Moral Theology: Its Method and Masters
Roncaglia, Constant.
Drawn from the authors' own words; every quotation links to its place.
Clerks Regular of the Mother of God · 1677–1733
Life
Born 1677, Lucca, of a patrician family; died 27 February 1737. [Hurter, vol. IV]
- Entered the Clerks Regular of the Mother of God at Naples in 1697, and was an ornament of the congregation for virtue and learning, above all in moral theology. [Hurter, vol. IV]
- Hurter calls him in moral theology a very moderate probabilist, and, according to St. Alphonsus, a classic author, eminent among theologians for his exposition of practical rules and sound doctrine. [Hurter, vol. IV]
- His Universa theologia moralis (Lucca, 1730, 2 vols.; Venice 1731, 1736, 1738, 1740, 1753) was reissued with the notes of J. A. Bambacari (1773-1774) and again by Optatus Bellotti, O.F.M. (Lucca, 1833-1835, 10 vols.). [Hurter, vol. IV]
Sources: H. Hurter, S.J., Nomenclator literarius theologiae catholicae, 3rd ed. (Innsbruck, 1903-1913), read on archive.org. Each fact names where it was read; the links go to the page or entry itself.
In Prümmer's Catalogue and Haringer's Index
- “Roncaglia, Constant., of the Congregation of the Mother of God, Italian (1677-1733), wrote, besides other things, Universa moralis theologia, 2 folio volumes, Lucca 1630, often edited and much praised by St. Alphonsus. He also wrote Consiliorum moralium liber singularis, in folio, Lucca 1729.” — Prümmer, Catalogue of authors
- [**: weighty, probabilist] “Roncaglia Constantinus, Italian, of the Congregation of the Mother of God (Moral Theology), 18th century.” — Haringer's index of writers (Gury-Ballerini) (p. XXVIII, sign read on the page)
His Moral System, as Our Authors Report It
Every report quoted in the author's own words and linked to its place; point at a name to see his words. Haringer's signs give St. Alphonsus's judgment as Haringer found it in St. Alphonsus's works (his notice, Gury-Ballerini, 1884, p. XI); a sign on a writer the 1884 editor added to the list is the editor's own, and is said to be his.
| Probabilist | |
|---|---|
| Counted among them by 3 of our authors | Marc, Institutiones I, n. 91; Konings, Compendium, n. 74; Tanquerey, Fundamental Moral Theology, n. 396 |
| “Roncaglia Constantinus, Italian, of the Congregation of the Mother of God (Moral Theology), 18th century.”Haringer marks him **, giving St. Alphonsus's judgment of him (weighty and probabilist) | Haringer's index, Index of writers, p. XXVIII |
Where Our Authors Discuss Him
Each read in its full passage; the words quoted are the author's own. Where several authors say the same thing, one is quoted and the others follow “in nearly the same words”; point at a name to see his words.
| “Roncaglia, O.M.Dei (1737)”Vermeersch names him among the distinguished theologians of the age before St. Alphonsus, an age he calls morbid | Vermeersch, Theologia moralis I, n. 20 |
| “For those heretics, deceitfully simulating great piety and a singular fervor for protecting moral science, brought it about that in France, Italy, and other provinces they drew many learned men to their side: among whom were also Peter Collet (the celebrated continuator of Honore Tournely), Louis Habert, and Natalis Alexander, who, although they rejected other errors of the Jansenists, nevertheless accommodated themselves in many things to their immoderate rigor. Indeed there were not lacking those who defended more benign opinions, such as Louis Abelly, Eusebius Amort, Castropalaus, Gobat, Roncaglia, Cardenas, Viva, Lacroix, Sporer, Reiffenstuel, Reuter, Voit, Holzmann, Elbel, Mazzotta, etc., without however being able wholly to repress the swelling rigor of doctrine.”Marc names him among those who defended more benign opinions against the rigor of the Jansenist age | Marc, Institutiones I, n. 6 |
| “Now he is esteemed a great theologian who possesses the greatest authority among theologians on account of his distinguished doctrine, prudence, and probity”Konings names him among the great theologians whose word that an opinion is probable makes it so | Konings, Compendium, n. 57 |
Works Our Authors Used
- Constantinus Roncaglia, of the Congregation of the Mother of God - Universa Theologia moralis; fol. (Lucca, 1730). — Marc's list
No article in the Catholic Encyclopedia (1913).