GUIBERT, JOSEPH DE

Jesuit ascetical and mystical theologian; b. L'Îslesur-Tarn, France, Sept. 14, 1877; d. Rome, March 23, 1942. De Guibert studied at the Collège du Caousou in Toulouse before entering the Society of Jesus on Oct. 19, 1895, at Toulouse. His younger brother Bernard followed him into the society. De Guibert pursued his Jesuit studies at Toulouse, Vals-près-Le Puy, France, and Enghien, Belgium, where he was ordained Aug. 26, 1906. In 1899, he received a licentiate in literature from the Sorbonne, and from 1901 to 1903 he studied history at the Sorbonne. De Guibert taught theology at the regional seminary in Lecce, Italy, and at Enghien. From 1914 to 1918, he was an army chaplain. When he founded the Revue d'ascétique et de mystique in 1919, it was De Guibert's intention to establish a periodical that would apply the methods demanded by contemporary scientific research to the study of spirituality. From 1922 to 1942, De Guibert taught ascetical and mystical theology at the Gregorian University, Rome, and from 1932 to 1942 he was a consultor to the Congregation of Rites. His writings were primarily the fruit of his teaching. The first edition of Theologia spiritualis, ascetica et mystica (Eng. tr. of 3d ed. by Paul Barrett, OFMCap, New York 1953) appeared in Rome in 1937. His posthumous work La Spiritualité de la Compagnie de Jésus (Rome 1953; Eng. tr. by W. J. Young, The Jesuits: Their Doctrine and Practice, Chicago 1964) is primarily historical and documentary.

Bibliography: j. de. guibert, Leçons de théologie spirituelle,v.1 (Toulouse 1946), preface f. cavallera and m. viller. p. galtier, in Revue d'ascétique et de mystique 26 (1950) 97–120.

[j. f. mullin]