Black Captivity: Continuities and Ruptures in the Writing of the Capuchin Francisco José de Jaca (XVI-XVII centuries)
Slavery, Moral Theology, School of Salamanca, Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, Cartagena de Indias, Spain.
The objective of this research is to analyze the work of the Capuchin friar Francisco José de Jaca (1645 -1690), entitled “Resolution on the freedom of blacks and their natives, in a state of pagans and later already Christians”, whose motto was to denounce the injustice of trafficking and the enslavement of Africans. The working hypothesis is that the questions raised by Francisco José de Jaca, regarding the legitimacy of the enslavement of blacks, are part of an earlier tradition of political, legal and theological thought. Thus, the theoretical-methodological perspective of linguistic contextualism is adopted, especially Quentin Skinner's considerations, to analyze the continuities and ruptures, in the “Resolution” de F. J. de Jaca, in relation to such an intellectual tradition. In this sense, the aim is to compare the work of F. J. de Jaca with that of an author who preceded him (Luís de Molina, 1535-1600) and with that of a contemporary (Diego de Avendaño, 1596-1688), focusing on the degree of adherence to probabilism and the way in which these authors used the notions of doubt, invincible ignorance and good faith in the debates around the (in-) justice of the slave trade and the enslavement of Africans