The Jesuits, 1534-1921: A History of the Society of Jesus from Its Foundation to the Present TimeCampbell, Thomas J. (Thomas Joseph)
History
The Jesuits, 1534-1921: A History of the Society of Jesus from Its Foundation to the Present Time
Campbell, Thomas J. (Thomas Joseph)
Jesuits -- History
Omitting many other authorities, Vollet in "La Grande Encyclopédie" (s.
v. Ignace de Loyola, Saint), informs his readers that "impartial history
can discover in Loyola numberless traits of fantastic exaltation,
morbific dreaminess, superstition, moral obscurantism, fanatical hatred,
deceit and mendacity. On the other hand, it is impossible not to admit
that he was a man of iron will, of indomitable perseverance in action
and in suffering, and unshakeable faith in his mission; in spite of an
ardent imagination, he had a penetrating intelligence, and a marvelous
facility in reading the thoughts of men; he was possessed of a
gentleness and suppleness which permitted him to make himself all to
all. Visionary though he was, he possessed in the supreme degree, the
genius of organization and strategy; he could create the army he needed,
and employ the means he had at hand with prudence and circumspection. We
can even discover in him a tender heart, easily moved to pity, to
affection and to self-sacrifice for his fellow-men." Michelet says he
was a combination of Saint Francis of Assisi and Machiavelli. Finally
Victor Hugo reached the summit of the absurd when he assured the French
Assembly in 1850 that "Ignatius was the enemy of Jesus." As a matter of
fact the poet knew nothing of either, nor did many of his hearers.
As far as we are aware, St. Ignatius never used the term Jesuit at all.
He called his Order the _Compañía de Jesús_, which in Italian is
_Compagnia_, and in French, _Compagnie_. The English name Society, as
well as the Latin _Societas_, is a clumsy attempt at a translation, and
is neither adequate nor picturesque. Compañía was evidently a
reminiscence of Loyola's early military life, and meant to him a
battalion of light infantry, ever ready for service in any part of the
world. The use of the name _Jesus_ gave great offense. Both on the
Continent and in England, it was denounced as blasphemous; petitions
were sent to kings and to civil and ecclesiastical tribunals to have it
changed; and even Pope Sixtus V had signed a Brief to do away with it.
Possibly the best apology for it was given by the good-natured monarch,
Henry IV, when the University and Parliament of Paris pleaded with him
to throw his influence against its use. Shrugging his shoulders, he
replied: "I cannot see why we should worry about it. Some of my officers
are Knights of the Holy Ghost; there is an Order of the Holy Trinity in
the Church; and, in Paris, we have a congregation of nuns who call
themselves God's Daughters. Why then should we object to Company of
Jesus?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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