Manuel da Costa
Encyclopedia
Manuel da Costa was a Jesuit and bibliographer from Lisbon
. After teaching humanities and theology
at several schools, like Coimbra where most of the Jesuit letters were available in uncensored form, he was chosen rector
of Braga
, then missionary
to the Azores
; he was distinguished by his zeal. He wrote A História das Missões dos Jesuítas no Oriente, Até ao Ano de 1568 (History of the Jesuit Missionaries to the East, until 1568). The manuscript was sent to Rome, translated into Latin, and was then given to the young novice Giovanni Pietro Maffei (1533-1603) to prepare it for publication. Maffei added a considerable amount of text to Acosta's work, entitled De Japonicis rebus epistolarum. This part contains abridged Latin translations of letters sent from the Jesuits working in Japan until the year 1564. In his introduction Maffei congratulates Da Costa on his effort in summarizing the contents of the letters together in a short commentary. The P. de Lequerica translated the same work into Spanish.
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
. After teaching humanities and theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
at several schools, like Coimbra where most of the Jesuit letters were available in uncensored form, he was chosen rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of Braga
Braga
Braga , a city in the Braga Municipality in northwestern Portugal, is the capital of the Braga District, the oldest archdiocese and the third major city of the country. Braga is the oldest Portuguese city and one of the oldest Christian cities in the World...
, then missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
to the Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
; he was distinguished by his zeal. He wrote A História das Missões dos Jesuítas no Oriente, Até ao Ano de 1568 (History of the Jesuit Missionaries to the East, until 1568). The manuscript was sent to Rome, translated into Latin, and was then given to the young novice Giovanni Pietro Maffei (1533-1603) to prepare it for publication. Maffei added a considerable amount of text to Acosta's work, entitled De Japonicis rebus epistolarum. This part contains abridged Latin translations of letters sent from the Jesuits working in Japan until the year 1564. In his introduction Maffei congratulates Da Costa on his effort in summarizing the contents of the letters together in a short commentary. The P. de Lequerica translated the same work into Spanish.