Traslado de la 2.ª carta de nueuas que el pe. Mestre. francisco embio dela Jndia a los pes. y hermanos de Roma escrita a 27 de henero en el ano de 1545
This abstract describes a historical transcription of the second letter sent from India by St Francis Xavier, S.J., dated Cochin, 27 January 1545, addressed to the Fathers and Brothers of the Society of Jesus in Rome. The document is a firsthand missionary account detailing evangelisation efforts ac...
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| Format: | Manuscripts |
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1545-01-27
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| Online Access: | https://macau-legacy.usj.edu.mo/docs/7HIUTT6D/viewer_7HIUTT6D.html |
| Summary: | This abstract describes a historical transcription of the second letter sent from India by St Francis Xavier, S.J., dated Cochin, 27 January 1545, addressed to the Fathers and Brothers of the Society of Jesus in Rome. The document is a firsthand missionary account detailing evangelisation efforts across multiple regions of sixteenth-century Portuguese India, including Cochin, Goa, Malacca, and territories extending up to five hundred leagues distant. Key figures include St Francis Xavier himself; the Governor of the Indies (Great East); the King of India and his brother, the legitimate heir; a martyred prince whose death was accompanied by reported celestial and terrestrial portents; three regional rulers in a distant territory who converted with their subjects in 1544; and secular figures such as Manuel Pinto and Father Vicente Viegas. Central subject matter encompasses mass baptisms—reportedly exceeding ten thousand in one month and anticipated to surpass one hundred thousand annually—vernacular liturgical translation and instruction, idol destruction, responses to persecution and martyrdom, political negotiations linking conversion to sovereignty, and intercessory diplomacy involving Portuguese colonial authorities. Marginal annotations and archival notes reflect contemporary scribal practices and textual uncertainties. The letter serves as a primary source for studying early Jesuit mission strategy, cross-cultural religious encounter, colonial ecclesiastical administration, and the intersection of spiritual authority and imperial power in the Portuguese Estado da Índia. Entry number 4 in catalogue "Jesuítas na Ásia" |
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