The Text and Contexts of Ignatius Loyola's "Autobiography"
The Text and Contexts of Ignatius Loyola's "Autobiography"
John M. McManamon
Copyright Date: 2013
Published by: Fordham University Press
Pages: 248
https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt13x0055
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Book Info
The Text and Contexts of Ignatius Loyola's "Autobiography"
Book Description:

This refreshing re-evaluation of the so-called autobiography of Ignatius Loyola (c. 1491-1556) situates Ignatius's Acts against the backgrounds of the spiritual geography of Luke's New Testament writings and the culture of Renaissance humanism. Ignatius Loyola's So-Called Autobiography builds upon recent scholarly consensus, examines the language of the text that Ignatius Loyola dictated as his legacy to fellow Jesuits late in life, and discusses relevant elements of the social, historical, and religious contexts in which the text came to birth. Recent monographs by Marjorie O'Rourke Boyle and John W. O'Malley have characterized Ignatius's Acts as a mirror of vainglory and of apostolic religious life, respectively. In this study, John M. McManamon, S.J., persuasively argues that an appreciation of the two Lukan New Testament writings likewise helps interpret the theological perspectives of Ignatius. The geography of Luke's two writings and the theology that undergirds Luke's redactional innovation assisted Ignatius in remembering and understanding the crucial acts of God in his own life. This eloquent, lucidly written new book is essential reading for anyone interested in Ignatius, the early Jesuits, sixteenth-century religious life, and the history of early modern Europe.

eISBN: 978-0-8232-5061-5
Subjects: Religion
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  1. Front Matter
    Front Matter (pp. i-vi)
  2. Table of Contents
    Table of Contents (pp. vii-viii)
  3. Preface
    Preface (pp. ix-xviii)
  4. 1 The Acta as Privileged and New Source
    1 The Acta as Privileged and New Source (pp. 1-10)

    In Lent of 1548, only eight years into the experiment, the Society of Jesus that Ignatius Loyola had founded came in for severe criticism when Melchor Cano (1509–60), a learned Spanish Dominican, preached against the Jesuits. Cano subsequently structured his criticisms according to the pastoral advice offered in 2 Timothy 3:1–6, seeing in the Jesuits the manifestation of those evil ways that will make the last days such “distressing times.” Cano shared the millennial perspectives of many of his Spanish contemporaries. Those perspectives exponentially increased the perceived dangers of sinful behavior.¹ Inspired by the author of that pastoral...

  5. 2 The Acta as Mirror of Vainglory
    2 The Acta as Mirror of Vainglory (pp. 11-52)

    By opening his account with the siege of Pamplona, Ignatius wastes no time in portraying for his fellow Jesuits how flawed his character was. He admits his obsession with vanities and his exceeding desire to win glory (con un grande y vano deseo de ganar honra), especially by fighting wars. Against the better judgment of all his fellow knights, he urges ongoing resistance to the French assault on the citadel. By indulging his vainglory, Ignatius puts the garrison and the entire city and himself at great risk. A vainglorious person discerns poorly; all of the other soldiers see clearly. By...

  6. 3 The Acta as Mirror of Apostolic Religious Life
    3 The Acta as Mirror of Apostolic Religious Life (pp. 53-98)

    Ignatius returns to Italy on his poor ship and then has to determine a new direction for his life. “What should he do?” (Quid agendum). He decides to study “in order to be able to help souls” (y al fin se inclinaba más a estudiar algún tiempo para poder ayudar a las ánimas).¹ It is a decision of significant consequences, parallel to his willingness in 1548 to accept the invitation of the town council of Messina to staff a school there, and he offers just as little explanation for the decision. Ignatius believes that learning constitutes an essential mode of...

  7. 4 The Acta as Mirror of Luke
    4 The Acta as Mirror of Luke (pp. 99-114)

    In the narrative of theActa, Ignatius travels on a journey whose broad lines and final destination mirror the spiritual geography of Luke’s two New Testament writings. The first of the two major portions of Ignatius’sActabegins in the region where Ignatius was raised, moves to Jerusalem, and ends on the Mount of Olives. The second portion begins in descent from that Mount, moves to places of education for the help of souls, witnesses the gathering of a group of fellow apostles engaged in charismatic ministries of the Word of God, discloses the opposition and persecution they experienced as...

  8. 5 Ignatius, His Acta, and Renaissance Culture
    5 Ignatius, His Acta, and Renaissance Culture (pp. 115-134)

    Among the signs that Ignatius successfully focused hisActaon the Spirit’s action in his own heart, one can point to the fact that Ignatius has never been all that popular a saint. Despite an early resolve to outdo Francis of Assisi, Ignatius does not enjoy the popularity that Francis enjoys worldwide. In the summer of 2005, the Women’s Society of St. Ignatius parish on Grand Cayman tried to purchase a statue of Ignatius for their island church. It proved an instructive lesson in pious consumerism. At that time, there were literally hundreds of statues of Francis of Assisi available...

  9. Notes
    Notes (pp. 135-184)
  10. Bibliography
    Bibliography (pp. 185-222)
  11. Index of Scriptural References
    Index of Scriptural References (pp. 223-224)
  12. General Index
    General Index (pp. 225-230)
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