Magisterium—Rariora of the Lopez Museum and Library #PopeInPH #PopeTYSM

Magisterium is the teaching office of the authority of the Catholic Church. It is exercised by the hierarchy, by theologians, and by ordinary members of the Church (parents, catechists, etc.). The term is most commonly applied, however to the hierarchy.

It was Pope Honorius III (July 24, 1216—March 18, 1227) who on December 22, 1216 formally approved the Dominican Order; on December 29, 1223, he approved the rule of the Franciscan Order. The Dominicans, the Franciscans, the Augustinians and later on the Jesuits were the ecclesiastic communities who promoted printing in the Philippines, and the collection and preservation of rare books and manuscripts.

Of the 215 Philippine imprints published from 1597 to 1800 in Manila and other key towns, the Library has twenty-one rare titles; and sixty-nine rare items from the eighteenth century and 777 titles from the nineteenth century.

The Philippine incunabula are books of prayers in Spanish, Tagalog, and other ethnic languages published during the first fifty years of printing, which in the country started in 1593. A priceless gem in the collection of incunabula is the unique edition of Roberto Francesco Romolo Bellarmino’s Doctrina Cristiana, translated into Ilocano by Padre Francisco Lopez. This was published in 1620 in the convent of St. Peter, Manila by Antonio Damba, a Kapampangan and Miguel Saixo, a Japanese. The extant copy has a cover page which reads: Libro a naisuratan amin ti bagas, ti Dotrina Cristiana nga naisurat iti libro....

Enjoy these select books from the rare collections of the Lopez Museum and Library.