Secret Instructions of the Jesuits

by William Craig Brownlee

Secret instructions of the Jesuits. 164 Pages.

148 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 25, 2013

About the author

William Craig Brownlee (1784 – February 10, 1860) was an American clergyman, professor of languages and author. He was born in Lanarkshire, Scotland and was the fourth son of the Laird of Torfoot. President William McKinley was a distant cousin.

Brownlee founded the Philoclean Society at Rutgers in 1825. Basking Ridge, NJ named a street, Brownlee Place, in his honor.

Reviews

[Stephen Masters]

The book provides a look into religious events of the early 17th century.

The investigation into the origins of the text is interesting - there are theories that it was written by a banished member of the order. The instructions sound overly constructed, but it’s interesting that some of these practices were actually followed. It’s unclear if this was part of a deliberate strategy or just a natural development. The book definitely reads like a slander piece at times.

The suppression of the Jesuits happens only about 150 years later, seemingly due to their growing political influence.