O Quinto Império: profecia e pragmatismo nos escritos de padre Antônio Vieira

Abstract

This study intends to show the pr ophetic bases of Vieira that allowed to make an analysis of his imperial project, specificly from the Fifth Empire. In this context, prophetic works like the Clavis Profetarum , the Apologia das coisas profetizadas and the História do Futuro were helpful in this research. Starting from this la st writing, I observed that Vieira ́s work should be seen uniquely and not as fragmented parts. The tie that unites the jesuit ́s writing is his prophecy, mainly the one that refers to the Fi fth Empire. The search for this concretization moves him to take many pratic decisions insi de and outside of the Portugal kingdom. These actions, many times explicitly politic, are expressed in some of his writings (the Papel Forte , for exemple), demonstrating his real desire to promote changes in the Portugal kingdom in the so dreamed Fifth Empire.