John McManamon has attempted something that few writers, few Jesuits have tried to achieve: he has taken a new methodology and approach as a means to explore Ignatius Loyola in a new way—to see Ignatius in a different light. If successful, this would be a noble accomplishment, especially considering that Ignatius has been examined from so many different angles by so many previous authors, of both genders, from so many different eras, so many different nations, and even several different faith confessions. What could we see about Ignatius that has not been seen before; what could we possibly learn that has not been researched many times about the revolutionary saint?

Much, it seems. McManamon's method is basic; he seeks to examine Ignatius's Autobiography (designated the Acta throughout) through “the lens of recent scholarship on the text itself, the beginnings of the Society of Jesus, and the Lukan New Testament writings” (ix). He is true to this thesis and it is literally the heart of the book, comprising chapters 2–4. He states that he has been heavily influenced by two major contributors to Ignatian scholarship, Marjorie O'Rourke Boyle and John W. O'Malley. McManamon takes O'Rourke Boyle's emphasis on Ignatius's Acta as a “mirror of vainglory” (her words) and as a “paean of praise for God's accomplishments in his heart” (ix) as the main subject of chapter 2, “The Acta as Mirror of Vainglory.” Chapter 3, “The Acta as Mirror of Apostolic Religious Life,” is the implementation of O'Malley's work, described as “a narrative offering contextualized meaning for what it is to be a Jesuit” (x). Chapter 4, “The Acta as Mirror of Luke,” reflects the final portion of the three-part thesis, examining the Acta through the lens of the writings of Luke. In addition to these three chapters focusing on the designated parts of the thesis, McManamon examines the Acta as a source in chapter 1, explaining why Ignatius authored it and why it did not become important until relatively recently. In chapter 5, he places Ignatius and the Acta in its late-medieval/Renaissance cultural/historical context.

The work that McManamon does using O'Rourke Boyle and O'Malley's work as examples of methodology is very good and is a continuation of sound ways in which to view Ignatius and his life, work, and its contemporary setting. But, McManamon's method using Lukan material as a focus for a revised Ignatian interpretation is quite ground-breaking. In this sense, a brief perusal of much of the classic and contemporary scholarship on the Autobiography does not view that work through the lens of the gospel of Luke or the Acts of the Apostles. There are available a number of works relating the Spiritual Exercises to Holy Scripture, but none that do this to any great extent with the Autobiography. Ignatius himself, as he dictated this work to Goncalves da Câmara, was concerned with providing help to future Jesuits so that they could “help souls”; he was not adding more Bible Study to Jesuit activities. Therefore, McManamon's method is new in that he hopes to convince us that the Lukan narratives, the Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles, are not only a good lens through which to view the Acta, but also that “the specific geography of Luke's two writings and the theology that undergirds Luke's redactional innovation assisted Ignatius in remembering and understanding the crucial acts of God in his own life” (xi). Thus, Ignatius would have seen his trials and tribulations as not unexpected, but expected, based upon his reading of Luke/Acts. The geography of Ignatius's life, and later the lives of those who go out as members of the Society of Jesus is similar to Luke's use of geography in his writings, especially in the dispersion of the Apostles after Pentecost. As a select number of Ignatian works before, this one seeks to show us the mind of the saint to assist us in understanding what drove the saint in his spirituality and mission.

In this, McManamon succeeds admirably. In the first paragraph of chapter 4, he demonstrates the parallels between Ignatius's life and Jesus' life—put simply, leaving one's home area, going to Jerusalem, gathering a group of followers, and finally those followers reach Rome; “if the gospel is to be proclaimed to the entire world, it must reach Rome.” (99) This is a new and valuable explanation of Ignatius's fixation with Jerusalem and Rome. There is opposition and persecution along the way, but they prevail because of their faith and calling. He continues with this line of thinking with the first subdivision of chapter 4, “Refracting Ignatius through Luke” and identifies four themes using Luke as a lens to re-explore the life and ministry of Ignatius and the early years of the Society of Jesus. Reading McManamon's fascinating comparison of Ignatius and Jesus and then the Apostles and the early members of the Society of Jesus is rewarding, so much so that one may wonder why something so seemingly obvious has not been addressed for so long. It reads as though it is the most natural way to understand Ignatius and his religious order, actually trumping the previous chapters' explanations. A good historian knows his context, but does not allow the context to limit or determine his subject. McManamon has accomplished his goal—we see Ignatius as we have not seen him before. Perhaps now we see why he was driven the way that he was—to “help souls” in old and new ways, to the righteous and the unrighteous, as near as Rome and as far away as Asia. He saw it in Jesus; and he saw Jesus best in Luke.

McManamon said that he “would be the first to admit that this is a somewhat atypical book” (ix). He then states that “the premises for the book are sound and the need for the book bona fide” (ix). I believe he has understated his case. This may become the standard interpretation for Ignatian work for some time to come; as it should be.