Francisco Macedo


Francisco Macedo, known as S. Augustino, was a Portuguese Franciscan theologian.

Life

He entered the Jesuit Order in 1610, which however he left in 1638 in order to join the Discalced Augustinians. These also he left in 1648, for the Franciscans. In Portugal he sided with the House of Braganza.
Summoned to Rome by Pope Alexander VII, he taught theology at the College of the Propaganda, and afterwards church history at the Sapienza, and as consultor to the Inquisition. At Venice in 1667, during the week beginning 26 September, he held a public disputation, against all comers, on nearly every branch of human knowledge, especially the Bible, theology, patrology, history, law, literature, and poetry. He named this disputation, in his quaint and extravagant style, "Leonis Marci rugitus litterarii" ; this obtained for him the freedom of the city of Venice and the professorship of moral philosophy at the University of Padua.

Works

Rather restless, but a man of enormous erudition, he wrote a number of books, of which over 100 appeared in print, and about thirty are still unprinted. They included:
Controversiae selectae contra haereticos"
He also took an active part in the Jansenist controversy, being at first inclined to Jansenism; but afterwards he defended Augustine of Hippo's teaching with regard to grace.