The Travels and Controversies of Friar Domingo Navarrete, 1616-1686


Book Description

Friar Domingo Navarrete, A Dominican missionary, travelled round the world and spent the best part of his life (1658-69) in China, where he became a determined opponent of the evangelical methods of the 'Jesuit mandarins'. This edition of his travels is based on all his writings, published and manuscript, but principally on the sixth book of his Tratados historicos, which gives a racy account of his travels and work in Mexico, the Philippines, Macao, China, India and Macassar, among other places. He had an observant eye, an open ear and an every-ready pen, together with a happy facility for meeting men of affairs and being at the heart of things. A doughty controversialist and a vivid writer, this enthusiastic sinophile has left a record which is not only full of human interest but throws fresh light upon the uneasy meeting of East and West in the 17th century. Much of the material is original and will be new to English readers. Dr Cummins's Introduction fills in the details of Navarrte's life, character and various writings. It also describes the missionary movement in China and gives the background to the notorious Chinese Rites controversy which markedly influenced the course of European thought. There is a full bibliography. The main pagination of this and the following volume (Second Series 119) is continuous. This is a new print-on-demand hardback edition of the volume first published in 1962.













The Acta Pekinensia or Historical Records of the Maillard de Tournon Legation


Book Description

The Acta Pekinensia is a Latin manuscript found in the Jesuit Roman Archives. It is a record of the papal legation to China of Charles Maillard de Tournon, from his arrival in China to his death in Macau. It was compiled by Kilian Stumpf, a German Jesuit missionary/scientist serving at the court of the Kangxi Emperor of China. Stumpf was in a privileged position to record day by day the events of this crucial episode not only in the history of Christianity in China but in Chinese-Western relations. This annotated translation provides a full documentation and an acute and lively commentary on the clash of values which resulted in the failure of the legation and the condemnation of Chinese Rites.




The Oxford Handbook of the Jesuits


Book Description

Through its missionary, pedagogical, and scientific accomplishments, the Society of Jesus-known as the Jesuits-became one of the first institutions with a truly "global" reach, in practice and intention. The Oxford Handbook of the Jesuits offers a critical assessment of the Order, helping to chart new directions for research at a time when there is renewed interest in Jesuit studies. In particular, the Handbook examines their resilient dynamism and innovative spirit, grounded in Catholic theology and Christian spirituality, but also profoundly rooted in society and cultural institutions. It also explores Jesuit contributions to education, the arts, politics, and theology, among others. The volume is organized in seven major sections, totaling forty articles, on the Order's foundation and administration, the theological underpinnings of its activities, the Jesuit involvement with secular culture, missiology, the Order's contributions to the arts and sciences, the suppression the Order endured in the 18th century, and finally, the restoration. The volume also looks at the way the Jesuit Order is changing, including becoming more non-European and ethnically diverse, with its members increasingly interested in engaging society in addition to traditional pastoral duties.




The Tale of Tea


Book Description

The Tale of Tea presents a comprehensive history of tea from prehistoric times to the present day in a single volume, covering the fascinating social history of tea and the origins, botany and biochemistry of this singularly important cultigen.




Gathering Souls


Book Description

This essay deals with the missionary work of the Society of Jesus in today's Micronesia from the seventeenth to the twentieth century. In order to understand the Jesuits' evangelization project of gathering souls in the Oceanic archipelagos, it is important to place them into the broader context of Philippine politics.




A History of Christian Missions


Book Description

A History of Christian Missions traces the expansion of Christianity from its origins in the Middle East to Rome, the rest of Europe and the colonial world, and assesses its position as a major religious force worldwide. Many of the world’s religions have not actively sought converts, largely because they have been too regional in character. Buddhism, Islam and Christianity, however, are the three chief exceptions to this, and Christianity in particular has found a home in almost every country in the world. Professor Stephen Neill’s comprehensive and authoritative survey examines centuries of missionary activity, beginning with Christ and working through the Crusades and the colonization of Asia and Africa up to the present day, concluding with a shrewd look ahead to what the future may hold for the Christian Church.




The Getty Murua


Book Description

Here is a set of essays on Historia general del Piru that discuss not only the manuscript's physical components--quires and watermarks, scripts and pigments--but also its relation to other Andean manuscripts, Inca textiles, European portraits, and Spanish sources and publication procedures. The sum is an unusually detailed and interdisciplinary analysis of the creation and fate of a historical and artistic treasure.