Abstract

The chapter beings by analyzing Ignatius's account of his foolhardy defense of Pamplona as exemplary vainglory on his part. It then briefly summarizes the scriptural, patristic, and medieval ideas on vainglory as a principal fault of human nature. In his Acts, Ignatius emphasized the ways that he practiced vainglory during his recovery from his wounds in battle, his asceticism, his confrontation with the "Moor," and his vigil at Montserrat. The chapter argues that Ignatius's account of his experience along the Cardoner River has subtle resonances of the myth of Narcissus. The chapter then follows his pilgrimage to Jerusalem, his initial success in ministry and begging, and his stepping out of the Lord's footsteps on the Mount of the Ascension. The chapter concludes with analysis of John Cassian and Ignatius as strange bedfellows and of Freud's observations regarding narcissism as a clinical ailment.

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