The First Jesuits

This text provides an account the Society of Jesus in its founding years, with the aim of improving the understanding of the Jesuits in history and today. Following the Society from 1540 through 1565, it shows how this sense of mission evolved, considering topics such as 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. The text also details the Society's manifold activities in Europe, Brazil and India. 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. --! From back cover Acknowledgments Contents Illustrations Introduction 1 Foundations before the Founding 2 Taking Shape for Ministry 3 Ministries of the Word of God 4 Sacraments, Worship, Prayer 5 Works of Mercy 6 The Schools 7 Religious and Theological Culture 8 The Jesuits and the Church at Large 9 Prescriptions for the Future Conclusion Abbreviations Notes Index Reviled as devils, revered as saints; the Jesuits have always evoked extreme reactions, but little in the way of scholarship. In this study, O'Malley attempts a thorough account of the Society of Jesus in its early years, aiming to alter notions of culture and religion in the Renaissance.