Ledesma, Pedro de
LEDESMA, PEDRO DE
Thomistic theologian; b. Salamanca, c. 1550; d. Salamanca, Sept. 9, 1616. After becoming a Dominican in 1563, he taught theology for more than 40 years at Segovia, Avila, and Salamanca where he occupied the chair of Durandus (moral theology and liturgy) from 1604, and the second chair of St. Thomas (dogmatic theology) from 1608. Ledesma was noted for his great erudition, virtuous life, and defense of the absolute Thomism of baÑez. He is unjustifiably named a forerunner of probabilism. Among his works are: De divinae gratiae auxiliis (1611); De magno matrimonii sacramento (1592); De divina perfectione (1596); Primera parte and Segunda parte de la Summa (1598), a two-volume commentary on the sacramental theology of St. Thomas; and the Doctrina Christiana (1598).
Bibliography: j. quÉtif and j. Échard, Scriptores Ordinis Praedicatorum (New York 1959) 2.1:404–405. d. chenu, Dictionnaire de théologie catholique, ed. a. vacant et al. (Paris 1903–50) 9:126–127. a. michelitsch, Kommentatoren zur Summa Theologiae des hl. Thomas v. Aquin (Graz 1924) 53, 163.
[m. markowski]