Mathematics, Science, and the Society of Jesus
Overview
Founded in the year 1540 by St. Ignatius Loyola, the Society of Jesus quickly became one of the preeminent religious orders of Europe and the world. In addition to teaching, the Jesuits considered the acquisition of knowledge to be a source of spirituality because it could help humans to better understand God's universe. Following this philosophy, many Jesuits became mathematicians and scientists, conducting research and teaching at universities as they contributed to man's store of knowledge. This led the Society of Jesus to become perhaps the world's most scientifically prolific religious order as well as some of the world's best teachers, traditions that continue to this day.
Background
In the early 1530s Ignatius of Loyola, a Spanish soldier, was wounded in battle. He experienced a profound religious conversion during his convalescence and, along with six companions, vowed to follow a life of poverty and chastity and to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. In 1539, realizing they would not be able to make this journey, the seven men promised to accept any work assigned them by the Pope that would help the Church. In 1539, Ignatius presented the Pope with an organizational outline for a new religious order, the Society of Jesus.
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