Entre la mystique et la morale

Jacques Le Brun : Mysticism and morality, the society of jesus in the 18th century. Between the Quietist controversy (1687-1699) and 1800, the S. J. underwent a spiritual crisis. Favourable to Fénelon, the Jesuits were affected by his condemnation, and hence avoided whatever might revive disputes. Re-editions of 17th-century texts and new works show how mysticism was replaced by moralism, insistence on practical virtues and the search for happiness. But the mystical current persisted clandestinely, as seen in a few theoretical works, and in others published only in the 19th or 20th centuries, which indicate the bases of the late 18th-century spiritual revival, led by Grou and Clorivière.Le Brun Jacques. Entre la mystique et la morale. In: Dix-huitième Siècle, n°8, 1976. Les Jésuites. pp. 43-66