The First Jesuits

by John W. O'Malley

Overview

John W. O’Malley gives us the most comprehensive account ever written of the Society of Jesus in its founding years, one that heightens and transforms our understanding of the Jesuits in history and today. Following the Society from 1540 through 1565, O’Malley shows how this sense of mission evolved. He looks at everything—the Jesuits’ teaching, their preaching, their casuistry, their work with orphans and prostitutes, their attitudes toward Jews and “New Christians,” and their relationship to the Reformation. All are taken in by the sweep of O’Malley’s story as he details the Society’s manifold activities in Europe, Brazil, and India.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780674303133
Publisher:	Harvard University Press
Publication date:	03/15/1995
Edition description:	Reissue
Pages:	478
Product dimensions:	6.38(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.90(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

John W. O’Malley was University Professor in the Department of Theology at Georgetown University and the author of many books, including Four Cultures of the West, Trent, Vatican I, What Happened at Vatican II, and The First Jesuits (all from Harvard); The First Jesuits has been translated into twelve languages. He was a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a member of the American Philosophical Society, and a recipient of the Harvard Centennial Medal as well as Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Society for Italian Historical Studies, the Renaissance Society of America, and the American Catholic Historical Association. O’Malley was a member of the Society of Jesus and a Roman Catholic priest.

Table of Contents

Introduction

1. Foundations before the Founding


Ignatius and the First Companions


The Spiritual Exercises

2. Taking Shape for Ministry


The Basic Framework


The Campaign for Self-Understanding


Pastoral Ideals and Practice


Programs of Ministry

3. Ministries of the Word of God


Preaching


Sacred Lectures


Conversation and Publication


Teaching Christianity


Missions to the Countryside


The Exercises in Practice

4. Sacraments, Worship, Prayer


Confession and Casuistry


Holy Communion and the Eucharist


Holy Orders


Music and Worship


Prayer

5. Works of Mercy


Peacemaking


Hospitals and Prisons


Ministry to the Dying


Ministry to Prostitutes


Orphans and Daughters of Prostitutes


Jews and New Christians


Confraternities and the Marian Congregations

6. The Schools
Toward Messina and Beyond


The Faith in Education


Transcending the Modus Parisiensis


Jesuit Education


Failures, Frustrations, and Crisis


Training the Clergy


The Impact of the Schools

7.