The Missionary Life and Labours of Francis Xavier Taken from his own Correspondence
With a Sketch of the General Results of Roman Catholic Missions among the Heathen

A controversial 1862 re-evaluation of a Jesuit saint's mission to sixteenth-century Asia, based on study of his letters.

Henry Venn (Author)

9781108011822, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 20 May 2010

344 pages, 1 map
21.6 x 14 x 2 cm, 0.44 kg

A founding member of the Jesuit order, Francis Xavier (1506–1552) travelled as a missionary to India, Japan and China in the mid-sixteenth century. He is traditionally associated with legends of miraculous works and the conversion of tens of thousands of people. This controversial 1862 biography by the Anglican missionary clergyman Henry Venn (1796–1873) uses Xavier's own words to examine the future saint's character and private thoughts. Xavier's correspondence reveals a sensitive, energetic and occasionally vengeful man who was not averse to employing aggressive means. Containing numerous letters printed in full, Venn's chronicle provides an analysis of Xavier's mission, methods and achievements from a non-Catholic perspective. Venn also explores Xavier's close friendship with the Jesuits' founder Ignatius Loyola, and probes the facts behind previous biographers' tales of miracles. The book ends with a detailed and challenging appraisal of the overall success of the worldwide Roman Catholic mission since the sixteenth century.

Preface
1. Xavier's life before his departure for India
2. First three years of missionary life in India
3. Legendary life of Francis Xavier
4. Xavier's visit to the Spice Islands of the Indian archipelago
5. Xavier a director of Jesuit missions in the east, and a royal commissioner from the king of Portugal
6. Xavier's labours in Japan
7. Internal dissensions of the mission in India
8. Xavier's attempt to reach China - Death and character
9. The failure of Romish missions to the heathen.

Subject Areas: Church history [HRCC2]