The Encyclopedia of World Religions

238 S Jesuits

in the 18th century from spokespersons of the Enlightenment, such as Voltaire. Jesuits started mission work in connection with European overseas colonization. Francis Xavier established a church in south India in 1541; he entered Japan in 1549. In 1582 Matteo Ricci brought Roman Catholic Christianity to China. Like their educational work, Jesuit missionary practices evoked controversy. The Jesuits adapted C HRISTIAN ITY to the culture of the people to whom they were preaching. Others saw this as a distortion of true Christian teaching and practice. By the mid-18th century, opposition to the order was at a high point. Portugal, Spain, and France expelled the Jesuits from their territories and colonies. Finally in 1773, Pope Clement XIV dissolved the order. But within 40 years the cli mate had changed. In 1814 Pope Pius VII restored the order. Although opposition did not cease, since 1814 the Jesuits have once again devoted them selves to education and missionary work. Jesuits have long been active in North Amer ica. In 1566 Jesuit MISSIONARIES preached to indig enous Americans in what would later become Florida; in 1570 other Jesuits preached in what would later become Virginia. The first Catholic bishop in the United States, John Carroll (1735– 1815) of Baltimore, was a Jesuit until the order was dissolved. Today, Jesuit schools include such prominent universities as Georgetown University and Loyola University. Jesus ( c. 4 B . C . E .– c. 30 C . E .) the founder of C HRISTIANITY According to Christian tradition, Jesus was born from a virgin named M ARY ( see VIRGIN BIRTH ) who was engaged to a man named Joseph. Jesus’ importance for Christians is emphasized by a portion of the Nicene Creed ( see CREEDS ), which many Christians use regularly in WORSHIP : “We believe in one Lord, Jesus C HRIST , the only Son of G OD .” LIFE The B IBLE presents two different stories about the birth of Jesus. The G OSPEL of Matthew tells that

From 635 to 1948, Jerusalem remained under Muslim rulers, with one exception. In 1099 Crusad ers from Catholic western Europe captured Jerusa lem and established a Christian kingdom there ( see C RUSADES ). It lasted until 1247. In 1948, Jerusalem was divided. The Jewish section became the capi tal of the new state of Israel. During the 1967 war the Israeli army took the entire city. It remained under Israeli control for the rest of the century. In the second half of the 20th century Palestinians also claimed Jerusalem as the capital for the state they wished to establish. Jesuits Members of the Society of J ESUS of R OMAN C ATHOLICISM . The society of Jesus is a religious order made up of both priests and brothers. Priests are men ordained to the office of priesthood and thus able to celebrate the E UCHARIST . Brothers are members of the society who are not ordained. The founder of the society was Ignatius Loyola (1491–1556). Ignatius was a soldier. While he was recovering from a cannonball injury, he experienced a religious conversion. As a result, he wrote a book entitled Spiritual Exercises (1523–35; approved, 1548), entered school, and attracted several follow ers. From this seed his order grew. In 1540 Pope Paul IV gave his approval to the order, which was extremely active in the Counter-Reformation, the movement within the Roman Catholic Church that responded to the Protestant R EFORMATION . Unlike previous orders, Ignatius’s order relied upon a strong, central authority known as the superior general. Also unlike previous orders, members of the Society of Jesus were not required to wear a special habit nor to spend a considerable part of their days chanting WORSHIP services. Mem bers take vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Their aim is to work wherever instructed “for the greater glory of G OD ”—the society’s motto. Jesuits have engaged in primarily two kinds of activity: education and mission work. From the beginning, their schools provided a rigorous edu cation in the humanities, philosophy, and THEOL OGY . They came to dominate education in Catholic Europe. They also evoked resentment, especially