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Founded in 1540 by Ignatius of Loyola and his first companions, the Society of Jesus — popularly known as the Jesuits — have been among the earliest global institutions. Their initial zeal blended a religious and civic mission. Their cultural influence spanned beyond the religious sphere to encompass the diverse fields of the arts and sciences. In contemporary times, the Jesuits have rearticulated their mission as the propagation of faith and justice. This has led them to increasingly champion issues of social justice, along with their spiritual, intellectual and pastoral activities.
Scholarship on the Jesuits — Jesuit Studies — has now become an engaging field that intersects a broad range of academic disciplines.
The Vocabulary for the Study of Jesuits brings together a wide range of Jesuit terminology that is inspired by its spiritual and temporal structures and thus lie embedded within its primary sources. It also incorporates a glossary of Latin abbreviations that are typically used within Jesuit catalogues and documents. The Vocabulary is open source as well as a live reference work that is constantly updated.
VOCABULARY
- Ad maiorem Dei gloriam
The Latin phrase Ad maiorem Dei gloriam (for the greater glory of God) has been widely acknowledged to be the motto of the Society of Jesus. The phrase was popularised by Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556) in his personal correspondence as well as in the founding documents of the Jesuits. This leitmotif has been widely interspersed within the text of the Constitutions of the Society of Jesus and the Spiritual Exercises; and has come to define the rationale of the Society of Jesus: ad majorem Dei gloriam inque hominum salutem (for the greater glory of God and the salvation of humankind). - AMDG
Ad maiorem Dei gloriam (see above)
- Black Pope
The black Pope is a nineteenth-century neologism imputed upon the Superior General of the Society of Jesus. It attests to the influential role of the Jesuit Superior General who has traditionally worn a black habit in comparison to the Pope who wears white. Its earliest phrasing was popularised in fictional works like Jean Hippolyte Michon’s Le Jésuite (1865) where the Jesuit General Jan Roothan returned to the Gesù in Rome to a rapturous crowd: “Celui-là, disaient-elles, est le Pape noir, le véritable Pape. Le Pape blanc n’est rien à Rome sans le Pape noir. Evviva il Papa nero!” (This one, they said, is the black Pope, the real Pope. The white Pope is nothing in Rome without the black Pope. Long live the black Pope!) In contemporary times, the popular press has continued to employ the black Pope motif. For example, a January 2008 headline by the Reuters correspondent Stephen Brown read: Spaniard becomes Jesuits’ new “black pope”.
- Constitutions
The Constitutions of the Society of Jesus are among the foundational documents of the Jesuit religious order that delineate the norms and practices with regard to their life and mission. Its origins lie in the Deliberations (1539) of the First Fathers that led to the founding of the Society of Jesus (1540). While its initial charter, the Formula of the Institute (1540), broadly outlined the aims and purpose of the Society, it mandated its first Superior General, Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556), to expound its ideals into the Constitutions. Ignatius worked on the Constitutions and continued to shape them until his death; however, in 1547 they had gathered much pace and acquired a new form with the arrival of his Secretary, Juan de Polanco (1517-1576). The definitive version of the Constitutions was approved and printed in 1558-59. The Constitutions incorporate an introductory document called the General Examen; and is further organised into ten parts that deal with the incorporation and life of its members, their mission, and their governance and progress in the Society.
- Discernment
In the Jesuit/Ignatian tradition, discernment refers to the spiritual process of ascertaining how one is moved between the good and evil spirits in the pursuit of discovering and doing the will of God. Following his conversion in Pamplona (1521), Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556) undertook a journey of self-discovery in Manresa where he encoded the rules of discernment into a spiritual manual called the Spiritual Exercises. The dynamics of discernment enable the exercitant of the Spiritual Exercises to arrive at a life decision through a process called an election. Discernment also informs the organising principle of a Jesuit’s daily life whereby his personal as well as apostolic choices are guided by this discerning process.
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- Superior General
The Superior General is the overall head of the Society of Jesus and is elected by the General Congregation which is the highest decision-making body within the governance of the Society. Part IX of the Constitutions outlines the role of the Superior General and his governance over the whole Society. The General is assisted by a team of counsellors within the General Curia that enable his government. His term in office is for life, though he has the option to resign. In official correspondence and documents, the Superior General has been variously addressed as Praepositus Generalis (Superior General) or Paternitas (Paternity) or more generally as Admodum Reverendus Pater (Very Reverend Father) or Father General. In October 2016, Arturo Sosa (1948-) was elected Superior General by the 36th General Congregation.
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