirit. He lived a life of remarkable piety and prayer, spending five hours daily in such devotions. He solved the difficult questions that arose over texts by long seasons of prayer for divine illumination, in which his amanuensis, Father Gonzalez Carvajal, joined.PFF3 308.1

For thirty years Lacunza engaged in this profound study of the Holy Book, the writings of the Fathers, and theological interpreters. He compassed the entire Patrology-1,000 large volumes-to know, use, or refute the Fathers and the expositors. He made a scientific study of the Scriptures, formulating a comprehensive code. In 1779 he abandoned his trips to the libraries of Venice, Bologna, and Rome as without benefit, and devoted himself solely to the Scriptures.PFF3 308.2

His key to the prophecies was his discovery of the two comings of Christ. He separated the confusing parts, and emphasized the second advent at the beginning of the millennium. s to scholarship, he was never charged with inaccuracy, mis quotation of authorities, or distortion. Thus his writing of La Venida del Mesias en Gloria y Mageslad (The Coming of the Messiah in Glory and Majesty) neared completion, having occupied some twenty years.PFF3 308.3

In 1781 Ennodio Papia (the pseudonym used by Guiseppe Zoppi), published two books, Apocalypse and Second Epoch of the Church. In 1784 the Second Epoch was prohibited by the Sacred Congregation of the Index. ^{2The sacred congregation of the index is one of thirteen standing committees at the vatican, each under the presidency of a cardinal, which aid the pope in the government of the church. It controls the censorship of catholic writings, with offical power of prohibition, though all decisions require pontifical approval. The index contains the list of prohibited books.} Lacunza dissented from Papia, contending that there are only two comings of Christ— the first in the flesh in lowly form at His incarnation, and the second in glory and majesty, soon. But he feared that his own production would likewise be placed on the Index. Thus La Venida del Mesias en Gloria y Mageslad was brought forth in manuscript, in Spanish, under the pen name of Juan Josafat lien-Ezra, a Christian Hebrew, and dedicated to “Christofilo” -lover of Christ. Fra Pablo gives the date, in introducing his “Critique” endorsing it, as about 1791, which was in the midst of the French Revolution.PFF3 309.1

Lacunza’s treatise, produced almost under the shadows of the Vatican, reached Spain and South America in manuscript, arousing interest and admiration immediately. It soon became popular in manuscript form, and despite laborious hand duplication, had an amazing circulation all the way “from Havana to Cape Horn.” It was translated into Latin and then Italian. Velez, erudite lawyer of the church in Buenos Aires, prepared an elaborate refutation, starting a long controversy. There were ardent friends and bitter opponents. Heated discussions ensued, of which Lacunza was aware. The discussion greatly stirred both Europe and South America. Meanwhile, Lacunza revised his manuscript and approved it for publication, as he deplored the imperfect copies circulating in Europe and in South American colonies.PFF3 309.2

Valdivieso sent his “Defense” of Ben-Ezra from Ravenna to Caballina, together with a manuscript copy translated from the Latin to Spanish. In 1799 the Jesnit Father Maneiro re turned to Mexico, hearing an elegant Latin translation. La-cunza’s description of the last clays and the political conditions occurring, impressed the thoughtful, and the clergy “read it with avidity.”PFF3 310.1

Lacunza’s death was accidental, occurring in 1801. He was found dead on the bank of the river which Hows near Imola. There were no printed editions of his treatise before his death. In 1802 D. Francisco Gil Lemos, lieutenant, general of the Spanish Armada, had a manuscript copy in Spanish. When Napoleon overran Spain and took Ferdinand VII prisoner, Cadi/ served as the capital of all Spain that had escaped French annexation. Besieged from February. 1810, to August, 1812, it was relieved by Wellington’s victory at Salamanca, though Ferdinand VII was not restored until 1814. Under the interim government by the Clones the Inquisition was abolished and some freedom of the press established. Thus the first edition of La Venida, bearing the name of Felipe Tolosa, came to be secretly printed near Cadiz, on the Isle of Leon, or San Fernando. Another Tolosa edition was printed in 1812, with a favorable censure by Fra Pablo de la Concepcion, the barefooted Carmelite.PFF3 310.2