VIVA, DOMENICO

Jesuit theological writer; b. Lecce in southeast Italy, Oct. 19, 1648; d. July 5, 1726. After entering the Naples province of the Society of Jesus on May 12, 1663, he spent the major part of his active life as a teacher. His subjects ranged from the humanities and Greek in his early years, to philosophy for nine years and moral and dogmatic theology for eight years each. The latter part of his life was spent in administration. He was prefect of studies for two years, rector of the College of Naples, and then provincial. His writings include Enchiridion, primarily concerned with indulgences and published in connection with the Holy Year jubilee (Naples, 1699). He also wrote three books for students: a dogmatic theology text, compiled from his lectures at the College of Naples; Opuscula theologico-moralia; and a textbook for moral theology. These latter are highly regarded and are quoted by such men as St. Alphonsus Liguori and Claude Lacroix. Viva's most well-known work, Damnatae theses ab Alexandro VII …, was published in three volumes (Naples 1708). These list propositions condemned by three 17th-century popes: 45 by Alexander VII, 65 by Innocent XI, 39 by Alexander VIII, and five propositions from the Augustinus of Jansenius. An additional volume, Trutina theologica thesium Quesnellianarum, was published in Naples in 1716–17. This contained a study and refutation of the 101 propositions which were condemned in 1713 by the bull Unigenitus of Clement XI.

Bibliography: Opera omnia theologica-moralia, 8 v. (Ferrara 1757). c. sommervogel, Bibliotèque de la Compagnie de Jésus, 11 v. (Brussels-Paris 1890–1932) 8:859–866. f. x. de feller, Dictionnaire historique, 8 v. (3d ed. Liège 1816) 8:681–682.

[p. k. clark]