Description
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.
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.
Reviews
Neither fazed nor overwhelmed, Father O'Malley never loses sight of the forest among the myriad trees... In this book three tenacious myths bite the dust. The first is that Ignatius had a detailed blueprint for his companions... A second myth is that the Jesuits were founded to combat the Reformation and to spearhead its Roman Catholic riposte, the Counter-Reformation... The third myth is that the Jesuits were founded as the pope's shock troops... Far from being a simple chronicle, it is an account of how the Jesuits, led by the internal dynamism of the Holy Spirit, responded to unpredictable events and new needs. -- Peter Hebblethwaite * New York Times Book Review *
A masterly account of the first generation [of Jesuits]...carried out with an economy and insight that compel admiration. -- Anthony Grafton * New York Review of Books *
This is surely the best book ever written in English on the first Jesuits and the early Society of Jesus. It may well be the best book on that topic ever written in any language. This is a work that is deeply original, always clear, often brilliant. -- John Padberg * America *
A magnificent achievement both of synthesis and interpretation. -- Philip Endean, S.J. * The Way *
This is a major study of the first crucial years of one of the most important institutions of modern Europe. Perhaps the price of the impact of the Society of Jesus is that both hagiographical and demonic myths have encrusted its early history. This learned and eloquent study scrapes away those myths in order to tell the complex, almost improvisational history of the first twenty-five years of the Society of Jesus... No study in any language provides such an authoritative and fascinating picture. -- Paul F. Grendler * Journal of Modern History *
Book Information
ISBN 9780674303133
Author John W. O'Malley
Format Paperback
Page Count 478
Imprint Harvard University Press
Publisher Harvard University Press
Weight(grams) 694g
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.
Reviews
Neither fazed nor overwhelmed, Father O'Malley never loses sight of the forest among the myriad trees... In this book three tenacious myths bite the dust. The first is that Ignatius had a detailed blueprint for his companions... A second myth is that the Jesuits were founded to combat the Reformation and to spearhead its Roman Catholic riposte, the Counter-Reformation... The third myth is that the Jesuits were founded as the pope's shock troops... Far from being a simple chronicle, it is an account of how the Jesuits, led by the internal dynamism of the Holy Spirit, responded to unpredictable events and new needs. -- Peter Hebblethwaite * New York Times Book Review *
A masterly account of the first generation [of Jesuits]...carried out with an economy and insight that compel admiration. -- Anthony Grafton * New York Review of Books *
This is surely the best book ever written in English on the first Jesuits and the early Society of Jesus. It may well be the best book on that topic ever written in any language. This is a work that is deeply original, always clear, often brilliant. -- John Padberg * America *
A magnificent achievement both of synthesis and interpretation. -- Philip Endean, S.J. * The Way *
This is a major study of the first crucial years of one of the most important institutions of modern Europe. Perhaps the price of the impact of the Society of Jesus is that both hagiographical and demonic myths have encrusted its early history. This learned and eloquent study scrapes away those myths in order to tell the complex, almost improvisational history of the first twenty-five years of the Society of Jesus... No study in any language provides such an authoritative and fascinating picture. -- Paul F. Grendler * Journal of Modern History *
Book Information
ISBN 9780674303133
Author John W. O'Malley
Format Paperback
Page Count 478
Imprint Harvard University Press
Publisher Harvard University Press
Weight(grams) 694g
