[4] It was composed between 1549 and 1591, a period spanning from the arrival of the Jesuits in Brazil [pt] to the theft of the manuscript and its subsequent transportation to England.

Composed between 1549 and 1591, a period spanning from the arrival of the Jesuits in Brazil to the theft of the manuscript and its subsequent transportation to England, Christian Doctrine in the Brasílica Language belongs to a tradition of translation, circulation, and use of religious texts in Brazil; therefore, its authorship is challenging to ascertain.

For instance, João de Azpilcueta Navarro [pt] had already translated texts related to creation and incarnation in 1550.

The Bodleian Library manuscript recalls some passages from the Catechism in the Brasílica Language by Antônio de Araújo, indicating both texts stem from a common process of use, revision, and emendation.

R. W. Hunt includes this donation in A Summary Catalogue of Western Manuscripts in the Bodleian Library at Oxford, giving the work the title "Tupi" and dating its acquisition between 1613 and 1620.