A History of the Society of Jesus

by William V. Bangert

Book by Bangert, William V.

Genres: History, Religion

558 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1986

About the author

Father William V. Bangert, SJ (1911 - 1985)

Reviews

[James Millikan]

Bangert's history starts off on a strong note, with moving accounts of early Jesuits and descriptions of ministry and exploration. The interesting content wanes somewhat as the text travels through the minutia of the 17th century Compañía, but makes up for lost ground in its analysis of the lead-up to the suppression and remains engaging through the end of the text. I found the tension between the Jesuit philosophical system —something of a patchwork of medieval theology and natural philosophy— and the anti-religious skepticism of Enlightenment thinkers to be especially captivating. The accounts of missionary activity to the Americas was also very engaging, but Bangert's assessment of this undertaking suffers from a lack of critical scholarship on the matter, making the writing feel dated and insufficiently responsive to contemporary critiques of colonialism.

Despite these shortcoming, many gems from the past 500 years are unearthed by Bangert's tireless archival exploration. I finished this book with a more unified understanding of the motivations, significant events, and shortcomings of the Society of Jesus—insights I will return to throughout my Jesuit formation.

Recommended for students of modern history and students of philosophy seeking to understand the religious climate of the Early Modern period.