Jesuits and Their Spirituality

Connections with the Older Christian Spiritual Tradition

Series: 

Author:
Rob Faesen
In Jesuits and Their Spirituality: Connections to Older Christian Spirituality, Rob Faesen S.J. presents a series of chapters that explore the rich diversity of Jesuit spirituality and its connections to earlier Christian traditions. In particular, he examines the relationship with the Devotio Moderna and other northern mystical authors, such as John of Ruusbroec and the Institutiones Taulerianae. Through a number of case studies that focus on figures such as Peter Canisius, Achille Gagliardi, Jean-Joseph Surin, Jean-Nicolas Grou, and others, Faesen demonstrates that Jesuit spirituality cannot be reduced to the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises alone. Rather, it has developed through a creative and ongoing dialogue with earlier spiritual and mystical texts. Within this context, the Devotio Moderna occupies a distinctive place. It is itself a multifaceted movement, represented by a range of authors including Florens Radewijns, Gerard Zerbolt, Gerlach Peters, and others.
Copyright Year:
2026
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ISBN:
978-90-04-74193-5
Publication:
24 Sep 2026
Paperback
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ISBN:
978-90-04-74192-8
Publication:
15 Oct 2026
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About MyBook
Rob Faesen, S.J., PhD (1997), is Emeritus Professor of the History of Christian Spirituality at KU Leuven and the Tilburg School of Catholic Theology. He is also a member of the Ruusbroec Institute at the University of Antwerp. He has published extensively on Middle Dutch mystical literature and Jesuit spirituality, including (together with John Arblaster) A Companion to John of Ruusbroec (Brill, 2014).
Contents

1 Introduction

2 Tentamen vitae contemplativae in actione: the Doctrine of the Devotio Moderna
 1 Fundamental Characteristics
 2 Geert Grote
 3 Florens Radewijns (1350–1400)
 4 Gerard Zerbolt
 5 Gerlach Peters (1378–1411)
 6 Thomas à Kempis
 7 Johannes Mombaer
 8 Conclusion
 3 Two Friends Collaborate in Favor of Contemplative Literature: Peter Canisius, Laurentius Surius, and the Institutiones Taulerianae
 1 The Edition of the Institutiones Taulerianae
 2 The Content
 3 The Reception of the Institutiones in the Society of Jesus

4 Dupliciter intelligi potest (He Can Be Understood in Two Ways): Jan van Ruusbroec in the First Century of the Society of Jesus (1540–1640)
 1 Mystical Theology and the First Jesuits (1540–1575)
 2 Mercurian’s Prohibition (1575)
 3 Ruusbroec in the Society of Jesus between 1575 and 1640
 4 More Than a Linguistic Problem?

5 Jesuit Spirituality in the Low Countries in Dialogue with the Older Mystical Tradition
 1 Leonardus Lessius
 2 Antoon Sucquet
 3 Maximilianus Sandaeus (Max van der Sandt)
 4 Conclusion

6 Achille Gagliardi and the Northern Mystics
 1 Gagliardi’s Life and Works
 2 The Mystical and Literary-Historical Backgrounds of the Breve Compendio

7 The Seventeenth-Century Crisis of Mysticism in the Society of Jesus: the Analysis of Jean-Joseph Surin, S.J. (1600–1665)
 1 Teresa of Ávila and the Devotion to Saint Joseph
 2 Surin Meets a Young Mystic
 3 The Crisis of Mysticism in the Jesuit Order: the Analysis of de Certeau
 4 Surin’s Analysis of the Crisis
 5 The Core of the Problem: a Fundamentally Theological Issue
 6 Conclusion

8 Mystical Themes in the Work of Jean-Nicolas Grou (1731–1803), a Jesuit of the Era of the French Revolution and the Suppression of the Society of Jesus
 1 Life and Work
 2 L’intérieur de Jésus et de Marie: Main Themes
 3 Common Themes in the Middle Dutch Mystical Tradition
 4 Conclusion

9 Conclusion
Bibliography
Index
This volume will appeal to readers interested in Jesuit spirituality, both within and beyond academia.
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