REVISITING THE FIRST JESUIT LIBRARY IN JAPAN : AN ANALYSIS OF THE PURPOSE OF NUNES BARRETO’S LIBRARY IN KYUSHU ( 1556 )回顧日本的第一間耶穌會圖書館 － 分析日本九州巴萊多圖書館的用途
Starting from a rereading of the collection transported by Melchior Nunes Barreto to Japan in 1556, this article reexamines what may lie behind the "first Jesuit library" established there, going beyond the inventory and classification of its contents carried out by Jesús López-Gay. The author recon...
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| Published in: | Review of Culture |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Articles |
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Instituto Cultural de Macau
October 2009
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| Online Access: | https://www.icm.gov.mo/rc/viewer/pdfViewerParts/40032/3568 |
| Summary: | Starting from a rereading of the collection transported by Melchior Nunes Barreto to Japan in 1556, this article reexamines what may lie behind the "first Jesuit library" established there, going beyond the inventory and classification of its contents carried out by Jesús López-Gay. The author reconstructs the function of the bibliographic ensemble by linking the preserved list of titles brought by Barreto with later directives associated with the missionary governance of the Society, particularly through comparison with an inventory compiled by Alessandro Valignano in the early seventeenth century. The method combines bibliographic analysis and cross-referencing of textual evidence to identify continuities and absences between lists, as well as to interpret editorial and thematic choices in light of the intellectual culture of the nascent Society. The main thesis holds that the library was structured with formative objectives, especially for the training of new clergy, organized into "practical" books (liturgy and everyday pastoral use) and "didactic" books (teaching materials and doctrinal formation). Among the findings, notable are the confirmation of liturgical works and manuals of confession, as well as the presence of titles of theological reflection and spirituality that reinforced exemplary models of Christian conduct, aligned with the Jesuit ideological program. The comparison with Valignano also suggests that certain gaps result from editorial availability subsequent to the period of embarkation. |
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| ISSN: | 1682-1106 |