Back on January 7th, 2015, I published a thread (here)
that linked to ten separate posts at Shameless
Popery which were based on Edmund Campion's book, Rationes Decem /Ten Reasons (link to
PDF copy).
[Edmund Campion (sainted
by the Catholic Church), was a Jesuit priest who was imprisoned, tortured
numerous times, hanged and then drawn-and-quartered, in late 16th England
during the of reign of Queen Elizabeth I—for a online biography in a PDF
format, see THIS
LINK.]
After finishing Joe
Heschmeyer's provocative series, I then read the 1914 edition of Campion's, Ten
Reasons (English text by Joseph Rickaby; Introduction by John Hungerford).
Rickaby's translation, with Hungerford's introduction, created a yearning in my
mind for more. A prior Google search had yielded a number of related
works that I ended up either downloading or purchasing. It is James V.
Holleran's, A Jesuit Challenge (Google
Preview)—which I finished reading yesterday—that I would now like to
comment on.
I am a bit embarrassed to
admit that I knew nothing about Campion, prior to my reading of Joe's ten part
series. I was, of course, aware of the religious turmoil that permeated 16th
century England; but this knowledge had come primarily via more general works
on Christian history (e.g. González, Latourette, Sheldon, et al.). Important
figures such as Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary Tudor and Sir Thomas More
immediately come to mind when I think about 16th century England; however, if
any of the numerous general histories I have read mentioned Campion, possible
impressions left on me at the time were not retained. As such, I felt compelled
to remedy this void in my knowledge of the period.
The late Dr. Holleran's
contribution has proven to be an invaluable resource in filling in this void.
His 81 page introduction is excellent. The previously unpublished
manuscripts of the four Tower of London
debates between Campion and a number of Protestent divines (written by
Catholics who had attended the debates), which Holleran provides in the book,
gives one a fuller account than the highly edited 'official' version of 1583.
Note the following:
...as historical
documents, these Catholic accounts of the debates allow us to revisit the past
and decide for ourselves whether or not official documents, endorsed and
published by the government, are entirely trustworthy. These previously
unpublished Catholic accounts, for example, supply us with information that was
deliberately deleted from the government account of the same debates. (Page
xi.)
Dr. Holleran has also
given us a new edition of Campion's, "Challenge", a document he had
written, "in less than half an hour", and sent to "Elizabeth's
Council." This document spells out Campion's goals/purposes, and,
"acknowledges that he was a Jesuit priest who had been ordered by his
superior to go to England on a religious mission, not a political one."
(See page 25 for quotes; pages 179-181 for the document.)
All in all, I highly
recommend Holleran's book; it is informative, has a very useful bibliography,
and is written in a balanced style that will appeal to both academic and lay
audiences.
Grace and peace,
