Manuel de Lacunza: Life, Theology, and Church Legacy

Introduction

Manuel de Lacunza is one of the most significant figures in church history. The purpose of this discussion is to examine the life of Manuel de Lacunza, survey his major theological studies, and explore the contributions that Lacunza made to the church through his theories.

The Life of Manuel de Lacunza

Manuel (Emanuel) de Lacunza was born in 1731 in Chile but spent much of his life living in exile in Italy ("Church Heritage"). Lacunza lived in Chile until he was 15 years old, when he was sent to Spain to become a Jesuit priest in the Catholic Church. By 1747 Lacunza had become a member of the Jesuit priesthood and quickly became a prominent figure in the church. He eventually became a superintendent of the noviciates and taught others in the traditions of the Jesuit order (Gunther).

Lacunza lived in Spain for twenty-two years until 1767, when the Jesuit priests were expelled from the country. The Jesuits had become a source of controversy, and the government of Spain found their actions intolerable. Jesuits were also expelled from most of the world's civilized nations at that time (Tarkowski). Lacunza found a new home in Imola, Italy, where he resided until he was found dead alongside a river in 1801. The cause of his death has never been determined (Fraley).

While living in Italy, Lacunza wrote a manuscript under the pseudonym Juan Josafa Ben-Ezra (Rabbi Ben-Ezra). Lacunza claimed to be a converted Jew and used the pseudonym so that his writings would be accepted within Protestantism. It is also believed that Lacunza adopted this pseudonym because his beliefs were contrary to the doctrine of the Catholic Church and he feared being exposed. Eventually he was identified, and the Roman Catholic Church banned the work in 1824. Gunther explains Lacunza's actions as follows:

"He, of course, was steeped in Romish teaching, and utterly faithful to the Papacy, who at that time was being called 'the Antichrist' by the Reformers. He did not like to hear so much criticism aimed at his beloved Pope and church, so he decided to contrive a way of shifting the accusing finger away from the Papacy. He consequently changed his name to 'Rabbi Ben Ezra' — a suitably Jewish name — and in the preface he claimed to be a converted Jew. The Jews, who knew all their Rabbis, were not fooled for a moment, but the Protestants were not so knowledgeable, so they accepted the book at face value." (Gunther)

Lacunza's famous work, The Coming of the Messiah in Glory and Majesty, was written in 1791. It was subsequently translated into English by Edward Irving and published in Paris, Mexico, Spain, and London from 1811 until 1826 ("The Catholic Origins of Futurism and Preterism"). The work was first published on the Spanish Isle of Leon in two volumes and challenged the way that prophecy was viewed in the church.

Lacunza's life was filled with challenges and surrounded by mystery and speculation. His work The Coming of the Messiah in Glory and Majesty has been challenged and debated for centuries. Many believe that his ideas amount to nothing more than heresy and find fault with his studies. The following section focuses on the theological studies of Lacunza.

Lacunza was best known for his ideas about Christian futurism and his opposition to the pre-tribulation rapture. The Coming of the Messiah in Glory and Majesty explores his theology on both of these subjects in considerable depth.

The Studies of Manuel de Lacunza

Futurism is the belief that many of the events prophesied in the Bible have not yet come to pass. Lacunza argued that many end-time events were yet to happen. In his book, "He wrote of a future Antichrist and a 1260-day (literal days) tribulation, events just preceding the coming of the Lord. He wrote in opposition to the 'year-day' theory of the Historicists (1260 days = 1260 years)" (Tarkowski).

The idea of futurism was not new, but Lacunza was among the first to reexamine the belief during the eighteenth century. The assertions he made about futurism had a profound impact on the biblical scholars of his time. Ultimately, his belief in the futurism of end-time events became the catalyst for many of the theological positions held in the twenty-first-century church.

Many scholars believe in a pre-tribulation rapture of Christian believers. Lacunza did not accept the theories of the pre-tribulation rapture taught by religious scholars in his day. Instead, Lacunza believed that there would be "a short time-period, of 45 days, between the 'epiphany' (the appearance of the Lord in glory from Heaven) and the 'parousia' (the coming to earth)" (Tillin).

His teachings asserted that during these 45 days the wrath of God would be poured out upon His enemies, and that after the 45 days ended, the millennial reign of Christ would begin (Tillin). Lacunza argued that "in order to make room for all the Tribulation events... there had to be a time separation between the calling up of believers and the actual return to earth of Messiah" (Koniuchowsky). In short, he supposed that believers would remain on earth during the seven years of tribulation but would be taken to heaven before the wrath of God was poured out.

Lacunza's belief about the rapture became known as the "45-day partial rapturist idea" and was a revolutionary concept at the time, though it has never been widely accepted by the Christian church. When The Coming of the Messiah in Glory and Majesty was first published, Lacunza's ideas about a 45-day interval struck biblical scholars as preposterous, and the concept has continued to draw ridicule and suspicion.

Lacunza also rejected the year-day belief of his predecessors. The year-day theory asserts that prophetic years and days are equivalent, based on biblical passages stating that a day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as a day. Instead, Lacunza maintained that the tribulation would last for 1,260 literal days, after which the Messiah would come (Warner).

Lacunza's teachings about the rapture also introduced the concept of three comings of Christ, whereas traditional Hebrew teaching recognized only two. Jews and religious scholars assert that the Bible chronicles only two comings of Christ. This apparent contradiction with Scripture, regarded by many as the inerrant word of God, has led many theologians to dismiss Lacunza's ideas entirely. Although much of his theology appeared greatly flawed, there were nevertheless lessons to be learned from what he taught.

It is clear from the foregoing discussion that the theories of Manuel de Lacunza contributed greatly to the church and to church history. His theories were significant in that they made biblical scholars question their own beliefs in the pre-tribulation rapture of the church. His writings created a discourse between those who held pre-tribulation positions and those who held post-tribulation positions.

Conclusion

This discussion has thoroughly explored the life of Manuel Lacunza. We found that he was sent to Spain to become a Jesuit priest at the age of 15 and that he spent much of his life living in exile in Italy. We also found that he wrote under the pseudonym Juan Josafa Ben-Ezra both to avoid punishment by the Roman Catholic Church and to present his ideas to the Protestant church.