From Ignatius Loyola to John of the Cross : spirituality and literature in sixteenth-century Spain / Terence O'ReillySpiritual

St. Ignatius Loyola began to compose his Spiritual Exercises in 1522 and is thought to have completed their substance before 1527, when he left Spain for France. In 1522 he could not read Latin, and the only meditation manual available in Castilian was by García de Cisneros. Did he know the Benedictine’s work, and if so did it influence his? These questions have been debated, often with passion, since the early seventeenth century. 1 The relevant evidence may be briefly summarised.