Buenaventura Suarez, S.J. (1679–1750) Part 2: His book, lunario

S. Galindo and M.A. Rodríguez–Meza

Departamento de Física, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Nucleares, Km 36.5 Carretera México–Toluca 52045, México, e–mails: salvador.galindo@inin.gob.mx; marioalberto.rodríguez@inin.gob.mx

Recibido el 30 de mayo de 2011. ]]> Aceptado el 1 de julio de 2011.

Abstract

In the previous paper (part 1 Rev. Mex. Fis. E 57 (2011) 121–133) we have analyzed some aspects of the astronomical production of Buenaventura Suarez, a Jesuit missionary that worked in the Reductions of Paraguay in the early 18^th century. To date, his only existing manuscript is the book "Lunario de un Siglo"; a sort of almanac containing a hundred years calendar of: moon's phases, solar and lunar eclipses predictions and ecclesiastical dates. In this paper (part 2) we shall analyze the contents of Father Suarez's opus, its structure, scope and the accuracy of its predictions. Thereafter we shall concentrate on the reasons why Suarez translated from Portuguese into Spanish the book "True Theory of Tides: according to the incomparable gentleman Isaac Newton" by Jacob de Castro Sarmento, a London–based Portuguese physician and Fellow of the Royal Society. We suggest that Suarez probably shared with Sarmento the common conviction that the Moon's phases had an influence upon human beings. This might explain why Suarez included a Moon's phase calendar into his book.

Keywords: Buenaventura Suarez; Newtonianism; eclipse prediction.

Resumen

En el artículo previo (parte 1 Rev. Mex. Fis. E 57 (2011) 121–133) hemos analizado algunos aspectos del trabajo astronómico de Buenaventura Suárez, un misionero jesuita que trabajó en las Reducciones del Paraguay a comienzos del siglo 18. Su único manuscrito que sobrevive a la fecha es el libro "Lunario de un Siglo; una especie de almanaque conteniendo un calendario centenario de: las fases lunares, predicciones de eclipses solares y lunares, y fechas eclesiásticas. En el presente trabajo (parte 2) analizaremos el contenido de esta obra del Padre Suárez, su estructura, visión y la certeza de sus predicciones. De ahí en adelante nos concentraremos en las razones del porqué Suárez tradujo del portugués al español el libro "Teoría verdadera de las Mareas, de acuerdo al incomparable caballero Isaac Newton" escrita por Jacob de Castro Sarmento, médico portugués residente en Londres y miembro de la Real Sociedad. Mencionamos que Suárez probablemente compartía con Sarmento la creencia popular que las fases de la Luna tenían una influencia sobre los seres humanos. Esto podría explicar el porqué Suárez incluyo en su libro un calendario lunar.

Descriptores: Buenaventura Suárez; Newtonismo; predicción de eclipses.

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References

1. Buenaventura Suarez SJ "Lunario de un Siglo" Francisco da Silva Ed. Lisbon 1748.         [ Links ]

2. Guillermo Fúrlong Cárdiff SJ Glorias Santafesinas: Buenaventura Suarez, Francisco Javier Iturri, Cristóbal Altamirano Edit. Surgo, Buenos Aires (1929) p. 102. From now on "Glorias".         [ Links ]

3. Furlong "Glorias" p. 115.

4. "True Theory of Tides: according to the incomparable gentleman Isaac Newton" (London 1737) In Portuguese.         [ Links ]

5. Buenaventura Suarez "Lunario de un Siglo" Col. Ed. Especiales Universidad Nacional de Misiones (2009) ISBN: 978–950–579141–1        [ Links ]

6. Phillipe de la Hire "Tabularum Astronomicarum Pars prior, de Motibus Solis et Lunae, necnon de Positione Fixarum, ex ipsis Observationibus deductis, cum Usu Tabularm, etc." Paris 1702.         [ Links ]

7. The Epacta number is the surplus days of the solar over the lunar year; hence, more freely, the number of days in the age of the moon on 1 January of any given year.

8. A golden number is a number assigned to each year in sequence to indicate the year's position in a 19–year Metonic cycle.

9. Dominical letters are letters A, B, C, D, E, F and G assigned to days in a cycle of seven with the letter A always set against 1^st of January as an aid for finding the day of the week of a given calendar date and in calculating Easter. A common year is assigned a single dominical letter, indicating which letter is Sunday (hence the name, from Latin dominica for Sunday). Leap years are given two letters, the first indicating the dominical letter for January 1 to February 28, while the second letter indicating the dominical letter for the rest of the year.

10. A Martyrology letter is a character indicating a year given in a table of a book about Christian martyrs

11 . Five Millenium Canon of Lunar Eclipses (Espenak & Meeus) NASA TP–2009–21172        [ Links ]

12. Five Millenium Canon of Solar Eclipses (Espenak & Meeus) NASA TP–2009–21172        [ Links ]

13. The global map appearing in Figure 3 is based on a plate by Dan McGlaun appearing in Five Millenium Canon.

14. Furlog "Glorias" page 139.

15. See for instance "Dr. Jacob de Castro Sarmento and Sephardim in medical practice in 18^th —century London" Richard David Barnett. Jewish historical Society of England (1982) ASIN: B0007BQFY2        [ Links ]

16. J. de Castro Sarmento "Do uso, e abuso das minhas agoas de Inglaterra, pello inventor das mesmas agoas" Gale ECCO Print Editions (2010) (in portuguese) ISBN: 978–1140710424        [ Links ]

17. J. de Castro Sarmento "Dissertatio in novam, tutam, acutilem methodium inoculationis, seu transplantationis variolarum. Per Jacob a Castro medicum Londinensem" Gale ECCO Print Editions (2010) (in Latin) ISBN: 978–1170622513        [ Links ]

18. Matt Goldish "Newtonian, Converso, and Deist: The lives of Jacob (Henrique) de Castro Sarmento" Science in Context, 10, pp651–675 (1997). doi:10.1017/S0269889700002854        [ Links ]

19. Sarmento is using the term "secondary cause" in a scholastic sense and by extension he tacitly recognizes the First cause i.e. God.

20. ".. .o verdadeiro e imutável modo de filosofar consiste, como nos ensina o nosso autor ilustre, em observar atentamente os fenómenos da Natureza e deles deduzir tais causas que possam produzir universalmente os mesmos fenómenos por leis mecânicas; e achadas ditas causas se devem admitir como leis ou causas secundárias pelas quais se governa e se conserva a Natureza". "True Theory of Tides..." pp 10–13

21. "... devo advertirte, que o conhecimiento das forças do Sol, e Lua, que causan o Fluxo, e Refluxo das Agoas, merecem tanto a consideraçam, e contemplaçam do Medico, na cura das Doenças, que se nao podem explicar bem, e remediar alguns dos Symptomas dellas , sem un exacto e verdadeyro conhecimento das mesmas forças. Nem se podem totalmente conceber sem oseu concurso, as Epilepsias, e Vertigens periódicas, que repetem somente nas luas novas, eluas cheas. Aquela Moça Epileptica, que tinha humas manchas na cara, que na côr, egrandeza, variavam conforme as Phases da lua. As furias dos Maniacos, que repetem com mayor vehemencia na lua nova, e na lua chea: donde naceo, e teve origen o chamar a os loucos geralmente Lunaticos. As Parlesias periódicas, que se tem observado seguir constantemente o curso da lua. Os fluxos de Sangue que appareciam somente no tempo da lua chea. As chagas cujo effuluxo de materias se achou por experiencia seguirem o movimiento da lua, e repetindo siempre cuando chea. E finalmente as Crises das Dolenças agudas, que se nao podem explicar ou entender sin comprehençam, e concurso da quellasforças." Ibid page 13.