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The Jesuits: A History from Ignatius to the Present
As Pope Francis continues to make his mark on the church, there is increased interest in his Jesuit background—what is the Society of Jesus, how is it different from other religious orders, and how has it shaped the world? In The Jesuits acclaimed historian John W. O’Malley, SJ, provides essential historical background from the founder Ignatius of Loyola through the present.
The book tells the story of the Jesuits’ great successes as missionaries, educators, scientists, cartographers, polemicists, theologians, poets, patrons of the arts, and confessors to kings. It tells the story of their failures and of the calamity that struck them in 1773 when Pope Clement XIV suppressed them worldwide. It tells how a subsequent pope restored them to life and how they have fared to this day in virtually every country in the world. Along the way it introduces readers to key figures in Jesuit history, such as Matteo Ricci and Pedro Arrupe, and important Jesuit writings, such as the Spiritual Exercises.
Concise and compelling, The Jesuits is an accessible introduction for anyone interested in world or church history. In addition to the narrative, the book provides a timeline, a list of significant figures, photos of important figures and locations, recommendations for additional reading, and
The book tells the story of the Jesuits’ great successes as missionaries, educators, scientists, cartographers, polemicists, theologians, poets, patrons of the arts, and confessors to kings. It tells the story of their failures and of the calamity that struck them in 1773 when Pope Clement XIV suppressed them worldwide. It tells how a subsequent pope restored them to life and how they have fared to this day in virtually every country in the world. Along the way it introduces readers to key figures in Jesuit history, such as Matteo Ricci and Pedro Arrupe, and important Jesuit writings, such as the Spiritual Exercises.
Concise and compelling, The Jesuits is an accessible introduction for anyone interested in world or church history. In addition to the narrative, the book provides a timeline, a list of significant figures, photos of important figures and locations, recommendations for additional reading, and
139 pages, Hardcover
First published October 16, 2014
66 people are currently reading
277 people want to read
About the author
John W. O'Malley
57 books43 followersRev. Father John W. O’Malley, SJ, PhD was a professor of theology at the University of Detroit, Weston Jesuit School of Theology, and Georgetown University. His specialty was the history of religious culture in early modern Europe, especially Italy. He received best-book prizes from the American Historical Association, the American Philosophical Society, the Sixteenth Century Studies Conference, the American Catholic Historical Association, and from the Alpha Sigma Nu fraternity. His best known books are The First Jesuits (Harvard University Press, 1993), which has been translated into twelve languages, What Happened at Vatican II (Harvard, 2008), now in six languages, and The Jesuits: A History from Ignatius to the Present (Rowman & Littlefield, 2014), now in seven languages. A companion to the book on Vatican II is his Trent: What Happened at the Council (Harvard, 2012), in five languages. He has edited or co-edited a number of volumes, including three in the Collected Works of Erasmus series, University of Toronto Press. Of special significance is The Jesuits and the Arts, (Saint Joseph’s University Press, 2005), co-edited with Gauvin Alexander Bailey, and Art, Culture, and the Jesuits: The Imago primi saeculi, 1640) (Saint Joseph's University Press, 2015). In 2015 he also published Catholic History for Today's Church: How Our Past Illuminates Our Present (Rowman & Littlefield). He edited a series with Saint Joseph's University Press entitled Early Modern Catholicism and the Visual Arts, in which thirteen titles have appeared to date.
John O’Malley lectured widely in North America and Europe to both professional and general audiences. He held a number of fellowships, from the American Academy in Rome (Prix de Rome), the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the American Council of Learned Societies, and other academic organizations. He was a past president of the Renaissance Society of America and of the American Catholic Historical Association. In 1995 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, in 1997 to the American Philosophical Society, and in 2001 to the Accademia di san Carlo, Ambrosian Library, Milan, Italy. He held the Johannes Quasten Medal from The Catholic University of America for distinguished achievement in Religious Studies, and he holds a number of honorary degrees. In 2002 he received the lifetime achievement award from the Society for Italian Historical Studies, in 2005 the corresponding award from the Renaissance Society of America, and in 2012 the corresponding award from the American Catholic Historical Association. He was a Roman Catholic priest and a member of the Society of Jesus.
John O’Malley lectured widely in North America and Europe to both professional and general audiences. He held a number of fellowships, from the American Academy in Rome (Prix de Rome), the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the American Council of Learned Societies, and other academic organizations. He was a past president of the Renaissance Society of America and of the American Catholic Historical Association. In 1995 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, in 1997 to the American Philosophical Society, and in 2001 to the Accademia di san Carlo, Ambrosian Library, Milan, Italy. He held the Johannes Quasten Medal from The Catholic University of America for distinguished achievement in Religious Studies, and he holds a number of honorary degrees. In 2002 he received the lifetime achievement award from the Society for Italian Historical Studies, in 2005 the corresponding award from the Renaissance Society of America, and in 2012 the corresponding award from the American Catholic Historical Association. He was a Roman Catholic priest and a member of the Society of Jesus.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
April 25, 2015
This book was just what I was looking for since the election of Pope Francis. It provides a brief history of the Jesuits, an order with a long and complex history.
John O'Malley shows how the ideals of the founders continue to guide Jesuits today. Traditional vows of poverty, obedience and chastity were supplemented by a missionary zeal. The monastic life of 1540 (praying, chanting and self flagellation) was not for them. Jesuits would be in the world.
Members worked towards their goals by building schools, not only because they valued education, but also because schools provided a base in the community. Within 100 years, they had an impressive international footprint from Japan, to China to the New World.
The most interesting part of this short interesting book is how this order provoked reaction within the church. Jesuit optimism about humanity, their curriculum which included music and dance, their incorporation of local customs into their institutions and perhaps their success was too much for some. The Jansenists was one such group that seemed to have smearing the Jesuits as its reason for being. Dissent resulted in a 1773 papal decree disbanding the order.
Fortunately for Jesuit missions, not all countries honored the decree, most notably Catherine the Great's government in Russia. As revolutionary ideas spread through Europe,and people's views of authority changed, monarchs who supported the church (and the church which supported the monarchs) were threatened. It is in this period that a 1814 papal bull re-instated the Jesuits.
The book summarizes the changes in leadership in modern times and how Jesuits have responded to world problems. Added to their mission on education is assistance for refugees and support for "liberation theology". The order seemed to be outside of the Vatican loop until 2013 when a Jesuit, to the astonishment of the Jesuits was elected pope.
Thank you John O'Malley. This is the book I've been waiting for.
John O'Malley shows how the ideals of the founders continue to guide Jesuits today. Traditional vows of poverty, obedience and chastity were supplemented by a missionary zeal. The monastic life of 1540 (praying, chanting and self flagellation) was not for them. Jesuits would be in the world.
Members worked towards their goals by building schools, not only because they valued education, but also because schools provided a base in the community. Within 100 years, they had an impressive international footprint from Japan, to China to the New World.
The most interesting part of this short interesting book is how this order provoked reaction within the church. Jesuit optimism about humanity, their curriculum which included music and dance, their incorporation of local customs into their institutions and perhaps their success was too much for some. The Jansenists was one such group that seemed to have smearing the Jesuits as its reason for being. Dissent resulted in a 1773 papal decree disbanding the order.
Fortunately for Jesuit missions, not all countries honored the decree, most notably Catherine the Great's government in Russia. As revolutionary ideas spread through Europe,and people's views of authority changed, monarchs who supported the church (and the church which supported the monarchs) were threatened. It is in this period that a 1814 papal bull re-instated the Jesuits.
The book summarizes the changes in leadership in modern times and how Jesuits have responded to world problems. Added to their mission on education is assistance for refugees and support for "liberation theology". The order seemed to be outside of the Vatican loop until 2013 when a Jesuit, to the astonishment of the Jesuits was elected pope.
Thank you John O'Malley. This is the book I've been waiting for.
January 13, 2015
If one wants a detailed history of the Jesuits, then go to the bibliography of this book and you will find plenty of them. If you want an informed, briefer history of the Jesuits, this is a great book. It narrates the ups and downs. It shows how the society changed over the years. It corrects some major misunderstandings. Yes, it often only alludes to issues or summarizes, but that is the nature of a brief history. One gets the big picture. Later one may wish to pick up the tomes noted in this work and get all the complex details.
February 18, 2016
Ok, really loved this book.
Confession time: I am not a Catholic, I am one of those dreaded Protestants, but I went to a Jesuit college. What can I say, I'm open minded like that. I met some SUPER kick butt priests who were teachers there and I developed a very healthy respect for them and Jesuits as a whole. I'm kind of partial to education and everyone getting one and they are on the same page, so it was a relationship that was meant to be.
This was a very brief history of the Jesuits, but it didn't feel like it was missing anything major. I admit that I was surprised that the Jesuits were ever at risk by outside sources that were also religious, but there was a LOT of politics (still is actually) tied to religion, especially the Catholic church. So it should have some as no surprise to me that the Jesuits, which I find to be rather admirable and less corrupt than most, were threatened and almost destroyed completely due to jealousy and politics.
Though, to be fair, this book WAS written by a Jesuit, so there was VERY little, if any, dirty laundry airing about the Jesuits. It was rather one-sided, but not offensively so, at least not to me. I am rather partial to them. Someone who is not may have a different view of this book.
Also, one of my favorite things is in this book. A suggested reading list AND notes. Though the notes were rather short. I hope it's due to the copy I read being an ARC and that the finished copy has more to the notes section.
A fine, quick read to bring one up to speed on the Jesuits, their history and importance in the world. Much more on the radar now, as the most recent Pope is a Jesuit himself. I would recommend this to anyone curious about the Jesuits and where they came from.
4.5 stars, rounded up because of my predisposition to like the Jesuits. I fully admit it.
My thanks to NetGalley and Rowman & Littlefield for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.
Confession time: I am not a Catholic, I am one of those dreaded Protestants, but I went to a Jesuit college. What can I say, I'm open minded like that. I met some SUPER kick butt priests who were teachers there and I developed a very healthy respect for them and Jesuits as a whole. I'm kind of partial to education and everyone getting one and they are on the same page, so it was a relationship that was meant to be.
This was a very brief history of the Jesuits, but it didn't feel like it was missing anything major. I admit that I was surprised that the Jesuits were ever at risk by outside sources that were also religious, but there was a LOT of politics (still is actually) tied to religion, especially the Catholic church. So it should have some as no surprise to me that the Jesuits, which I find to be rather admirable and less corrupt than most, were threatened and almost destroyed completely due to jealousy and politics.
Though, to be fair, this book WAS written by a Jesuit, so there was VERY little, if any, dirty laundry airing about the Jesuits. It was rather one-sided, but not offensively so, at least not to me. I am rather partial to them. Someone who is not may have a different view of this book.
Also, one of my favorite things is in this book. A suggested reading list AND notes. Though the notes were rather short. I hope it's due to the copy I read being an ARC and that the finished copy has more to the notes section.
A fine, quick read to bring one up to speed on the Jesuits, their history and importance in the world. Much more on the radar now, as the most recent Pope is a Jesuit himself. I would recommend this to anyone curious about the Jesuits and where they came from.
4.5 stars, rounded up because of my predisposition to like the Jesuits. I fully admit it.
My thanks to NetGalley and Rowman & Littlefield for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.
July 21, 2015
I decided that since I attend a Jesuit institution, maybe I should read a book about the history of the Jesuits. I feel a little bad about giving this a low rating, since I checked it out specifically because it was a short history of the Jesuits, but I really ended up thinking it was a bit too short. I mean, 500 years of history in about 115 pages...it's not that I didn't learn anything, but it felt like the author was just rocketing through the material. And I still feel confused about some elemental things, which I think could only have been properly explained in a bit more detail. One good thing is that I understand a little better how the suppression of the order happened, and why they were able to rebound later. I still feel confused about WHY though. It seems like a few pages of, well, the Jansenists hated them, and everyone resented them about Paraguay, and devious people lied to Kings about them, so suppression. Still very vague.
He was pretty good about explaining what set the Jesuits apart in the beginning, and why they were able to become so successful relatively quickly, so that was good.
When I checked this book out of the library, the librarian looked at it and said, "Huh, that looks interesting...if you can believe it." I said "Yeah...why? Why wouldn't you believe it?" And she said, "Well, the Jesuits, you know. They're really smart..." Interesting to me that even today the knee-jerk reaction is often something along the lines of "oh those devious Jesuits." And to be fair, O'Malley is maybe a tiny bit less critical than he could be, on occasion. You do get the sense that the Jesuits were always right, and their critics always misguided, which is probably not entirely true. Still, I think the book was interesting AND we can basically believe it.
He was pretty good about explaining what set the Jesuits apart in the beginning, and why they were able to become so successful relatively quickly, so that was good.
When I checked this book out of the library, the librarian looked at it and said, "Huh, that looks interesting...if you can believe it." I said "Yeah...why? Why wouldn't you believe it?" And she said, "Well, the Jesuits, you know. They're really smart..." Interesting to me that even today the knee-jerk reaction is often something along the lines of "oh those devious Jesuits." And to be fair, O'Malley is maybe a tiny bit less critical than he could be, on occasion. You do get the sense that the Jesuits were always right, and their critics always misguided, which is probably not entirely true. Still, I think the book was interesting AND we can basically believe it.
January 9, 2018
This book begins with a timeline of Jesuit history and the rest of the book is simply that timeline put into paragraphs. This was quite a large history to put into only 100 or so pages and I wanted much more detail and background. An okay intro but if I want to dig deeper I’ll go to the works cited page in the back of this book.
November 17, 2022
Well written but overly rosy. I'm a Jesuit fan girl but that doesn't mean we get to skip over the unsavory parts of Jesuit history.
September 22, 2023
It is pretty amazing to fit five hundred years of history into 120 pages! What surprised me, though, is the almost providentialist, almost hagiographic tone in a book from a scholarly publisher.
That's only a problem inasmuch as the Jesuits are depicted as only ever ingenuously making tactical errors (holding to outdated curricula, for instance), never transgressing moral principles. Knowing about Georgetown University's history of Jesuit-owned slaves and their sale to shore up university funds, reading that Jesuit schools charged no tuition (presented as an unalloyed good) and therefore funded education through the output of the lands they owned (including, for instance, sugar plantations)... made me raise my eyebrows.
As a general overview, brief and for a general reader? Superior.
That's only a problem inasmuch as the Jesuits are depicted as only ever ingenuously making tactical errors (holding to outdated curricula, for instance), never transgressing moral principles. Knowing about Georgetown University's history of Jesuit-owned slaves and their sale to shore up university funds, reading that Jesuit schools charged no tuition (presented as an unalloyed good) and therefore funded education through the output of the lands they owned (including, for instance, sugar plantations)... made me raise my eyebrows.
As a general overview, brief and for a general reader? Superior.
June 3, 2025
A perfectly concise little book that gave me a quick-paced but informative tour of the history, figures, and culture of the Jesuits. As a Protestant heading into a Jesuit institution, this work fell into my lap at the perfect time.
July 31, 2020
(Research for a thing): short yet still excruciating.
August 11, 2020
This is a very short and general overview of the history of the Jesuits, but that’s exactly what I was looking for. My curiosity has been satisfied.
April 17, 2025
Read more like propaganda.
Touched on the milestones of the order with a particular bent of showing them in the best light possible. It's like the order could do no wrong. Had important tidbits throughout the society's history that were definitely new to me. But other than that, it was more of a skim of the order's history than a deep dive.
Touched on the milestones of the order with a particular bent of showing them in the best light possible. It's like the order could do no wrong. Had important tidbits throughout the society's history that were definitely new to me. But other than that, it was more of a skim of the order's history than a deep dive.
January 28, 2021
Pretty boring.
March 13, 2016
Brief historical essay on the religious order of the moment, that to which belongs Pope Francis. Written in a simple style, that can not hide the personal pride of those who write against his own Company, extols the merits of the Jesuits and attributes much of the shadows cast on the order to the human envy, lust for power and poor understanding of the world in general.
I'm obviously not able to operate any form of criticism about what is told, so I will only say that the book is well-written, interesting, and supplied adequate bibliography. Certainly interesting.
Thank Rowman & Littlefield Betgalley and for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Breve saggio storico sull'ordine religioso del momento, quello a cui appartiene Papa Francesco. Scritto con uno stile sobrio, che però non riesce a nascondere il personale orgoglio di chi scrive nei confronti della Società a cui appartiene, esalta i meriti dei Gesuiti e attribuisce gran parte delle ombre gettate sull'ordine all'umana invidia, sete di potere e scarsa comprensione del mondo in generale.
Non sono ovviamente in grado di operare una qualsiasi forma di critica nei confronti di quanto raccontato, mi limito quindi a dire che il libro è ben scritto, interessante fornito di adeguato apparato bibliografico. Senz'altro interessante.
Ringrazio Rowman & Littlefield e Betgalley per avermi fornito una copia gratuita in cambio di una recensione onesta.
I'm obviously not able to operate any form of criticism about what is told, so I will only say that the book is well-written, interesting, and supplied adequate bibliography. Certainly interesting.
Thank Rowman & Littlefield Betgalley and for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Breve saggio storico sull'ordine religioso del momento, quello a cui appartiene Papa Francesco. Scritto con uno stile sobrio, che però non riesce a nascondere il personale orgoglio di chi scrive nei confronti della Società a cui appartiene, esalta i meriti dei Gesuiti e attribuisce gran parte delle ombre gettate sull'ordine all'umana invidia, sete di potere e scarsa comprensione del mondo in generale.
Non sono ovviamente in grado di operare una qualsiasi forma di critica nei confronti di quanto raccontato, mi limito quindi a dire che il libro è ben scritto, interessante fornito di adeguato apparato bibliografico. Senz'altro interessante.
Ringrazio Rowman & Littlefield e Betgalley per avermi fornito una copia gratuita in cambio di una recensione onesta.
October 8, 2014
A History from Ignatius to the Present is the subtitle of this book, a brief but entertaining and informative history of the Roman Catholic religious order most people know via their schools, retreats, lectures and scholarly works, and now via Pope Francis: The Society of Jesus, the Jesuits.
Here is the book's Table of Contents, to give you an idea of what's covered:
1. Important Dates in the History of the Society of Jesus
2. Foundations
3. The First Hundred Years
4. Consolidation, controversy, Calamity
5. The Modern and Postmodern Era
6. Epilogue: Looking Back and Looking Ahead
7. Further Reading
8. Index
The stories of the Jesuits' foreign missions that the author includes in his book are fascinating, and will quite likely encourage the reader to seek out more detailed accounts of the men who lead those missions. The Further Reading section of the book is a wonderful place to start that search.
Please read my full and illustrated review at Italophile Book Reviews.
http://italophilebookreviews.blogspot...
Here is the book's Table of Contents, to give you an idea of what's covered:
1. Important Dates in the History of the Society of Jesus
2. Foundations
3. The First Hundred Years
4. Consolidation, controversy, Calamity
5. The Modern and Postmodern Era
6. Epilogue: Looking Back and Looking Ahead
7. Further Reading
8. Index
The stories of the Jesuits' foreign missions that the author includes in his book are fascinating, and will quite likely encourage the reader to seek out more detailed accounts of the men who lead those missions. The Further Reading section of the book is a wonderful place to start that search.
Please read my full and illustrated review at Italophile Book Reviews.
http://italophilebookreviews.blogspot...
July 7, 2014
This book covers the history of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) from its inception to the present day pope. The history of the Jesuits is an interesting and controversial one. They were disbanded by the Catholic Church at one time and made many enemies throughout history. They also did a lot of good as their missions spread throughout the world and they opened thousands of schools and universities. The book is written by a Jesuit priest and his bias does show through. The Jesuits are never shown in anything but a positive light and their controversies are always glossed over. The book was interesting but I think a more unbiased look at the Jesuits would have been just as interesting if not more so.
I received this book from Netgalley.
I received this book from Netgalley.
March 1, 2015
A lot of interest has been shown in the Jesuits over the past few years, since Pope Francis is a member of this Catholic religious order. This book provides a short, concise history for those who are interested in learning a little more about the Jesuits, but by no means is it a comprehensive account. Its brevity is enough to keep a casual reader's interest, but it also means topics such as the murders of the Jesuit priests and their housekeepers in El Salvador in 1989 are glossed over in just a few sentences. Still, the book gives a good understanding of the history, background, and current issues regarding the Jesuits.
December 6, 2014
A concise and readable account of the Jesuits from their beginnings to the present day. Accessible and succinctly written, I found it both enlightening and informative. As it’s written by a Jesuit priest, the reader must bear in mind that it might be an unbalanced view of the activities of the Jesuits over the centuries, but I am not knowledgeable enough to comment on that aspect of the book. For an overview, though, I recommend it, and I certainly have a much better understanding now of the Jesuits and their history.
June 19, 2014
A readable, concise history of the Jesuits. It focused on the society, not on individual people, which was interesting. I was a bit worried it would be rather preachy or overly positive, but it was neither.
Received from NetGalley.
Received from NetGalley.
December 29, 2014
This is a very concise, readable history of the Jesuits and their tradition. I have a few Jesuit themed books, and this is the best of the bunch.
January 2, 2023
Breve y conciso. Y muy interesante, como es la Compañía de Jesús.
March 25, 2021
This is a swift and compelling glance at the rich history of the Jesuits. We learn about why there is a stigma attached to the order in the black legend and also how they have had several difficult periods with the establishment of the Catholic Church. In the midst of this, they have been one of the most dynamic orders in the Church, serving as missionaries around the globe and serving in many professions. They got in philosophical debates about free will with the Dominicans and the Jansenists, a severe sect with a strong belief in the prevalence of damnation. The Jesuits have always stressed human agency and offended those who have a greater belief in divine grace. The Jesuits flourished in the United States and helped to make this country great. In the contemporary scene they have dabbled in liberation theology which is too Marxist and this-worldly. Pope Francis has made controversial remarks and his encyclicals and writings have been underwhelming. That said, he has not transformed (i.e. destroyed) the church, as it seems his pontificate will never see changes in terms of married priests, women priests, blessings of gay marriage, etc. The Jesuits are patrons of the arts and have developed some of the greatest playwrights in the West. They made a strong presence in Asia with Mateo Ricci and Francis Xavier but they need to speak out against the Sino-Vatican secret pact. It seems as though Chairman Xiden, whom I think is an illegitimate puppet of the Chinese, is targeting the Jesuits as offering individuals who can validate his fake Catholicism. They prayed with him at his inauguration and he attended a Jesuit-run parish in D.C. They need to seriously think whether or not he should be receiving communion, as he is clearly defying the Church and is not a devout Catholic.
April 23, 2019
This book was written in 2014 after the election of Pope Francis, who also became the first Jesuit to be elected Pope. The History of the Jesuits is a very long and some would at times controversial one. At one time Pope Sixtus V signed a brief to do away with the order but nothing came of it and by 1540 Pope Paul III gave them commendation and permitted them to ordain priests. What is not in this book and what people you a Catholic or not is to read or find a book about the history of the church and you will see that at some parts of the history kings were wanting to control the church through the Pope and therefore if they did not like the preaching of an order they wanted to do away with that order. Also as you get farther along in the history of the Jesuits that is not always talked about. They also fought against the Spanish in especially South America were the Spaniards wanted to make the local Indians slaves the Jesuits fought against that and created schools and wrote down the language that they were using. There is much more and a lot what I am writing about was not in the book but the author also has more books on the Jesuits. Plus there are other books. Being Catholic and going to Catholic schools I also found it important to learn the history of the church good and bad. This is a good book to start with. I received this book from Netgalley.com I gave this book 4 stars. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com
March 1, 2021
This is a really short book for one that claims to provide almost five hundred years of history. It's barely 100 pages! That being said, I'll never complain about my seminary books being short. This was a good intro to the Society of Jesus for newbie readers, of which I am definitely one. I knew essentially nothing about the Jesuits before beginning this read, and after finishing it, I would not say I know much, but I at least can sort of pinpoint who they are and their place in church history. For the most part, this book serves a good primer for someone wanting to know more about the Jesuits without getting bogged down in a really long, complex historical treatment. But at the same time, because this is such a broad and condensed version of the history, there is a lot of assumed knowledge, both historically and religiously, so that there was plenty of material that still sailed beyond my understanding, but that's okay.
Sadly, this was written in 2013, published in 2014, so all the author knew at that point was that the first Jesuit pope ever had just been elected. In the last lines of the book, O'Malley said it remained to be seen whether Pope Francis would champion the Jesuit cause, and I admit, I'm very interested in this question myself, so reading the book in 2021 was mildly frustrating because I wanted answers from this book that weren't available when it was written.
Sadly, this was written in 2013, published in 2014, so all the author knew at that point was that the first Jesuit pope ever had just been elected. In the last lines of the book, O'Malley said it remained to be seen whether Pope Francis would champion the Jesuit cause, and I admit, I'm very interested in this question myself, so reading the book in 2021 was mildly frustrating because I wanted answers from this book that weren't available when it was written.
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July 12, 2021Good to read the well known fact that Jesuits pioneered and ran some very good and schools through the 4 centuries . In my country, these schools are older than our nation!
This concise history of the Jesuits tell of them as priests, theologians, reluctant (?) politicians, persecuted, and their lasting community impact as educators.
This account does shine the good light on the Jesuits and not shy away from the priests who were killed, exiled or imprisoned because of ecclesiastical quarrels.
About the "Rites Controversy" (also the Malabar) - the world has not learn that even with the best of truth , we need to empower the local people to decide how to practice or express these truths. The zeal to dictate what is right, rites and ritual from afar is a pathway that leads to form but not substance.
The Jesuits suffered from persecution in China and from their own European nations because some of them wanted educate rather than dictate. The Catholic faith would have gone much deeper and wider if the church leaders had respected KangXi ?
The next historical lesson to learn - in the 1600s and 1700s, as philosophers (eg Descartes_ , scientists (eg Gallileo ) came onto the scene, the church made the mistake insisting on following Aristotelian ideas. What would the church insist on in the coming years?
This concise history of the Jesuits tell of them as priests, theologians, reluctant (?) politicians, persecuted, and their lasting community impact as educators.
This account does shine the good light on the Jesuits and not shy away from the priests who were killed, exiled or imprisoned because of ecclesiastical quarrels.
About the "Rites Controversy" (also the Malabar) - the world has not learn that even with the best of truth , we need to empower the local people to decide how to practice or express these truths. The zeal to dictate what is right, rites and ritual from afar is a pathway that leads to form but not substance.
The Jesuits suffered from persecution in China and from their own European nations because some of them wanted educate rather than dictate. The Catholic faith would have gone much deeper and wider if the church leaders had respected KangXi ?
The next historical lesson to learn - in the 1600s and 1700s, as philosophers (eg Descartes_ , scientists (eg Gallileo ) came onto the scene, the church made the mistake insisting on following Aristotelian ideas. What would the church insist on in the coming years?
November 3, 2023
This is a very good summary of who the Jesuits are and what they believe, as well as a concise history. I'm quite sure that there is a lot to unpack here if this were to be a series or a much longer book but the author provides suggestions for more if you want it. For example, he speaks of the order being accused of having too close relationships or falling out of relationships with various monarchies throughout Europe. He also speaks of them having been banned and exiled from various countries several times. He mostly handles these in a neutral way and leaves it to the reader to look further into it. I appreciate that. I'm sure entire series of books could be written about the many times the Jesuits were expelled from France alone. That's not what this book is for. It's a starting point.
I'm glad to have learned about the Jesuits. I found this fascinating and knew very little before. This was a short book and was worthy of my time.
I'm glad to have learned about the Jesuits. I found this fascinating and knew very little before. This was a short book and was worthy of my time.
May 24, 2023
After Maria graduated with a masters degree from Georgetown (the first Catholic University in the U.S., founded by Jesuits in 1789) it seemed appropriate that I should be more conversant in the Society of Jesus. John O’Malley, a professor of theology at Georgetown was the answer. His short history of the society gave me a great high level overview of the Jesuits from the their founding by Saint Ignatius to the election of our current pope (the first Jesuit pope in the history of the church).
February 17, 2019
This is a great book if you want to know about the Jesuits but don't want to read a stuffy boring book of 799 pages. This definitely piqued my interest to know more about the not so easily categorized Jesuits.
My Great Uncle was a Jesuit which is why I picked this up, and I'm glad I did.
Very approachable short history of the Jesuits. I was digging it
My Great Uncle was a Jesuit which is why I picked this up, and I'm glad I did.
Very approachable short history of the Jesuits. I was digging it
July 15, 2019
Too brief, of course, but fairly well done, particularly if you'd like something tending more to the hagiographic than to the Black Legend-style attacks. It seems there's no good general history of a more appropriate length, so hopefully O'Malley is working on one.
December 12, 2021
Duidelijk en helder geschreven globale geschiedenis van de Jezuïeten. De beknoptheid van het boekje maakt het aangenaam lezen. Een mooie introductie tot de geschiedenis van deze markante religieuze sociëteit.
April 15, 2023
You guys, this book rocks. Jesuits are so interesting and their history is bananas good. This is a must-read introduction if you have ever met a Jesuit or had friends from Jesuit schools or have heard of Jesuits but aren’t quite sure what they’re about. Suh good.
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