Author: Innocenzo Pencini Veneto, O.P.
Title: Il Paragone Dogmatico, overo La Pietra del Tocco Veritiera
Publisher: In Venetia, Appresso Stefano Curti, 1682.
Language: Text in Italian.
Size: 6.5" x 4.5".
Pages: 717 pages.
Binding: Attractive an very good contemporary full vellum binding, manuscript title to spine (hinges fine, overall slightly worn and scuffed - as shown) under a protective removable mylar cover.
Content: Very good content (bright, tight and clean, rare light foxing or staining - as shown, light stain in the outer lower corner of the preliminary pages, as shown. Final flyleaves bear early childish pen trials and alphabets - as shown).
Illustrations: Title-page with the coat of arms of Pope Innocent XI, adorned with woodcut initials and headpieces throughout.

Estimate: (USD 350 – 500).

The book: A rare Venetian theological treatise of the Counter-Reformation era, Il Paragone Dogmatico (The Dogmatic Comparison, or the True Touchstone) was written by the Dominican theologian Innocenzo Pencini. This polemical work is intended to distinguish the sincerity of the Catholic faith from superstition, false cults, and heretical sects. Dedicated to Pope Innocent XI, the book reflects the theological rigor and apologetic spirit of the Dominican order during the late 17th century, combining philosophy, dogma, and polemics into a comprehensive defense of Catholic orthodoxy. The volume includes discussions of the immortality of the soul, the authority of Scripture, and the rejection of Protestant and heterodox claims, placing it firmly in the intellectual landscape of the post-Tridentine Church.

The author: Innocenzo Pencini Veneto (17th century) was a Dominican theologian and Master of Sacred Theology. His works reflect the order’s commitment to defending Catholic doctrine against the challenges of heresy, rationalism, and skepticism in the 1600s. Though little is recorded of his biography, his surviving writings stand as testimony to the Dominican mission of preserving doctrinal purity and strengthening the Church’s theological authority.