David Lopes distinguished himself as a master at the Faculdade de Letras [School of Arts and Humanities], and his numerous disciples made a point of praising his teaching. Following the custom of Arab and Islamic schools, such as the “Banu Codera” in Spain – who refer to their master Francisco Codera y Zaidín (1836-1917), considered the founder of the modern school of Spanish Arabists – countless scholars followed David Lopes in Portugal. To name a few, Orlando Ribeiro, Fernando Castelo Branco, José Pedro Machado, Garcia Domingues, Juvenal Esteves, Lindley Cintra, Hernâni Cidade, Alberto Iria and Francisco José Velozo. But there are also some foreigners who feature in his extensive correspondence, namely Miguel Asín Palacios and Louis Massignon. Asín Palacios (1871-1944) was a Catholic priest who revealed the value of Islamic doctrine in various fields of medieval European mysticism in books such as La espiritualidad de Algazel y su sentido cristiano (4 vols., 1934-1941). He also revealed the Islamic influence in Dante’s work in La escatología muçulmana en la Divina Comedia (1919; the 4th edition, from 1984, includes “Historia y crítica de una polémica”). Louis Massignon (1883-1962) dedicated his life to the study of spiritual relations between Christians and Muslims, and was the author of an extensive bibliography, including the famous book La Passion d’al-Hallâj, mártir místico do Islão (2 vols., 1922).

David Lopes was also a member of the Lisbon Academy of Sciences, the Portuguese Academy of History, the Royal Academy of History of Madrid and the Arab Academy of Damascus. His statue stands in the main hall of the Faculdade de Letras [School of Arts and Humanities]. Finally, we should remember his daughter, Marcela Teresa Lopes Gagean, who was the careful curator of his writings, books and correspondence, making this collection available to José Pedro Machado, who published it under the title Cartas dirigidas a David Lopes (Letters addressed to David Lopes).

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