Discursos sobre el eclesiastés de Salomón. A Pedro de Valencia's work attributed to Benito Arias Montano?

Abstract

The Discursos sobre el Eclesiastés de Salomón offer a literal interpretation of the biblical book, placing the lexical and grammatical exegesis of the Hebrew original at the heart of their commentary. The Discursos having traditionally been attributed to Benito Arias Montano, this article proposes considering Pedro de Valencia as the possible author of that work, on the basis of two fundamental considerations: one external, the particular liking Valencia had of discourses and treatises written in the Castilian language, as opposed to their sparse presence among Montano’s works; the other internal, the numerous textual concordances between the Discursos and the work of Valencia, in particular regard to what I refer to as «Adanic rationalism,» a theme of vital importance for the interpreter.