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Pedro de Ribadeneira, S.J. (1526–1611), the biographer of the first three superiors general of the Society of Jesus, Ignatius of Loyola (1491–1556), Diego Laínez (1512–65), and Francis Borgia (1510–70), had an enormous impact on how subsequent generations understood the founder and the early history of the Jesuits. His biography, his relationship with Ignatius and other early Jesuits over many decades, and his varied responsibilities in the Society of Jesus made him, in effect, one of the earliest and most authoritative historians of the order. This volume presents three of Ribadeneira’s works not previously translated into English that shed further light on his life and that of the early Society. Not long before his death, Ribadeneira wrote an autobiography titled Confesiones in reference to Augustine of Hippo’s famous autobiography to which his secretary added additional biographic material. In the autobiography, he presents his own contribution to the early history of the Society and himself as a faithful disciple of Ignatius. During his life as a Jesuit, Ribadeneira engaged in significant debate over the Society’s organization and development. As a Spanish Christian of converso origin, he was intensely interested in debates over whether men of Jewish origin should still be permitted to enter the Society as Ignatius himself had allowed. He also participated in debates over the structure of the Society and the authority of the Superior General that convulsed the Jesuits in the late sixteenth century. His memoranda on these two issues are also translated and published here.
Paul V. Murphy holds the Jack and Mary Jane Breen Chair in Catholic Studies at John Carroll University where he is Professor of History and Director of the Institute of Catholic Studies. He received his Ph.D. in History from the University of Toronto in 1996. His research focuses on Catholicism in Mediterranean Europe in the Early Modern period.
