The Jesuits - Hardcover

Wright, Jonathan

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0002571803 ISBN 13: 9780002571807

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2004

Synopsis

The Jesuits tells the story of the most provocative and prodigious religious order in Roman Catholic history.

Over the course of five centuries members of the Society of Jesus have been accused of killing kings and presidents, they have travelled as missionaries to every corner of the globe, founding haciendas in Mexico, exploring the Mississippi and Amazon rivers, and serving Chinese emperors as map-makers, painters and astronomers. As well as the predictable roll call of saints and martyrs, the Society can also lay claim to the thirty-five craters on the moon named for Jesuit scientists. Jesuits have been pilloried and idolised on a scale unknown to members of any other religious order, they have died the most horrible deaths and done the most outlandish deeds.

Whether loved or loathed, the Society of Jesus' dramatic and wide-ranging impact could never be ignored. It disrupted the certainties and hierarchies of the Roman Catholic Church, transformed the intellectual, cultural and spiritual landscapes of Europe, Asia and the Americas, and staked its claim as a potent force in the classroom, the pulpit, and the loftiest bastions of political power. Though facing fresh crises and controversies, today's Jesuits are still active in the worlds of science and politics, education and devotion, playing their part in the complex transformations of the modern Catholic church.

Jonathan Wright's fascinating study draws the reader into a gripping tale of myth and counter-myth, of adoration and banishment, of extraordinary achievements and spectacular failures. Contained within the Jesuits' rise, fall and rebirth are the successive chapters of Discovery, Reformation, Enlightenment and Revolution that have shaped our modern world.

About this title

Review:

'Jonathan Wright is fascinated by the myth of the stage-villain Jesuit...bursting with well-chosen anecdotes.' -- Daily Telegraph, 14 February 2004

'Jonathan Wright's story of the most provocative and prodigious religious order in Catholic history.' -- Independent on Sunday, 15 February 2004

'Jonathan Wright's witty book...[is] a roller-coaster read.' - Eamon Duffy -- Sunday Telegraph, 15 February 2004

'The strength of this book lies in the masterly use of detail...a tale that cannot fail to astound.' -- Sunday Herald, 22 February 2004

'Wright tells a story of extraordinary intellectual and spiritual achievement.' -- Sunday Herald, February 2004

'Wright...brings a lightness of touch and a full-blooded humanity to the task of understanding the Jesuit mystique.' -- Sunday Times, February 1, 2004

'an extraordinary story, which Wright tells colourfully...full of vivid incident...engaging.' Simon Callow -- Guardian, January 31, 2004

'history of the highest class...a diamond of a book.' -- The Herald, March 1, 2004

Synopsis:

Over the course of five centuries members of the Society of Jesus have been accused of killing kings and presidents, they have travelled as missionaries to every corner of the globe, founding haciendas in Mexico, exploring the Mississippi and Amazon rivers, and serving Chinese emperors as map-makers, painters and astronomers. As well as the predictable roll call of saints and martyrs, the Society can also lay claim to the thirty-five craters on the moon named for Jesuit scientists. Jesuits have been pilloried and idolised on a scale unknown to members of any other religious order, they have died the most horrible deaths and done the most outlandish deeds. Whether loved or loathed, the Society of Jesus' dramatic and wide-ranging impact could never be ignored. It disrupted the certainties and hierarchies of the Roman Catholic Church, transformed the intellectual, cultural and spiritual landscapes of Europe, Asia and the Americas, and staked its claim as a potent force in the classroom, the pulpit, and the loftiest bastions of political power.

Though facing fresh crises and controversies, today's Jesuits are still active in the worlds of science and politics, education and devotion, playing their part in the complex transformations of the modern Catholic Church. Jonathan Wright's fascinating study draws the reader into a gripping tale of myth and counter-myth, of adoration and banishment, of extraordinary achievements and spectacular failures. Contained within the Jesuits' rise, fall and rebirth are the successive chapters of Discovery, Reformation, Enlightenment and Revolution that have shaped our modern world.

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0002571803
• ISBN 13: 9780002571807
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 352