Harro Hoepfl presents here a full-length study of the single most influential organized group of scholars and pamphleteers in early modern Europe (1540-1630), namely the Jesuits. He explores the academic and political controversies in which they were engaged in and their contribution to academic discourse around ideas of 'the state' and 'politics'. He pays particular attention to their actual teaching concerning doctrines for whose menacing practical implications Jesuits generally were vilified: notably tyrannicide, the papal power to depose rulers, the legitimacy of 'Machiavellian' policies in dealing with heretics and the justifiability of breaking faith with heretics. Hoepfl further explores the paradox of the Jesuits' political activities being at once the subject of conspiratorial fantasies but at the same time being widely acknowledged as among the foremost intellects of their time, with their thought freely cited and appropriated. This is an important work of scholarship.

Pioneering study of Jesuit thinking exploring the society's position on key questions of political thought.

About the Author
Harro Hopfl is one of the leading historians of ideas writing in Britain today.

Reviews
Review of the hardback: 'An important work of scholarship.' The Universe
Review of the hardback: '... a remarkable work of intellectual history.' Political Studies Review
Review of the hardback: '... a lively and masterful survey of Jesuit political thought ... Hoepfl does an excellent job as an historian ...' The Heythrop Journal
Review of the hardback: 'Harro Hoepfl's long-awaited book sets itself an ambitious task ... Hoepfl's project is to chartacterize the political thinking of the society of Jesus as a whole ... In terms of substantive analysis, Hoepfl's is by far the best treatment available in English of the more directly political side of Jesuit writing ... the appearance of such an intelligent, thought-provoking, refreshingly idiosyncratic but still thorough treatment of a neglected subject is enormously to be welcomed.' History of Political Thought
Review of the hardback: '... meticulously researched, scholarly work, written with suavity and flair, dealing carefully with much of the huge amount of material which awaits the researcher in this field.' English Historical Review



Book Information
ISBN 9780521066754
Author Harro Hoepfl
Format Paperback
Page Count 428
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 630g
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 152mm * 24mm