The Early Society

This video is part of a series of materials designed for Jesuit formation in community and group contexts, promoting deep reflection and enriching dialogue among participants.

Production and copyright: Jim McDermot (2008)

This video provides an in-depth exploration of Jesuit spirituality, emphasizing its distinctive worldly and reconciliatory orientation compared to other Christian traditions such as the Jansenists. It traces the origins and development of Jesuit attitudes toward the secular world, education, science, and healing. Viewers will gain insights into the Jesuits’ integration of classical philosophy, their practical engagement in schooling and society, their pioneering role in the natural sciences and medicine, and their unique incarnational approach to spirituality.

Highlights

00:00–03:31: Jesuit Spirituality’s Worldly and Reconciliatory Character

• Jesuit spirituality contrasts with Augustinian and Jansenist spiritualities by embracing the world rather than being suspicious or prophetic against it.
• Influences include early exposure to Thomism and Aristotelian frameworks, promoting a reconciliation of grace and nature.
• Jesuits advocate using human, worldly means alongside spiritual ones for growth and teaching, visible in their adaptable Spiritual Exercises.
• Conclusion: Jesuit spirituality seeks to find God in all aspects of the world rather than rejecting it.

03:31–06:10: Jesuit Education’s Practical and Social Aims

• Jesuit schools aimed at practical education preparing students for worldly roles as well as spiritual growth.
• The benefits of schooling had layered goals: strengthening the Society of Jesus, aiding local communities, and fostering future leaders serving the common good.
• Jesuit engagement extended beyond education to social services like orphanages and hospitals.
• Conclusion: Jesuit education was an instrument for societal betterment grounded in spiritual purpose.

06:10–09:28: Jesuits and the Sciences—Roots in Scholasticism and Natural Philosophy

• Jesuit training incorporated scholastic philosophy grounded on Aristotelian natural philosophy, with strong emphasis on the physical world and sciences such as astronomy and mathematics.
• Italian universities, compared to northern counterparts, gave more prominence to natural philosophy—Jesuits inherited this scientific emphasis.
• This background fueled Jesuit missionary scientific expertise, such as Matteo Ricci’s astronomical knowledge for China missions.
• Conclusion: Jesuit commitment to science was historically rooted in their scholastic tradition and served their evangelical and cultural engagements.

09:28–11:55: Ignatius’ Early Support for Scientific Inquiry and Missionary Information Gathering

• Ignatius encouraged missionaries to send back scientific and natural information, partly to promote and legitimize Jesuit global mission efforts.
• This highlights Ignatius’ evolving worldview from asceticism to a more engaged, academic, and worldly stance.
• Jesuit pharmacies, established early by Ignatius, combined medical practice with access to exotic remedies, such as quinine, benefit both Jesuits and local populations.
• Conclusion: Jesuit spirituality valued empirical knowledge and practical care as part of its holistic mission.

11:55–15:27: Jesuits’ Health Concerns and Artistic Expression Reflecting Incarnational Spirituality

• Ignatius emphasized physical health care for Jesuits and students, contrasting starkly with contemporaries like Charles Borromeo who practiced ascetic neglect.
• Jesuit art, predominantly Baroque but adaptive to local styles, reflected an incarnational theology emphasizing bodily and worldly presence of divine glory.
• Frescoes like those by Andrea Pozzo in the Church of St. Ignatius in Rome embody visions of heavenly glory with vivid human and cherubic figures, underscoring Jesuits’ embrace of the material and spiritual worlds.
• Conclusion: Jesuit spirituality is marked by a tangible, incarnational approach visible in their concern for bodily health and cultural expressions.