Abstract

Reflections in the article are based on two treatises: Commentariorum in libros Metaphysicorum Aristotelis by Peter Fonseca, who belonged to the first generation of Jesuit philosophers, and Disputationes metaphysicae by Francisco Suarez, the main exponent of the philosophies of the Jesuits. The authors of these treatises carry out their philosophical thoughts in two different ways. The first one wrote commentaries on separate volumes of Aristotle’s Metaphysics, the second one composed homogeneous, lucid and systematic work, which became a prototype of a modern schoolbook named course of philosophy. Research of the structure and contents of Commentariorum in the light of teaching rules included in Ratio studiorum shows that Fonseca’s work complied with
requirements of the Ratio. The author was conversant with Aristotle’s views, distinguished himself at excellent knowledge of philology: successfully combined with renaissance humanism with philological exactitude. He also turned out to be a great erudite, without any impartiality. Unfortunately, despite the indisputable qualities of his work, it became the successful and commonly used educational guidance neither for professors nor for students. It was due to the fact that it was too voluminous to read and too difficult to comprehend. In consequence, Fonseca’s work is by far less important than Suarez’s Disputationes metaphysicae.