The Spiritual Exercises
Ignatius of LoyolaComposed over many years; approved by Paul III on 31 July 1548
The manual of meditations, prayer and self-examination, arranged in four weeks, that Ignatius of Loyola gave to his first companions. Paul III approved it in 1548.
The Exercises are a handbook of meditations arranged in four “weeks”, followed by methods of prayer and sets of rules. The short “Principle and Foundation” near the beginning states the aim of the whole.
In his Autobiography Ignatius says that he won Peter Faber and Francis Xavier in Paris by giving them the Exercises. The book is cited here for what it teaches. The translator’s preface says that the Latin version was formally approved by the Holy See in 1548, and the edition prints Paul III’s letter of approval.
Cited in
- 27 September 1540, firm date