The Jesuit Emblem in the European Context (Early Modern Catholicism and the Visual Arts)

The Jesuit Emblem in the European Context sets out to understand the emblems currently known to have been written by Jesuits (at least 1,525 printed books) in the context of the production of emblems in Europe. The Introduction offers a brief account of the Society of Jesus, followed by chapters on the European Emblem, the Ratio studiorum (the flexible blueprint for Jesuit education as offered by Jesuit colleges throughout the world), Jesuit Theory of Symbology, the Major Jesuit Emblem Books, the Material Culture (everything not deriving from print), and Purposes Served by Jesuits Using Emblematic Forms. Conclusions follow, with historical information on provinces and colleges of the Society of Jesus provided in appendices Many scholars have considered this or that Jesuit writer, some of his works, individual colleges, and the role of emblem in Jesuit education. However, to date these investigations remain partial. This is the first comprehensive attempt ever to review what Jesuits accomplished using the emblem form.