Guest lecture: Reception of Daniel in António Vieira, SJ (1609-1697)

Guest lecture by Dr Ana T. Valdez, University of Lisbon

António Vieira, SJ, was a Portuguese Jesuit, theologian, diplomat, administrator, and prolific author. His career spanned from Portugal to Brazil, and he experienced being a part of the king’s inner circle in Lisbon as well as being a suspect of heresy under the scrutiny of the Inquisition. In his book Clavis Prophetarum, Vieira offers a new interpretation of apocalyptic expectations of Revelation and Daniel – viewing Portugal as a nation chosen nation by God to lead humanity towards the end of time and the beginning of the new era, the Fifth Empire. Vieira’s work is a fascinating example of how biblical apocalyptic notions were received in the early modern period.