The connectivity between the miracle of Saint Anthony’s Preaching to the Fish (13th century) and the Sermon of Saint Anthony to the Fish by father Antônio Vieira (17th century)

Abstract

The content of I Fioretti contains the narrative of the miracle of Saint Anthony’s Sermon to the Fish, which took place in the 13th century. The interesting thing is that for some time the description of the miracle was always filled with mysticism due to the extraordinary nature of the saint’s feat, communication to fish. In the 17th century, Father Antônio Vieira presented the Sermon of Saint Anthony to the Fishes on June 13, 1654 to denounce the political abuses and vices practiced by the settlers in the Maranhão region. At that time, Jesuit priests were in conflict with explorers over the use of indigenous labor. We then establish a parallel between the two works to demonstrate the historiographical connections between the medieval period and the Brazilian colonial period to debate the continuities and permanence in the long duration of historical time.