Studies in Asian Mission History, 1956-1998 (Studies in Christian Mission)

353 Pages·2000·17.14 MB·English

by  Arnulf Camps

STUDIES IN ASIAN MISSION HISTORY
1956-1998
STUDIES IN CHRISTIAN MISSION
GENERAL EDITOR
Marc R. Spindler (University of Leiden)
EDITORIAL BOARD
Adrian Hastings (University of Leeds)
Jocelyn Murray (London)
Jean Pirotte (Universite de Louvain)
VOLUME 25
STUDIES IN ASIAN
MISSION HISTORY
1956-1998
BY
ARNULF CAMPS
BRILL
LEIDEN • BOSTON • KOLN
2000
This series offers a forum for scholarship on the history of Christian missionary movements world-wide, the dynam-ics
of Christian witness and service in new surrounds, the transition from movements to churches, and the areas of cultural
initiative or involvement of Christian bodies and individuals, such as education, health, community development, press,
literature and art. Special attention is given to local initiative and leadership and to Christian missions from the Third
World. Studies in the theories and paradigms of mission in their respective contexts and contributions to missiology as a
theological discipline are a second focus of the series. Occasionally volumes will contain selected papers from outstan-
ding missiologists and proceedings of significant conferences related to the themes of the series.
Enquiries and proposals for the publication of works in the series should be addressed to the Administrative Editor,
Studies in Christian Mission, Koninkhjke Brill N. V., P.O. Box 9000, 2300 PA Leiden, The Netherlands.
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Camps, Arnulf, 1925-
Studies in Asian mission history, 1956-1998 / by Arnulf Camps.
p. cm. — (Studies in Christian mission, ISSN 0924-9389 ; v.25)
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 9004115722 (alk. paper)
1. Catholic Church—Missions—Asia—History. 2. Missions—
Asia—History. 1. Title. II. Series
BV2185.C36 2000
266'.25—dc21 99-059896
CIP
Die Deutsche Bibliothek - CIP-Einheitsaufnahme
Camps, Arnulf:
Studies in Asian mission history : 1956 - 1998 / by Arnulf Camps.
Leiden ; Boston ; Koln : Brill, 2000
(Studies in Christian mission ; Vol. 25)
ISBN 90-04-11572-2
ISSN 0924-9389
ISBN 9004115722
© Copyright 2000 by Konmklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in
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PRINTED IN THE NETHERLANDS
CONTENTS
Introduction ix
PART ONE
GENERAL BACKGROUND STUDIES
1. The Study of the History of Local Churches.
Its Importance for the Development and the Future
of the Church 3
2. The Catholic Missionary Movement from 1492
to 1789 13
The Catholic Missionary Movement from 1789
to 1962 22
PART TWO
MOGUL MISSION STUDIES
3. Persian Works of Jerome Xavier, a Jesuit at the Mogul
Court 33
4. An Unpublished Letter of Father Christoval de Vega s.j.
Its Importance for the History of the Second
Mission to the Mughal Court and for the Knowledge
of the Religion of the Emperor Akbar 47
5. Franciscan Missions to the Mogul Court 60
6. Die Wiederentdeckung der ersten abendlandischen
Sanskrit-Grammatik des P. Heinrich Roth s.j 75
7. Die Schriften der Jesuiten-Missionare Johann Grueber,
Heinrich Roth und Antonio Ceschi 79
8. The Sanskrit Grammar and Manuscripts of Father
Heinrich Roth s.j. (1620-1668): Introduction 84
Father Heinrich Roth, s.j. (1620-1668) and the History
of his Sanskrit Manuscripts 90
VI CONTENTS
PART THREE
STUDIES IN CHINESE AND JAPANESE
MISSION HISTORY
9. The People's Republic of China: from Foreignness to
Contextualization 105
10. Das Christentum aus chinesischem und japanischem
Blickwinkel wahrend der 'Jesuitischen Epoche'
der Missionsgeschichte Asiens (1549-1773) 122
11. Policy and Practice in Roman Catholic Missions in
Nineteenth Century Asia: China - India - Vietnam 139
12. The Reception of Christianity in China. A neglected
Field of Study in Interreligious Dialogue 155
13. Celso Costantini. Apostolic Delegate in China
(1922-1933) The Changing Role of the Foreign
Missionary 169
14. The First Franciscans in the East 175
15. Castoranos 'Brevis Apparatus et modus agendi ac
disputandi cum Mahumetanis' in China
Eine unbekannte Handschrift aus dem Jahr 1725 191
16. Carolo Orazi da Castorano O.F.M. (1673-1775) on the
Prophet Muhammad and on the Master Philosopher
Confucius 199
PART FOUR
MISSION AND AFGHANISTAN IN THE NINETEENTH
CENTURY
17. Mill Hill Missionaries in Afghanistan from 1879 until
1881 and their stay in Quetta-Baluchistan until 1883 213
PART FIVE
THE PIONEER OF CATHOLIC EDUCATION
IN SRI LANKA
18. Father Felice Zoppi da Cannobio, O.F.M. in Sri Lanka:
1853-1857. Pioneer of Catholic Education in Kandy 261
19. Thirteen Unknown Documents written by Father Zoppi
da Cannobio O.F.M. in Sri Lanka from 1853 till 1856 268
CONTENTS Vll
PART SIX
VARIOUS STUDIES ON INDIA, TURKEY,
COCHINCHINE AND TIBET
20. Indien im Blickwinkel europaischer Missionare 297
21. A Letter written by Fr. Petrus Franciscus a
Saorgio, O.F.M., from an Indian Prison (1729) 312
22. Flamische Franziskaner in Konstantinopel, Smyrna und
auf der Insel Chios am Ende des 17. Jahrhunderts 318
23. Une lettre inedite du P. Valerius Rist, O.F.M.,
Missionnaire en Cochinchine 332
24. Luciano Petech und die katholische Tibet-Mission im
17. und 18. Jahrhundert 335
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INTRODUCTION
In this book a collection of articles written over an extended period
of more than four decades (1956-1999) have been selected with the
intention to make them more accessible to researchers and histori-
ans. Purposely, the selection has been restricted within the limits of:
Studies in Asian Mission History. From the very beginning of my
academic studies at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, in 1951,
my main interest was — for several reasons — focussed on the his-
tory of Christianity in that vast and religiously pluriform continent.
The first reason was, that after having obtained the doctor's degree
(1957) I - being a franciscan friar - was destined to teach mission
history, missiology and islamology at the Regional Christ the King
Major Seminary at Karachi, Pakistan. My students originated from
various Asian countries, Pakistan, India, Indonesia and Bangladesh.
Soon, I understood, that they rightly asked for a study of the local
history of their religious communities and not for detailed historical
studies of Western Churches with which they had little affinity. This
situation led me to a search of undiscovered and unknown archival
sources in order to bring to light the religious past of the Asian local
Christian communities. In this search, I was greatly helped by schol-
ars like Dr. Achilles Meersman O.F.M. an historian teaching at
Bangalore, India, by the Rt. Rev. Dr. Edmund Peiris O.M.I., bishop of
Chilaw, Sri Lanka, and by Prof. Dr. Bernward Willeke O.F.M., living
in Wiirzburg, Germany and an expert in Chinese franciscan missions.
However, there was another reason which caused me to pay spe-
cial attention to the discovery of hidden, unknown or forgotten sources
of Asian Mission History. As a student at the Catholic University of
Fribourg I had the privilege of being guided by a number of pro-
fessors, who were constantly searching for a renewal of the tradi-
tional views of Asian, African and Latin American mission histories.
It was Professor Dr. Johannes Beckmann S.M.B., who convinced me,
that the history of the Jesuit Mogul Mission (1580-1803) in Northern
India was for many important aspects still depending on secondary
sources. Under his guidance I did research in many European archives
and libraries. I collected a great number of letters and manuscripts,
which had never been used in historical studies. Two examples may