Jerome Xavier
Encyclopedia
Jerome Xavier, born Jerónimo de Ezpeleta y Goñi (1549 in Beire
, Navarra (Spain) – June 27, 1617, Goa
, (India
)), was a Spanish Jesuit missionary in to the Mughal court
of Akbar, (1542 - 1605), and his son Jahangir
, (1569 - 1627), . Grand-nephew of Saint Francis Xavier
he chose to be called Jerome Xavier.
, (1491 - 1556), and co-founder of the Society of Jesus
.
On May 7, 1568 at the age of nineteen Jerome entered the Society of Jesus
upon completion of a degree of Bachelor of Philosophy
from the University of Alcalá
. He spent the following years studying theology and philosophy before being ordained priest in 1575. Upon his ordination Xavier spent a number of years teaching "elementary subjects" in Villarejo de Fuentes
in Cuenca, (central Spain), before being sent east, arriving in Goa
in September, 1581.
Father Jerome was "appointed as master of novices
" but quickly had to relinquish the position due to illness "as a consequence of the difficult sea-voyage and the troubles of acclimatization". Following his recovery Xavier began work on a Portuguese translation of Father Alessandro Valignano
's History of the Jesuits in India.
In early 1584 Xavier was installed as the Rector of the Bassein College, though poor health hampered his duty once again and forced him to be transferred to the "more favorable climate" of Cochin where he occupied the same position from 1586 to 1592. Around this time Father Xavier was appointed as the Superior of the Professed House
of Goa
, though election to his new position further strained tense relations between the Portuguese and Spanish in the Oriental colony. The tension of a Castillian ruling a Portuguese population was eased when Mughal
Emperor Akbar, (1542 - 1605), called for the third mission of Jesuit priests to his court and Father Jerome was sent, by popular election, to Lahore
where he arrived on May 5, 1595.
was marked by the hospitality of Akbar who provided Xavier and his two companions, Father Emmanuel Pinheiro and Brother Benedict de Goes, with lodgings in his own palace and "assigned a Muslim doctor to instruct them" in learning the Persian language".
During the reign of Akbar, Father Jerome accompanied the Emperor on various expeditions through the Deccan Plateau
witnessing the capture of the fortress as Asirgarh
in January 1601.
During the conquest Akbar moved his permanent residence to Agra
providing stability that allowed Father Jerome to "devote much of his time to the creation of a Christian religious literature written in the Persian tongue".
It was approximately during this time that more Jesuit missionaries began to arrive to replace Father Emmanuel and Brother Benedict who had been sent to explore on the central route leading to China (the search of Cathay) and that the greatest accomplishment of Father Jerome and the Jesuits under Emperor Akbar was achieved.
While Xavier was accompanying the army and his two original companions sent elsewhere he was notified by Father Francesco Corsi, (1573 - 1635), of the declining atmosphere of religious freedom in Lahore
under the "intolerant attitude of the Viceroy" put in place by Akbar. Immediately Father Jerome requested that the Emperor send the more experienced Father Pinheiro back to Lahore as was as issuing a farmān
"granting freedom of worship" to the Christians. This is significant largely because Akbar had denied previous requests by the missionaries to "strengthen the position of the mission" in more of an authoritative way within the Islamic Empire.
Xavier and the Emperor often debated topics regarding religion. The most frequent of which was of Akbar's disbelief in the divinity of Christ. While the Conversion of the Emperor seemed unlikely, Xavier "entertained great hopes" for the conversion of his son Salīm, born 1569, called Salim as a sign of respect towards Sheikh Sufi Mystic Salim Chishti (1478 – 1572) whose daughter nursed Salim as a child, and descendant of the famous Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti
, (1141 - 1230), whose tomb/Dargha is in Ajmer
, Rajasthan
.
when he took the throne and his attitude towards Christian missionaries and a discourse on religion within his court was similar to that of his father. Low conversion rates continued though "Xavier attended...audiences [at Lahore] throwing the hook into the water, hoping the fish will bite". The most notable of all conversions during Father Jerome's charge of the mission was the conversion and baptism of three nephews of Jahangir in the summer of 1610.
This conversion was short lived as in 1613 "the princes apostatized and gave their crucifixes [given to them at upon their baptism] back to the Jesuits". This act confirmed Father Jerome's growing pessimism about his mission among the "hardness of the Muslims and...motives of the converts". The Father's doubts of the effectiveness of his mission were further confirmed as war broke out between the Portuguese and Mughal Empires in the autumn of 1613.
During the conflict Xavier had to protect the possessions of the church by storing them "in the home of a poor Christian". As the war progressed safety became a concern for Father Jerome, who moved the Mission and its congregation from Lahore
to Agra
in 1614. While the "end of the mission seemed evident" peace was restored in 1615 and the mission resumed its pre-war activity though without Father Jerome, who for the first time since his departure, returned to Goa "a broken man".
Beire
Beire is a town and municipality located in the province and autonomous community of Navarre, northern Spain.-External links:*...
, Navarra (Spain) – June 27, 1617, Goa
Goa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
, (India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
)), was a Spanish Jesuit missionary in to the Mughal court
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
of Akbar, (1542 - 1605), and his son Jahangir
Jahangir
Jahangir was the ruler of the Mughal Empire from 1605 until his death. The name Jahangir is from Persian جهانگیر,meaning "Conqueror of the World"...
, (1569 - 1627), . Grand-nephew of Saint Francis Xavier
Francis Xavier
Francis Xavier, born Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta was a pioneering Roman Catholic missionary born in the Kingdom of Navarre and co-founder of the Society of Jesus. He was a student of Saint Ignatius of Loyola and one of the first seven Jesuits, dedicated at Montmartre in 1534...
he chose to be called Jerome Xavier.
Early life
Jerome Xavier was born "in the castle of his father Miguel de Ezpeleta" in the northern province of Navarra, Spain in 1549. Xavier's great-uncle, Saint Francis Xavier,(1506 - 1552), was a closer friend of Ignatius of LoyolaIgnatius of Loyola
Ignatius of Loyola was a Spanish knight from a Basque noble family, hermit, priest since 1537, and theologian, who founded the Society of Jesus and was its first Superior General. Ignatius emerged as a religious leader during the Counter-Reformation...
, (1491 - 1556), and co-founder of the Society of Jesus
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
.
On May 7, 1568 at the age of nineteen Jerome entered the Society of Jesus
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
upon completion of a degree of Bachelor of Philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
from the University of Alcalá
University of Alcalá
The University of Alcalá is a public university located in Alcalá de Henares, a city 35 km northeast of Madrid in Spain. Founded in 1499, it was moved in 1836 to Madrid. In 1977, the University was reopened in its same historical buildings...
. He spent the following years studying theology and philosophy before being ordained priest in 1575. Upon his ordination Xavier spent a number of years teaching "elementary subjects" in Villarejo de Fuentes
Villarejo de Fuentes
Villarejo de Fuentes is a municipality located in the province of Cuenca, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 727 inhabitants....
in Cuenca, (central Spain), before being sent east, arriving in Goa
Goa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
in September, 1581.
First years
Upon arrival at the Portuguese GoaGoa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
Father Jerome was "appointed as master of novices
Master of novices
The master of novices or novice master is a term used in the Roman Catholic Church to refer those religious to whom is committed the training of the novices and the government of the novitiate of a religious order or congregation...
" but quickly had to relinquish the position due to illness "as a consequence of the difficult sea-voyage and the troubles of acclimatization". Following his recovery Xavier began work on a Portuguese translation of Father Alessandro Valignano
Alessandro Valignano
Alessandro Valignano, , was a Jesuit missionary born in Chieti, back then part of the Kingdom of Naples, who helped supervise the introduction of Catholicism to the Far East, and especially to Japan....
's History of the Jesuits in India.
In early 1584 Xavier was installed as the Rector of the Bassein College, though poor health hampered his duty once again and forced him to be transferred to the "more favorable climate" of Cochin where he occupied the same position from 1586 to 1592. Around this time Father Xavier was appointed as the Superior of the Professed House
Professed house
In the Society of Jesus, a professed house was a residence where - in a spirit of radical poverty - no member had a stable income. The Jesuit priests who lived there, all of whom have professed the fourth vow, undertake their spiritual and pastoral ministry completely for free. With no revenues,...
of Goa
Goa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
, though election to his new position further strained tense relations between the Portuguese and Spanish in the Oriental colony. The tension of a Castillian ruling a Portuguese population was eased when Mughal
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
Emperor Akbar, (1542 - 1605), called for the third mission of Jesuit priests to his court and Father Jerome was sent, by popular election, to Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
where he arrived on May 5, 1595.
In the court of Akbar
Father Jerome's arrival in LahoreLahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
was marked by the hospitality of Akbar who provided Xavier and his two companions, Father Emmanuel Pinheiro and Brother Benedict de Goes, with lodgings in his own palace and "assigned a Muslim doctor to instruct them" in learning the Persian language".
During the reign of Akbar, Father Jerome accompanied the Emperor on various expeditions through the Deccan Plateau
Deccan Plateau
The Deccan Plateau is a large plateau in India, making up the majority of the southern part of the country. It rises a hundred meters high in the north, rising further to more than a kilometers high in the south, forming a raised triangle nested within the familiar downward-pointing triangle of...
witnessing the capture of the fortress as Asirgarh
Asirgarh
Asirgarh Qila is an Indian fortress situated in the Satpura Range, about 20 km north of the town of Burhanpur, in Burhanpur District of Madhya Pradesh state. The fortress commands a pass through the Satpuras connecting the valleys of the Narmada and Tapti rivers, one of the most important...
in January 1601.
During the conquest Akbar moved his permanent residence to Agra
Agra
Agra a.k.a. Akbarabad is a city on the banks of the river Yamuna in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India, west of state capital, Lucknow and south from national capital New Delhi. With a population of 1,686,976 , it is one of the most populous cities in Uttar Pradesh and the 19th most...
providing stability that allowed Father Jerome to "devote much of his time to the creation of a Christian religious literature written in the Persian tongue".
It was approximately during this time that more Jesuit missionaries began to arrive to replace Father Emmanuel and Brother Benedict who had been sent to explore on the central route leading to China (the search of Cathay) and that the greatest accomplishment of Father Jerome and the Jesuits under Emperor Akbar was achieved.
While Xavier was accompanying the army and his two original companions sent elsewhere he was notified by Father Francesco Corsi, (1573 - 1635), of the declining atmosphere of religious freedom in Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
under the "intolerant attitude of the Viceroy" put in place by Akbar. Immediately Father Jerome requested that the Emperor send the more experienced Father Pinheiro back to Lahore as was as issuing a farmān
Farman
Farman Aviation Works was an aeronautic enterprise founded and run by the brothers; Richard, Henri, and Maurice Farman. They designed and constructed aircraft and engines from 1908 until 1936; during the French nationalization and rationalization of its aerospace industry, Farman's assets were...
"granting freedom of worship" to the Christians. This is significant largely because Akbar had denied previous requests by the missionaries to "strengthen the position of the mission" in more of an authoritative way within the Islamic Empire.
Xavier and the Emperor often debated topics regarding religion. The most frequent of which was of Akbar's disbelief in the divinity of Christ. While the Conversion of the Emperor seemed unlikely, Xavier "entertained great hopes" for the conversion of his son Salīm, born 1569, called Salim as a sign of respect towards Sheikh Sufi Mystic Salim Chishti (1478 – 1572) whose daughter nursed Salim as a child, and descendant of the famous Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti
Moinuddin Chishti
Sultan-ul-Hind, Moinuddin Chishti was born in 1141 and died in 1230 CE. Also known as Gharīb Nawāz "Benefactor of the Poor" , he is the most famous Sufi saint of the Chishti Order of the Indian Subcontinent. He introduced and established the order in South Asia...
, (1141 - 1230), whose tomb/Dargha is in Ajmer
Ajmer
Ajmer , formerly written as Ajmere, is a city in Ajmer District in Rajasthan state in India. Ajmer has a population of around 800,000 , and is located west of the Rajasthan state capital Jaipur, 200 km from Jodhpur, 274 km from Udaipur, 439 km from Jaisalmer, and 391 km from...
, Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
.
In the court of Jahāngīr
Prince Salīm took the name JahangirJahangir
Jahangir was the ruler of the Mughal Empire from 1605 until his death. The name Jahangir is from Persian جهانگیر,meaning "Conqueror of the World"...
when he took the throne and his attitude towards Christian missionaries and a discourse on religion within his court was similar to that of his father. Low conversion rates continued though "Xavier attended...audiences [at Lahore] throwing the hook into the water, hoping the fish will bite". The most notable of all conversions during Father Jerome's charge of the mission was the conversion and baptism of three nephews of Jahangir in the summer of 1610.
This conversion was short lived as in 1613 "the princes apostatized and gave their crucifixes [given to them at upon their baptism] back to the Jesuits". This act confirmed Father Jerome's growing pessimism about his mission among the "hardness of the Muslims and...motives of the converts". The Father's doubts of the effectiveness of his mission were further confirmed as war broke out between the Portuguese and Mughal Empires in the autumn of 1613.
During the conflict Xavier had to protect the possessions of the church by storing them "in the home of a poor Christian". As the war progressed safety became a concern for Father Jerome, who moved the Mission and its congregation from Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
to Agra
Agra
Agra a.k.a. Akbarabad is a city on the banks of the river Yamuna in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India, west of state capital, Lucknow and south from national capital New Delhi. With a population of 1,686,976 , it is one of the most populous cities in Uttar Pradesh and the 19th most...
in 1614. While the "end of the mission seemed evident" peace was restored in 1615 and the mission resumed its pre-war activity though without Father Jerome, who for the first time since his departure, returned to Goa "a broken man".
Final years and death
The final years of Father Jerome's life were spent in retirement in Goa. He was once again assigned as Rector, this time at St. Paul's College and desired greatly to return to Spain though he did not possess the "health and strength required for the labours of that country". He reflected that he was "on death's door" and on June 27, 1617 "he was found burned to death in his room" under circumstances that are not known to this day. Unknown to him at the time of his death, Father Xavier had been elected to serve as the Archbishop of Cranganore.Some references
- Sir Edward Maclagan, KCSI, KCIE, (1864 - 1952), The Jesuits and the Great Mogul, Ed. Burns, Oates & Washbourne, London, (1932), 433 pages, ISBN, 9780374952485. Reprint by Octagon Press, New York, (1972),
- Charles E. O'Neill, Joaquín María Domínguez , Diccionario histórico de la Compañía de Jesús: biográfico-temático, Volumen 4 Institutum Historicum, (2001) - 4110 pages. Univ. Pontificia de Comillas, ISBN 8484680363, ISBN 9788484680369
- Jahangir and the Jesuits From Fernão Guerreiro, Publisher: London : Routledge Curzon, (2005). ISBN: 0415344824 DDC: 266.25409031 . Facsimile reproduction of: Jahangir and the Jesuits: with an accountof the travels of Bento de Gois and the mission to Pegu, from the Relations of Fernão Guerreiro / translated by C. H. Payne. London : George Routledge & Sons, (1930).