Since this Unit considers ethical components of discipleship (& spirituality), this Analysis has in mind Ignatius of Loyola’s application of the ethical components of the gospels, the Lukan Gospel in particular. Your task is to compare Ignatius’s description of Jesus in the famous “Two Standards” contemplation (in the Spiritual Exercises §§136-147) to the way Jesus is described in the Lukan Gospel’s “Sermon on the Plain” (Luke 6:17-49). Research the two texts using the format Question – Evidence – Conclusion, but submit your results in Essay form, as noted in the Instructions for Critical Analysis mini-essays.
- Question: Is there any evidence to suggest that Ignatius had the Lukan “Sermon on the Plain” in mind when composing his description of Jesus (here, called “Christ our Lord”) and Jesus’s speech in the “Two Standards” contemplation (Spiritual Exercises, art. 136-147)? Does this sample indicate anything about Ignatius’s fidelity to the ethical teaching of the gospels as he knew them?
- Evidence: This will be the most time consuming part of your research and paper-writing. To test the Evidence, your task is twofold:
- (1) identify the features of Ignatius’s description of Jesus’s person, words and the setting of his call in this contemplation. Use the entire contemplation. Not everything will be expressed in a single term. Then
- (2) identify the features of the Jesus of the Lukan “Sermon on the Plain.”
- Conclusion: When comparing the Evidence from the two texts, what answer to the Question does your Evidence point to? As you explain, connect the Evidence, just presented, explicitly to your Conclusion(s). This set of essays will require many citations.
- Your sources:
- Primary sources:
- Ignatius of Loyola, Spiritual Exercises §§136-147 (=Week 2, “Meditation on Two Standards,” as found in Ignatius of Loyola: Personal Writings (trans. & ed. Munitiz & Endean)
- Lukan Gospel: Luke 6:17-49 (“Sermon on the Plain”)
- Secondary sources:
- Munitiz & Endean, “Glossary” & “Notes” in Ignatius of Loyola: Personal Writings (trans. & ed. Munitiz & Endean)
- Articles and charts posted in >Unit 3 >R, if needed.
- Burkett, “Jesus in Luke-Acts” (>Unit 1 >R), if needed
- Outside sources: None needed. Consult the instructor in advance regarding any additional sources to avoid a grade penalty.
- Primary sources:
Documentation of Sources:
- Check the “How To: Using the Works of St. Ignatius of Loyola” in CC >Unit 3 >R for tips on citing and abbreviating references to the Spiritual Exercises.
- Remember to include your Bible in your bibliography.
Notes on Analyzing the Evidence:
- Check that you are using the edition of Ignatius’s Spiritual Exercises in Munitiz & Endean, trans. & eds., Ignatius of Loyola: Personal Writings. The assignment cites the text by the article numbering of the text. Ignore page numbers. Web sources for this text nearly all follow other textual divisions that significantly differ from the now-standard numbering.
numbering, and usually confuse readers. - Sub-titles & Preambles in this contemplation are original in this case, and are given article numbers, also. Use them.
- Leave aside Ignatius’s description of Lucifer (the devil; Sp. Exx. §§140-142). It can side-track your work.
- Since Ignatius is establishing a “composition of place,” pay attention to the details he presents about persons, place, speech.
- It may help you to make some comparable “composition of place” as you analyze the Lukan Sermon on the Plain.
- Consider Ignatius’s purpose, to encourage exercitants who genuinely wish to commit themselves more deeply to Jesus. Consider the Lukan Jesus, and his purpose to encourage the disciples similarly.