espanolA comienzos del siglo XVI la cultura espanola estaba experimentando una profunda transformacion. El paso de la cultura medieval a la cultura moderna corria parejo a la creacion del Estado moderno y a la difusion de la economia capitalista gracias a la riqueza generada por la llegada de los metales preciosos y el comercio con las Indias. La sociedad espanola se debatia entre lo tradicional y lo nuevo. Los codigos de conducta y los valores heredados del pasado eran cuestionados, cuando no sustituidos, por otros nuevos. En este contexto uno de los temas que mas reflejan ese mundo cambiante es el del ascenso de un grupo humano en la hasta entonces rigida jerarquia social. Ese grupo era el de las personas que se estaban enriqueciendo rapidamente gracias al cambio economico que se estaba operando. La palanca que les impulsaba en su acenso social era la riqueza que acumulaban, la cual tambien les convertia en un modelo para la imitacion de muchos otros. Sin embargo, la acumulacion de ganancias generaba muchos recelos e, incluso, rechazo para la moral tradicional defendida y predicada por la Iglesia Catolica. Ademas, la conducta y actitudes de ese grupo humano no solo eran censurables para la moral de la epoca, sino que tambien, en tanto que podian ser contagiosos para el resto de la sociedad, debian ser denunciados y, en la medida de lo posible, reconducidos hacia valores mas consonantes con la tradicion de la Iglesia. Es en este contexto en el que se encuadra la predicacion de Tomas de Villanueva contra los peligros morales de la riqueza y contra las actitudes y conducta de los ricos. El conocimiento de los contenidos de la predicacion de uno de los mas excelsos predicadores de la Espana del siglo XVI se revela como un valioso acercamiento a la cultura economica de la epoca. A diferencia de teologos y academicos, los predicadores centraban sus esfuerzos no en profundizar en el conocimiento teorico de los grandes temas, sino en persuadir a sus fieles de no caer en conductas y actitudes contrarias a la moral o, si ya habian caido, de cambiar su estilo de vida. Por esta razon, por medio de la lectura de los textos conservados de los predicadores, podemos descubrir la mentalidad, las creencias, las ideas de la gente de la epoca. Santo Tomas de Villanueva, nos revela en sus sermones su gran conocimiento del pensamiento de la Iglesia sobre la riqueza, fruto de su formacion universitaria en Alcala. Nos muestra, al mismo tiempo, su fidelidad al magisterio eclesial, actualizado en Espana por Francisco de Vitoria y la Escuela de Salamanca. Pero, sin duda, lo mas revelador de la predicacion de nuestro santo es su agudeza para captar la mentalidad y contradicciones de la conducta de los ricos y de los que, sin serlo, compartian su avaricia, su codicia y su capacidad para remover conciencias y provocar cambios de conductas. Sin duda alguna, la burguesia, de la cual fueron precursores, consolidaria su ascenso social en los siglos posteriores. Pero eso no significa que en su horizonte cultural no quedara incluida de una u otra manera la conciencia de una responsabilidad social hacia los mas desfavorecidos. Algo que Tomas de Villanueva y otros muchos predicadores no dejaron nunca de proclamar. EnglishAt the beginning of the 16th century, Spanish culture was undergoing a deep transformation. The transition from medieval to modern culture was running on par with the creation of the modern state and the spread of the capitalist economy, thanks to the wealth generated by the arrival of precious metals and trade with the Indies. Spanish society was torn between the traditional and the new. The codes of conduct and values inherited from the past were questioned when not replaced by new ones.In this context, one of the issues that reflect that changing world the most is the rise of a human group in the hitherto rigid social hierarchy. It was the group of people who were quickly getting rich, thanks to the economic change that was taking place. The wealth they accumulated was the lever driving them in their social ascent, making them at the same time a model for imitation of many others.However, the accumulation of profits also generated many misgivings and reject by the traditional morals defended and preached by the Catholic Church. In addition, the behavior and attitudes of that human group were not only objectionable for the morals of the time, but also, insofar as they could be contagious for the rest of society, they should be denounced and, as far as possible, redirected to values more consistent with the tradition of the Church.It is in this context that Tomas de Villanueva's preaching is framed against the moral dangers of wealth and against the attitudes and behavior of the rich. The knowledge of the contents of the preaching of one of the most excellent preachers of the sixteenth-century Spain, is revealed as a valuable approach to the economic culture of the time. Unlike theologians and academics, the preachers focused their efforts not on deepening the theoretical knowledge of the great themes but on persuading their faithful not to fall into behaviors and attitudes contrary to morals or, if they had already fallen, to change their lifestyle. For this reason, from reading the preserved texts of the preachers we can discover the mentality, beliefs and ideas of the people of the time.Santo Tomas de Villanueva, reveals to us in his sermons his great knowledge of the Church's thought about wealth as a result of his university education in Alcala and, at the same time, his fidelity to the ecclesial teaching, updated in Spain by Francisco de Vitoria and the School of Salamanca. But, without a doubt, the most telling thing about the preaching of our saint is his keenness to capture the mentality and contradictions of the behavior of the rich and of those who, without being so, shared their greed and avarice and their ability to remove consciences and provoke behavior changes. Without a doubt, the bourgeoisie, of which these were its precursors, would consolidate its social ascent in later centuries. But that does not mean that in their cultural horizon the awareness of a social responsibility towards the most disadvantaged will not be included in one way or another. Something that Tomas de Villanueva and many other preachers never stopped proclaiming.