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Education, Confessional Conflict, and the Catholic Mission in Scotland, c. 1660–1707
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 31 October 2023
Abstract
In 1653, the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith created a secular mission for Scotland that initially struggled with finances and provision. Its Prefects argued that the Jesuits exacerbated these problems by failing to prepare students at the Scots College Rome intellectually for the mission. This article examines the resulting campaign for curricular reform that Scottish secular priests waged, one intended to improve missionaries’ pastoral skills and undermine the college's Jesuit administration. It ultimately demonstrates the significance of education to wider conflicts between Propaganda Fide and the Society of Jesus regarding missions and resources in the seventeenth century.
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- Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2023
Footnotes
All translations in this article are the author's own.
This research upon which this article is based was funded by a Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowship (ECF–2021–077) and by the British School at Rome (2020–1 Rome Fellowship).
References
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7 Halloran, Scots College Paris, 39–40.
8 Dilworth, ‘Beginnings’, 30.
9 Ibid. 26.
10 Ibid. 38.
11 Tom McInally, ‘The influence of the Scots colleges in Paris, Rome, and Spain’, in David Fergusson and Mark Elliott (eds), The history of Scottish theology, II: From the early Enlightenment to the late Victorian era, Oxford 2019, 141–54 at pp. 143–5, and Sixth Scottish university, 67–71, 82–94.
12 McInally, Sixth Scottish university, 192–3; Alphons Bellesheim, History of the Catholic Church of Scotland from the introduction of Christianity to the present day, Edinburgh 1890, iv. 42–9; William James Anderson, ‘Narratives of the Scottish reformation, III: Prefect Ballentine's report, circa 1660 part one’, IR viii (1957), 39–66; William James Anderson, ‘Narratives of the Scottish reformation, III, Prefect Ballentine's report, circa 1660 part two’, IR viii (1957), 99–129.
13 Cristiano Casalini, ‘Rise, character, and development of Jesuit education: teaching the world’, in Ines Županov (ed.), The Oxford handbook of the Jesuits, Oxford 2019, 153–76; John O'Malley, The first Jesuits, London 1993, 239–42.
14 Claude Pavur, In the school of Ignatius: studious zeal and devoted learning, Chestnut Hill, Ma 2019, 45–72; Paul Grendler, Jesuit schools and universities in Europe, 1548–1773, Leiden 2018, 6–9; Cristiano Casalini and Claude Pavur (eds), Jesuit pedagogy, 1540–1616: a reader, Boston 2016.
15 John O'Malley, ‘From the 1599 Ratio studiorum to the present: a humanistic tradition?’, in Vincent J. Duminuco (ed.), The Jesuit Ratio studiorum: 400th anniversary perspectives, New York 2000, 127–44.
16 Jean Dietz Moss, ‘The rhetoric course at the Collegio Romano in the latter half of the sixteenth century’, Rhetorica: A Journal of the History of Rhetoric iv (1986), 137–51 at p. 138.
17 Thomas McCoog, ‘“Pray to the Lord of the Harvest”: Jesuit missions to Scotland in the sixteenth century’, IR liii (2002), 127–88 at p. 159.
18 O'Malley, First Jesuits, 255.
19 The Ratio studiorum: the official plan for Jesuit education, trans. Claude Pavur, Saint Louis, Mo 2005; John Padberg, ‘Development of the Ratio studiorum’, in Duminuco, Jesuit Ratio studiorum, 80–99.
20 McInally, ‘The influence’, 143.
21 O'Malley, First Jesuits, 215.
22 McInally, ‘The influence’, 143.
23 Ibid. 145.
24 Ibid. 144; Ricardo García Villoslada, Storia del Collegio Romano, Rome 1954, 215–62; O'Malley, First Jesuits, 216.
25 Some of these reports are preserved in the APF, SOCG collection. These documents formed the basis for discussion in the Congregation's meetings. See Nikolaus Kowalsky, Inventory of the historical archives of the sacred congregation for the evangelisation of peoples or ‘De propaganda fide’, Rome 1983.
26 William James Anderson, ‘William Ballentine, Prefect of the Scottish mission, 1653–1661’, IR xiii (1957), 5–70.
27 PSC, R/9, n.p.
28 AUL, SCA, SM2/3. A transcription of Ballentine's report (including the English translation cited here), can be found in Anderson, ‘Narratives – part one’, 39–66, and ‘Narratives – part two’, 99–129.
29 Anderson, ‘Narratives – part two’, 111.
30 Ibid. 112.
31 Ibid. 111.
32 Ibid. 113.
33 Ibid. 114.
34 Ibid.
35 Ibid. 112.
36 Ibid. 114.
37 Also known as Alexander Dunbar Winchester. His report is held in APF, SC Scozia 1, vol. 1, fos 511r–543v. For the Congregation's summary of his report see APF, CP23, fos 176r–196v. For a description of Winster's report see Bellesheim, History, 116–22.
38 ‘D. Alexander Winsterus quadragesimum sextum annum statis iam agens per septennium fere Philosophie, et Theologie Romae studuit’: PSC, R/9, n.p.; APF, SC Scozia 1, vol. 1, fo. 522r.
39 APF, SC Scozia 1, vol. 1, fos 525r–526v.
40 Dilworth, ‘Beginnings’, 31.
41 ‘Quartum Impedimentum est paucitas Missionariorum quorum numerus licet Vestrarum Eminentiarum charitate, et benevolentia non mediocriter hoc anno auctus sit, adhuc tamen adeo exiquus est ut ad pascendas oves per tot Provincias valde dispensas longe majori numero opus sit’: APF, SC Scozia 1, vol. 1, fo. 527v.
42 ‘Cum praeter Philosophiae, et Theologiae speculativae studia alia sint exercitia ad Missionis praxim, et Scotiae conversionem, quam praesertim Collegia spectare debent non minus necessaria, quorum tamen nulla fere in Collegiis ratio habetur’: ibid. fo. 530v.
43 ‘Alumni qui totum ferme tempus in speculativis studiis consumunt’: ibid. fos 530v–531r.
44 ‘In casibus conscientiae praesertim, qui sacramentorum administrationem spectant’: ibid. fo. 531r.
45 Grendler, Jesuit schools, 26.
46 ‘cum saepe contingat Missionario neminem adesse, quem in difficultatibus occurrentibus consulat’: APF, SC Scozia 1, vol. 1, fo. 531r.
47 ‘In catechismis, exhortationibus, concionibus habendis ad Populum’: ibid. fo. 531v.
48 ‘ut praecipuum, et paene solum Religionis cultum in concionibus collocent, eosque etsi alioqui doctos nihil scire credunt, qui concionari nesciunt’: ibid.
49 Dilworth, ‘Beginnings’, 35–6.
50 AUL, SCA 3/9/4, fos 1r–13v.
51 ‘se non hanno studia te cose prattiche in quel tempo che sono Alunni non hanno poi ne tempo, ne commodita, ne occasione di studiarle dopo. dal che non ponno non arrivare gravi disordini nella missione, dove gli conviene di esercitare cura di anime, predicare, e convertire eretici’: ibid. fo. 8r. For a summary of this report see Macpherson, Abbe Paul, ‘History of the college from 1676 till 1694’, IR xii (1961), 51–79Google Scholar at pp. 59–64.
52 AUL, SCA 3/9/4, fo. 8r–v.
53 ‘et acció che questo habbi il suo effetto si supplica che'l Procuratore della missione vi habbia d'occhio, e sopramentendenza accio che cose di tanto momento non si negligano, ne si trascurino, ma siano osservate con ogni esattezza’: ibid. fo. 8v.
54 ‘habbia l'occhio suo vigilante, et una sopraintendenza’; ‘assolutamente si trascureranno’: ibid. fo. 9r.
55 Macpherson, ‘History of the college from 1676 till 1694’, 66.
56 AUL, SCA, CA3/9/20.
57 AUL, SCA, CA3/9/5, fos 1r–4v at fo. 1r–v.
58 ‘lectio sacrae scripturae non scholastico more, sed tanquam Theologia positiva explanetur, inde occasione sumpta docendi Alumnos modo tradendi eam Populo, et ad usum in concionibus aptandi’: ibid. fo. 1v.
59 Macpherson, ‘History of the college from 1676 till 1694’, 68; Dilworth, ‘Beginnings’, 35–6.
60 ‘non pare peró che si possa raggionevolmente, e con frutto adossare ad essi un novo Peso di trovarsi ogni settimana a quattro lezioni di catechismo, sacra scrittura, casi, e controversie’: AUL, SCA, CA3/9/20, fo. 1r.
61 Macpherson, ‘History of the college from 1676 till 1694’, 78.
62 Dilworth, ‘Beginnings’, 37.
63 Copies can be found in PSC, 6/41; AUL, SCA, SM3/8/2, fos 1–64.
64 Dilworth, ‘Beginnings’, 36–7; Macpherson, A. P., ‘History of the college from 1694 till 1706’, IR xii (1961), 80–114Google Scholar at p. 97.
65 ‘Nam lectissimi adolescentes qui ab Episcopo ad Collegia destinatur, sunt plerumque ita inopes, ut vix honestioribus paulo vestibus sibi coemendis pecuniam a parentibus aut cognatis expectare possint, nedum quae necessaria sunt sumptibus tam longi itineris’: AUL, SCA, SM3/8/2, fos 17–18.
66 ‘3um impedimentum est, quod Missionarii omnes non prout par est munere suo fungantur verbi praedicandi et populorum erudiendorum’: ibid. fo. 38.
67 Ibid.
68 ‘De institutione vero quae in Collegio Romano adhibetur cum serio cogito mirari subit, quod 7 anni integri transigantur in philosophicis subtilitatibus ac speculationibus theologicis perdiscendis, quae in Missione nostra nullius fere sunt utilitatis, quaestiones enim magis praestant quam aedificationem … nobis ea sunt necessaria quae populos ad salutem instruere possint, quaeque usui esse queant ad haereticos revincendos … ideoque nihil magis perniciosum esse, quam ut totum juvenum qui ad missiones mittendi sunt tempus in nugis laboriosis conteratur’: ibid. fos 23–4.
69 ‘Ministri enim fidei nostrae apud plebem maxime conflant invidiam ex incautis atque odiosis quibusdam scholasticorum opinionibus’: ibid. fo. 25.
70 ‘quia adolescentes disputandi generi clamoso, pervicaci ac prope furibundo qui in scholis in usu est, quo homines contentiosi magis victoriae quam veritati student, assueti, si eo in patriam uti perrexerint, et se et religionem apud haereticos ludibrio exponent’: ibid. fo. 27.
71 ‘In primis itaque necesse esset ut, qui Missionarii inter Haereticos futuri sunt, perlegerent saepius atque accurate scripturas cum commentariis’: ibid. fo. 24.
72 ‘Legenda etiam Missionariis futuris Historia Ecclesiastica, unde multa hauriri possunt et ad praedicationes et ad controversias egregia’: ibid.
73 ‘Evolvendi sunt praeterea, idque diligenter, praecipui ac celeberrimi aliqui controversiarum tractatores, qui nobis arma firmissima ac utilissima subministrare possunt’: ibid.
74 ‘etiam necessarium est, ut Missionarii, quae ad veram germanamque pietatem pertinent (quae praecipua morum doctrinae pars est) et ipsi penitus intelligant et populis sincere utiliterque tradere noverint’: ibid. fo. 26.
75 O'Malley, First Jesuits, 264–72.
76 ‘Legendi sunt etiam ab alumnis authores qui moralem doctrinam ac pietatem Christianarum sincere tractant’: AUL, SCA, SM3/8/2, fo. 25.
77 ‘tamen qui in illo erudiuntur Missionarii, sunt plerumque et pietate et scientia insignes’: ibid. fo. 23.
78 Halloran, Scots College Paris, 15.
79 ‘Parisiis antequam ad missionem accedant unum duos annos subsistere coguntur, ut ea quae sunt Missionario necessaria maxime vero, utilia aliquatenus discant quae multo utilius in hoc ipso Collegio discerent, quam Philosophiam illam ac theologiam rixosam, quae saepe non solum inutilis, sed etiam noxia est’: AUL, SCA, SM3/8/2, fo. 27.
80 Dilworth, ‘Beginnings’, 37.
81 ‘Vero che non si hanno da disprezzare ne escludere affatto da i missionarii di Scozia le scienze scolastiche e speculative’: AUL, SCA, SM3/4, fo. 34.
82 ‘E questo è gran diffetto nel Colleggio Scozesse di Roma, nel quale quasi tutta la loro cura, e diligenza consiste in invigilare di gonfiare la testa di quei Alunni di speculationi, di sottigliezze, e di opinioni probabeli, e problematiche, hinc pro, inde contra’: ibid. fo. 38. For information on probable opinions see Rudolf Schuessler, The debate on probable opinions in the scholastic tradition, Leiden 2019.
83 ‘gl'Alunni spendono il tempo … in correre dalle quattro fontane al Collegio Romano, e di indi tornare, per imparare questioni scolastiche meramente problematiche’: AUL, SCA, SM3/4, fos 38–9.
84 ‘Quindi deriva che capitati in Scozia e volendo fare i Dottori, e farsi stimare à forza di spacciare le speculationi del Collegio Romano non potendo parlare di altro, massime sul principio, o si rendono ridicoli nelle conversationi, o tediosi o veramente odiosi quando trattano gl'altri con disprezzo, e gli tacciano di ignoranti’: ibid. fo. 39.
85 ‘le discordie, e le fattioni fra missionari etiam in materie dottrinali meramente speculative, e scolastiche’: ibid. fo. 42.
86 ‘non essendo in Scozia ne luogo ne tempo, ne occasione, molto meno necessita di aggitare tali materie’: ibid.
87 ‘difendere i Regni Cattolici, et instruire i fideli, e convincere gl'Eretici’: ibid. fo. 38.