LOYOLA, Ignatius de

by Ignatius de Loyola

£12,500 · Offered by Sokol Books

The fourth, pocket-sized, edition of the most famous modern textbook on ascetic discipline, the nature of sin and Christian perfection by grace (PMM), published within a decade of its author s death. Born into a noble Basque family, Inigo Lopez de Recalde (later known as Ignatius de Loyola, 1491-1556), decided to do penance for his sins, following a leg injury fighting the French at Pamplona in 1521. The following year, he retreated to Montserrat and Manresa, where he wrote his first draft of the Exercises , continually making additions until 1535. Between 1524 and 1530, he travelled extensively as he studied to become a priest, visiting Rome, Paris and England, and was eventually ordained in 1537. The work provides a guide for prayer, meditation and contemplation set within a cycle of 28 to 30 days. Its aim was to support its readers in discerning good from bad in order to determine the will of God in their lives and strengthen their commitment to follow Jesus. It became the foundational text for the Society of Jesus, who, led by Loyola, comprised the stark troops of the Counter Reformation and introduced many innovations to Christian worship. This included the abandonment of chanting the divine office, a monarchical rather than collegiate constitution and much simpler vows . The text was hugely controversial but was eventually approved by Pope Paul III in 1548, to whom the book is dedicated. It soon became the handbook of the Society of Jesus, which devoted itself to educat

• Binding: Hardcover

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