With this letter written by Juan Alfonso de Polanco, Ignatius orders the Society’s rectors to ensure that the local languages were used throughout all the Jesuit houses. Ignatius had ordered this previously and repeated it at the beginning of the year. This policy sought to enable the Jesuits not only to speak to those whom […]
Ignatius on Language (1556) Read More »
World of Jesuit Archives (WJA) is a collaborative project with Jesuit archives around the world and aims to raise awareness and appreciation of the documentary heritage of the Society of Jesus, the institutions responsible for the conservation of archival material, and the people involved in the management of the collections in which the Society’s history
Pedro de Ribadeneira and the Use of Sources: Critical History and Hagiography in the Early Society of Jesus Robert E. Scully, S.J. Le Moyne College Originally published: April 20, 2021 DOI: 10.51238/ISJS.2019.02 Where can and should one draw the line between fact and fiction, norms and ideals, history and hagiography? The
“You only torment and upset yourself”: Replies to a Restless Writer at the Turn of the Eighteenth Century[1] Elisa Frei Institute for Advanced Jesuit Studies Originally published: April 20, 2021 DOI: 10.51238/ISJS.2019.18 Introduction Ignatius of Loyola (c.1491–1556) founded the Society of Jesus in 1540 as an apostolic order, but from the
Visions of Contemplation: Jesuits and Their Rhetoric of Persuasion in Japan Aiko Okamoto-MacPhail Indiana University Originally published: July 14, 2021 DOI: 10.51238/ISJS.2019.22 When Saint Francis Xavier set sail to India on April 7, 1541,[1] it was about a year before the first Europeans “discovered” Japan.[2] Xavier was nominated núncio apostólico (apostolic
The Centre for Renaissance and Early Modern Studies at the University of York has organized a seminar with presentations on the theme “How to be a Jesuit Saint in 1622 ca: The Canonisation of Ignatius Loyola and Francis Xavier in Context.” The online event takes place on June 26, 2021. Advanced registration is required. The
June 2021: Online Seminar on “How to be a Jesuit Saint in 1622” Read More »
Early Modern Jesuit Writing of History as an Inspiration for Central European Historians before 1773 Jakub Zouhar[1] Univerzita Hradec Králové Originally published: April 20, 2021 DOI: 10.51238/ISJS.2019.23 Introduction The phenomenon of early modern Jesuit historiography and its influence on other scholars in central Europe is of wider than regional importance. Nevertheless, the
Knowledge and Personal Expectancies: Jesuit Intellectual Culture and Missionary Experience in the Early Jesuit Province of New Spain Hugo Zayas-González Central Michigan University Originally published: April 20, 2021 DOI: 10.51238/ISJS.2019.28 On October 28, 1575, Superior General Everard Mercurian (in office 1573–80) explained to Antonio Cordeses, provincial of Aragon, that his decision
A new digital project is now available — Res Sinicae. A database of Latin and Portuguese sources on China (16th-18th centuries). Survey, Edition, Translation and Studies (PTDC/LLT-OUT/31941/2017). The project seeks to establish a digital repertoire of unpublished documents in Latin and Portuguese about China, from the sixteenth to the eighteenth century, documents written by
May 2021: New Database — Res Sinicae Read More »
Philosophy at the Geopolitical Service of Mission: The Coimbra Jesuits’ “Wirkungsgeographie” (1542–1730) Mário Santiago de Carvalho Universidade de Coimbra Originally published: March 1, 2021 DOI: 10.51238/ISJS.2019.25 Almost as soon as it had been born, the Society of Jesus rapidly transformed into a “geographical network that virtually encircled the world.”[1] This essay
