With a tradition of almost five hundred years the Jesuit order has repeatedly produced original thinkers from various fields, thus enriching Western culture. This book introduces eight Jesuit thinkers: Francisco Suárez, Baltasar Gracián, Teilhard de Chardin, Henri de Lubac, Bernard Lonergan, Karl Rahner, Oswald von Nell-Breuning und Michel de Certeau. They succeeded in their own time by absorbing the discoveries and developments of modern philosophy and science in order to reconcile them with the Christian tradition. In this way, they have made Christianity understandable and attractive to modern man. Their contributions in the humanities, natural sciences and social sciences are also important for questions and problems of the present and remain a source of inspiration.

Janez Percic is University Professor at Saint Josephs University in Philadelphia. Johannes Herzgsell is a Professor of Theological Foundations, Religious Studies, and Philosophy of Religion at the Munich School of Philosophy.