A Comparative Study on the Missionary Approach of St. Francis Xavier and
Robert de Nobili.
By: Laldanmawia
…………………………August
2012………………………..
Introduction
From the later part of the 15th
Century, Indian Christian History witnessed the Portuguese’s relationships with
Indians. From that moment many Europeans came to India on account of economic
merchandising as well as of mission. Among them St. Francis Xavier, the
Portuguese and Robert de Nobili, the Italian also came but mainly for the
purpose of mission. They were sent by the Jesuit of Roman Catholic. Their
encounter with Indian had great impact particularly in the History of
Christianity in India. So this paper will discuss on the comparative study on
their missionary approaches.
1.
Biographical Sketch of:
Before going
to the main topic we will look first to their biographical sketch including the
introduction to their early life, character and their position in mission
works.
1.1. St.
Francis Xavier: Francis Xavier was a
famous missionary to the South East Asia, born to be the fifth and youngest
child on 7th April 1506 in a noble family of Navarre, a little
kingdom near Pyrenees. He studied at University of Paris; there he spent eleven
years as student and teacher.[1] During
his studies in Paris, he involved in the small enthusiastic group under the
leadership of Ignatius of Loyola which forwarded to the formation of the
Society of Jesus in 1534.[2] He
and his Jesuit friends went to Palestine and Rome. After the Pope recognized
the Jesuit in 1540, Xavier and Simon Rodriguez went to Far East as
missionaries. There they visited India, Ceylon, Malaca, Eastern Indonesia and
even Japan. And he died on 19th March 1552 while he was on
the way to China to do mission. In 1622 he was declared as saint by
Pope Pius XI.[3]
He landed in India on 6th May 1542
at Goa where Christians were already organized. He had achieved thousands of people be converted during the next decade.
His first two years were spent among the paravas who were the fishers in the
Southeastern coast of India. Then he went to Western coast by staying at
Travancore, then moved to Northern side and reached Cochin. From India he moved
toward Malaca and Indonesia.[4]
1.2.
Robert de Nobili: The other famous Jesuit
missionary Robert de Nobili was born in Montepulciano, Italy in September 1577.[5]
He joined the Society of Jesus in 1597 at Naples, and after doing education he moved to
India for mission in October, 1604.
He reached India
on 20th May, 1605, and did his work starting from Goa, and to Cochin,
Fishery coast, Madura, Malabar Coast and other South Indian regions.[6]
After staying in Cochin,
he stationed in Madurai in Tamil Nadu from 1606. There he
learned Tamil, Telegu and Sanskrit, and he mastered them soon with the help of
his teacher, Shivadharma.[7]
As he explained the Christian doctrine in Tamil, he coined several words to
communicate his message. He used the vernacular language for naming the words
like worship, grace, teacher, Bible, mass, etc. He composed Catechisms, apologetic works and philosophic discourses in Tamil as
well. He died in Mylapore in Tamil Nadu on 16 January 1656 at
the age of 79.[8]
2. A
Comparision on Their Missionary Approaches:
According to
the books and articles available to us, the two missionaries did not have many
approaches in which comparative study could be done. That is why we will look
upon two approaches where they have similarities and dissimilarities as well.
2.1. Destination: The destiny of the mission work is one aspect
where we can do comparative study. Francis Xavier was very much
concerned about the people who were in the coastal plain. However, as he was ordered by King John III,
his primarily mission was to restore Christianity among the Portuguese settlers.
Many of the Portuguese sailed from Europe had illegal relationships with Indian
women and acted unwisely. Francis struggled to restore moral and right relations
among the Portuguese themselves.[9]
He spent his first five months among them.
His destiny was then felt upon
the lower caste fishermen who could be baptized to escape from Muslim
oppression.[10]
Then he along with three Indian Christians went to Southeast coast where
Paravas were living. Visiting all villages, he could baptize almost all
children and babies.[11]
The destiny of Robert de Nobili’s approach was to
the Brahmin, those who were higher caste in the Hindu caste system. The Indian
Christianity was claimed as Portuguese Christianity where people of lower caste
were there. In the eyes of Hindu high caste, Christianity was parangis which
denotes and suggests Europeans of meat eating, wine-drinking, loose-living,
arrogant persons, etc., which were far away from Hindu life.[12]
That is why social intercourse with Hindus was difficult. He then tried to have
connection with High caste people, particularly the Brahmins, so that Indian
Christianity would have more dignity in Indian soil.
2.2. Indigenization: Indigenization was useful approach for these two
missionaries, but the way how they used was different. Francis Xavier
was flexible according to the context demands. He could change his method when
he went to Japan, which was not the method he used in Southeast Asia. When he
lived among the paravas between Cape Comorin and Tuticorin, he put an emphasis
to the use of Tamil for his mission work. He got a man of well known Portuguese
and Tamil, with him, he made prayers in Tamil, and later on he developed Creed,
the Commandments, the Lord’s Prayer, and other Hymns in Tamil language. He learnt
by heart the translated words first and called people to be taught them.[13] He
selected some acquainted persons from each village or place; he left the copies
of such translated works with them, so that they will teach by themselves.[14]
Xavier did not so much give an emphasis on living like them, rather put
importance to the vernacular language. He made use the vernacular languages of
each situation where he worked to preach the Gospel.
Meanwhile, the successor of Xavier, Robert de Nobili claimed that one
could never come close to the people of India by living European life, unless one
act as the indigenous people. That is the reason why he decided to act the role
of a Christian sannyasi[15]
and to adopt the style of living. He wore sandal and dhoti. He adopted
also local Indian customs, such as shaving one's head and keeping only a tiny
tuft. Another symbol he embraced was the wearing of a three-stringed thread
across the chest.[16]
As a member of Italian nobility he claimed to be equivalent of Kshatriya. When
it came to 1706, he began instructing young people as guru.[17] He
made friends from high class people, from them he learnt Sanskrit, and able to
speak soon. After making people to be baptized, he did not tell them to change
their ways of living. They did not need to break caste, dress, and food habits,
except idolatry.[18]
He indigenized himself in to the Indian situation. He put importance to the way
of Indian living and he led the converted Indians to live Christianity in an
Indian way.
Conclusion:
Now, we have been discussing the life and the missionary
approaches of St. Francis Xavier and Robert de Nobili. They were the Jesuit
missionaries came to Portuguese settlement in India. Even though their tenure
of staying was different, they did great job that many Indian were converted
into Christianity. They were claimed to be greatest missionaries of all time.
As Xavier started from the lower class people, he left big shadow on Indian
soil. In the mean time, de Nobili used top-down theory in which he put himself
Indianized and started mission from higher class people. He converted much
noble class of Hindus and was known in the History of Indian Christianity. Due
to their influential works, Christianity in Indian soil had been consolidated
and extended in different ways.
Bibliography:
Firth, C.B. An Introduction to Indian Church History.
Delhi: ISPCK, 1961.
Kuriakose, M.K. History
of Christianity in India: Source materials.
http://www.answers.com/topic/st-francis-xavier (2 August 2012).
http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=423 (2 August 2012).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_de_Nobili (15 August 2012).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Xavier (16
August 2012).
[1] C.B.
Firth, An Introduction to Indian Church History (Delhi: ISPCK, 1961),
55.
[2]
http://www.answers.com/topic/st-francis-xavier (2
August 2012).
[3] http://www.answers.com/topic/st-francis-xavier (2
August 2012).
[4] http://www.pweb.sophia.ac.jp/../mathy.pdf
(15 August 2012).
[5]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_de_Nobili
(15 August 2012).
[6] C.B.
Firth, An Introduction to Indian Church History (Delhi: ISPCK, 1961),
110.
[9] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Xavier (16
August 2012).
[10] http://www.answers.com/topic/st-francis-xavier (2
August 2012).
[11] C.B.
Firth, An Introduction to Indian Church History (Delhi: ISPCK, 1961),
59.
[12] C.B.
Firth, An Introduction to Indian Church History (Delhi: ISPCK, 1961),
111.
[13] C.B.
Firth, An Introduction to Indian Church History (Delhi: ISPCK, 1961),
59.
[14] C.B.
Firth, An Introduction to Indian Church History (Delhi: ISPCK, 1961),
59.
[15] One
who has given up the World and adopted the life of religious mendicant, in the
fourth and final stage of Brahman’s life.
[16] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_de_Nobili
(15 August 2012).
[17] C.B.
Firth, An Introduction to Indian Church History (Delhi: ISPCK, 1961),
112.
[18] C.B.
Firth, An Introduction to Indian Church History (Delhi: ISPCK, 1961),
113.
