The latest Polish edition of the writings of Ignatius of Loyola is yet another recent initiative by the Jesuit Publishing House wam intended to introduce the Polish reader to the foundational texts of the Society of Jesus. The soundness of this objective is evident, especially with regard to the oeuvre of the first superior general. As demonstrated three decades ago by the late eminent Jesuit historian John W. O’Malley, an analysis of these early documents is essential to understand the essence of the Society at its conception as well as to perceive its later transformations.
The collection of Loyola’s writings edited by Wacław Królikowski, S.J. has in some respects an unusual structure. First of all, it includes an introduction, consisting of the editor’s extensive and erudite study of Ignatian historiography (from Pedro de Ribadeneyra to contemporary studies), a summary of major events in Ignatius’s life, a brief overview of his writings, a description of the volume in question, as well as a general bibliography on Ignatius and his writings, divided chronologically and linguistically. Next are the works of Loyola himself: Autobiography, Spiritual Exercises, Directory of the Spiritual Exercises, Spiritual Diary, Constitutions, 178 letters, Ignatius’s brief note on his election as general, his reflections on poverty and selected maxims collected from a variety of sources. Each text is accompanied by an introduction; in addition, the first six pieces have a separate bibliography.
The first problem the readers of the volume encounter is the fact that until pages lxxxix and xc of the introduction, they actually have no idea of what exactly they are confronted with. Indeed, without any warning, they are thrown into a discussion of the development of the Ignatian historiography, not really knowing why they need it at all. No sooner than in the page xc do they learn what objectives of the publication are, that is, “firstly, to publish the texts of St. Ignatius that have not been published in the Polish language so far, and secondly, to make available to readers all the writings of St. Ignatius Loyola in one volume.” However, is this really the case?
As it turns out, and what the editor discloses candidly, all the translations in the volume had been published before (particularly, but not exclusively, in the 1968 volume of Loyola’s Pisma Wybrane [selected writings] edited by Mieczysław Bednarz, S.J.). Thus, the merit of the volume lies primarily in bringing Loyola’s texts together in one place, and providing an extensive general introduction as well as general and detailed bibliographies. Also questionable is the phrase “all writings.” The 2022 volume contains 178 letters―as O’Malley pointed out back in 1993, we have almost as many letters from before the appointment of Juan Alfonso de Polanco as secretary in 1547. In total, Ignatius’s correspondence amounts to nearly seven thousand letters.
For there is no need to review reprints of previously published translations and studies, in this review, I will focus on Królikowski’s introduction and the compiled bibliography. As mentioned above, the bulk of the introduction consists of a study of Ignatian historiography, and it undoubtedly has a number of valid points. First and foremost, I admire the remarkable erudition of the author, who, using the extensive multilingual primary and secondary literature (in Spanish, German, French, Italian, Latin, and English), has managed to sketch a comprehensive picture of the historiography on Loyola. Importantly, Królikowski not only enumerates the various biographers of the Society’s co-founder, but also points out important trends in his portrayal throughout the centuries. Perhaps the greatest advantage of the introduction is its skillful demonstration of the interdependence of the various primary sources and the influence that the earliest works had, as well as its emphasis on precisely which documents the various biographers had access to. I very much applaud the author’s critical stance on the historicity of individual biographies―Królikowski identifies both their oversimplifications and efforts to either color or discredit Loyola’s figure. An interesting context, for which there was probably not enough room in this already very extensive study, would be to compare the history of Ignatian historiography with that concerning Francis of Assisi (or other founders of religious orders), which in some respects demonstrate many common features.
Nevertheless, despite the fact that the author strongly emphasizes the need for historical objectivity (lvi), some of his statements seem to betray a lack of it, like when he argues that the Protestant theology was unable to “penetrate the supernatural greatness of St. Ignatius’s holiness, let alone perceive God’s providential work in his person” (xxxix) or that “Ignatius can certainly be counted among the ingenious figures whose greatness exceeds all measure” (xlviii).
Other doubts also arise from overly value-laden judgments on historical sources, such as: “[Maffei] used a style that was too emphatic and academic” [posługiwał się stylem zbyt emfatycznym i akademickim] (xxxiii) or “the traditional baroque image [...] gradually freed itself from artificiality [sztuczności]” (xxxvi). Obviously, people of the early modern era wrote according to their own standards, and the historian’s role is to analyze and try to understand their style, not to simply juxtapose it with the contemporary aesthetic. It is also a pity that the author of the introduction did not refrain from quasi-psychoanalytic statements like: “[Ignacio Casanovas], thanks to his excellent psychological perception, was able to deeply penetrate the intimate layers of St. Ignatius’ soul” [dzięki doskonałej percepcji psychologicznej potrafił wniknąć głęboko w intymne pokłady duszy św. Ignacego] (xlii).
As the editor specifies, another purpose of publishing the volume in question was “to make available to all those interested in Ignatian spirituality the most important foreign-language and Polish contemporary bibliography on the individual writings of St. Ignatius” (xc). Indeed, the volume includes a total of twelve bibliographies, which provide an impressive number of Polish and foreign references. Among the latter, Spanish, German, and French studies are particularly well represented. However, what may cause some concern is the fact that there is only one non-Polish book published after 2014 (in Russian), while the most recent English-language work dates back only to 2009. Hence, a number of many important books that have set new directions for Ignatian studies in recent years have been omitted.
All in all, although the Writings of Loyola edited by Królikowski do not provide any new translations, and the introduction as well as the bibliography have some flaws, this publication will undoubtedly be a helpful and convenient tool for researchers of Ignatius or the beginnings of the Society, and especially for non-specialists interested in exploring the figure of the Society’s first superior general.
