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Jean Lacouture

Jeremy Leggatt

Jesuits: A Multibiography Paperback – October 1, 1997

by Jean Lacouture (Author)

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In this magisterial account, Jean Lacouture portrays the sweep of five hundred years of world history, from the dungeons of the Vatican to the jungles of South America to the royal courts of Europe and Asia. Jesuits: A Multibiography is history with a human face, the fascinating tales of men of the spirit who participated in the actions and passions of the modern world, a "world bursting its seams."

"Be all things to all men," said the founder of the Jesuits, Ignatius of Loyola, to his followers. "Go and set the world ablaze!" The often picaresque story takes us to the Paris of Rabelais, where Ignatius, with a handful of his fellow students, formed what would become the Society of Jesus. We follow Francis Xavier to Japan and Matteo Ricci to China. We watch as the Society grows into Christendom's most powerful order, and as the "Black Legend" of a calculating, Machiavellian Jesuitry leads to its abolition in 1773 (it was restored forty years later). We see the great characters of history and culture--Pascal, Voltaire, Frederick the Great, Catherine the Great--play their parts. One of Jean Lacouture's most poignant portraits is of the twentieth century's most famous and beloved Jesuit, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, a scientist-priest whose humanistic conclusions put him at odds with the Church. Lacouture's wide-ranging narrative illuminates Pope John XXIII's reforms and the Jesuit-inspired liberation theology movements in Central and South America. With the papacy of John Paul II, a riveting drama unfolds as the Jesuits are brought under new constraints.

Print length

596 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Counterpoint
Publication date

October 1, 1997
Dimensions

5.54 x 1.39 x 8.5 inches
ISBN-10

1887178600
ISBN-13

978-1887178600
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jean Lacouture was a journalist, historian and author. He died in 2015.

Product details

Publisher : Counterpoint (October 1, 1997)
Language : English
Paperback : 596 pages
ISBN-10 : 1887178600
ISBN-13 : 978-1887178600
Item Weight : 1.5 pounds
Dimensions : 5.54 x 1.39 x 8.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #2,516,811 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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10 ratings

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Alexandra Hilario

👍🏽

Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2021

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👍🏽

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billvogel

Four Stars

Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2015

Verified Purchase

long and tedious. extremely informative

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Arthurian Tapestry

reads like a novel...a wonderful book about jesuits

Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2001

This book, which the author did not intend to make comprehensive, is the best general history of the jesuits I've read so far...it is fair in it's assessments of the society of jesus; and it aims to be fair...it does not intentionally aim for the sensational yet entertaining writing of Malachi Martin's book-this is more serious reading; the author approaches the lives of select Jesuits throughout history, starting with the founder-Inigo de Loyola; and taking the book through Francis Xavier in Japan, Matteo Ricci in China, and my favorite part of the book: the Jesuits in south america among the guarani-for anyone who loved the film "the Mission"-this chapter is worth obtaining the book alone! However, the story of the Jesuits suppression is a gripping page turner as well as how the society survives under some surprising protectors of Orthodox and Lutheran backgrounds...the chapter on teilhard de chardin made me want to dig up some of his works right away....but where the book really touched me was with the new Ignatius-Pedro Arupe- the father general who was not dealt so kindly by the current conservative pope...the book also includes some black and white photos of well known jesuits which help in associating a face with the histories behind them...beautiful book, which may stir the reader in further jesuits readings to complete the subject that was tackled here with admittted ommissions...

16 people found this helpful

Helpful

Paul Brazelton

Excellent, engrossing

Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 1999

I picked this book up because of a growing interest in the life of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (portrayed in "Jesuits"). I was hoping to get a 'fleshed out' story of his life and Order, and figured knowing _something_ about Jesuits would be a good place to start.
What I didn't expect was a brilliant book, heavily researched and written like a novel. Lacouture is witty, engaging and provocative in his recounting of centuries of Jesuit history. His attention to de Chardin was beautiful, but I found a whole society worth viewing in this 'multibiography'.
This is highly recommended to people who enjoy history, the story of the Church, reading in general, chocolate, little furry animals and nice words. In other words, all of you.
BTW, I'm an atheist. This is fascinating even without a spiritual draw. And Lacouture is very objective and fair in his writings.

21 people found this helpful

Helpful

Joseph S. O'Leary

Critical but edifying: the enigma remains.

Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2000

What makes the Jesuits tick? No doubt the answer lies in the spirit of abnegation and service inculcated by the Spiritual Exercises, with the extraordinary sense of creative freedom that flows from it. Xavier, Ricci, Teilhard, the Jesuit martyrs in El Salvador, and many other of Lacouture's subjects enact this gospel paradox before our eyes in his vivid pages. Yet, with a slightly irritating Gallic coyness, Lacouture also insinuates a darker side to the Jesuit experiment. Conscious of how naturally blind obedience comes to the human animal and how calamitous its role has been in recent history, Lacouture suggest that the glorification of obedience to the Pope and to the superior has been a tragic shackle on Jesuits and their church (particularly after the nineteenth century restoration of the Society, under the auspices of ultramontanism and political reaction). Lacking theological qualifications, Lacouture does not query the biblical basis of the cult of obedience, contenting himself with vague allusions to masochism. That dark strain in his narrative reaches a painful climax in his account of John Paul II's treatment of Pedro Arrupe. The Jesuit exclusion of women (even of Madeleine Sophie Barat's Sacred Heart Sisters, formed on Ignatian principles) also comes in for some judicious criticism. Apart from a knowing pen-portrait of De Lubac, the book does not pay much attention to the great line of Jesuit theologians and philosophers. Their external lives would add little color to this multibiography, yet their intellectual adventures were perhaps as exciting as anything recounted here. On all fronts the Society of Jesus represents a precious heritage of Christianity and of Western civilization, and one can only pray for whatever radical adjustments are required to prevent it being squandered.

25 people found this helpful

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Buenoslibros.es

Not a history, an essay with historical references

Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2010

It requires that the reader have in advance a significant knowledge of what the Jesuit order was about. It is mostly an essay on the unjust perceptions that people have had of Jesuits and Jesuitism, with some historical anecdotes interspersed (the most appealing parts are these). There are no facts plus development, but on the contrary, the commentary comes first, and it assumes that the facts behind the story being commented are known already. The book deals rather with the vision, or false vision, that generations of peoples have had of the Order founded by St. Ignatius of Loyola, and is very much preoccupied with the injustice committed on them and with explaining that black legend.

Of little worth, this book is, for the general reader who wants a historical account, and has no previous knowledge. A pity. The nature of the subject, the history and geography spanned starting with Íñigo's life and going all the way through the French Revolution and beyond, require clear ideas, and a more than clear exposition.

5 people found this helpful

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