LA FORMATION LITTERAIRE ET PEDAGOGIQUE DES JÉSUITES EN EUROPE FIN DU XVIIE ET DÉBUT DU XVIIIE SIÈCLE

Abstract

The Society of Jesus, which was founded at the University of Paris in 1540, aimed at developing both humanism and Catholic faith by means of teaching the youth. This Jesuit order insisted on a standard formation of its teachers in the humanities t'litterae humaniores'). To this purpose, they established special classrooms in the main provinces for novices who wanted to enter the teaching profession. But the diversity in age and school level of the future teachers was so great that these classes could not have had a uniform function. Only in the northwestern provinces a professional and academic formation could be organized since those who attended it had already finished their studies in humanities and philosophy.