Ignatius of Loyola's Religious Method in His Spiritual Diary

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to explain Ignatius of Loyola's method of spiritual cognition. The analysis demonstrates that Ignatius' method can be understood as a specific way of thinking when the thoughts of a person are recognized as authored not by the person himself but by God. This explanation is based upon Ignatius' “Spiritual Exercises” but also upon the texts by Ludolph of Saxony and Joannes de Cauli-bus. The text that serves as an example of using the method of spiritual cognition is Ignatius' own “Spiritual Diary”. Visions and a special gift of speech (loqtiela) described in the “Spiritual Diary” are analyzed in terms of their origin and functional significance as the main parts of spiritual cognition s method. Both the visions and the gift of speech are based upon the old mystical tradition of a hybrid passive-active way of auto-communication “I - Other” within the inner voice, which is perceived as communication with God.