{
  "bookName": "History of Christianity in India: Source Materials",
  "authorName": "M. K. Kuriakose",
  "publisherName": "Indian Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge",
  "publicationYear": 2011,
  "chapterNumber": 33,
  "chapterName": "1545. Francis Xavier’s Letter of January 1545",
  "pageFrom": 32,
  "pageTo": 33,
  "pages": [
    {
      "pageNumber": 32,
      "ocrText": "32\nHISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY IN INDIA\nand horrible to look at. To all these questions I was able to reply\nso as to satisfy them entirely. But when I came to the point at\nlast, and urged them to embrace the religion which they felt to be\ntrue, they made that same objection which we hear from many\nChristians when urged to change their life, that they would set\nmen talking about them if they altered their ways and their religion,\nand besides, they said that they should be afraid that, if they did\nso, they would have nothing to live on and support themselves\nby\nHere, then, I will leave off writing, begging of God that since\nin His goodness He has united us in a common way of life, and then\nhas separated us so widely for the good of the Christian religion,\nso also He will be pleased to bring us together again in the abode\nand home of the blessed. That He may grant us this grace, let us,\nif you will, plead the prayers, among others, of the infants and\nchildren whom I have baptized with my own hand, here, and whom\nGod has called away to His mansions in heaven before they had\nHost their robe of innocence. They are, I think, more than a thou-.\nsand in number, and I pray to them over and over again, begging\nthat they will obtain for us from God that for what remains of this\nlife, or rather of this time of exile, He will teach us to do His will,\nand to do it so completely as to accomplish all that He requires of\nus exactly as He himself desires it to be done.\nFrom Cochin, December 31, 1543.\n33. FRANCIS XAVIER'S LETTER OF JANUARY 1545\nXavier's experience in\nIt also makes reference\nThe Hand of Xavier\nThis letter, written from Cochin, tells of\nTravancore and the condition of the converts.\n'to persecution by the Raja of Jafanapatam.\nin the Pearl Fishery Coast', Pro Deo et Partia, Series No. XXV, pp.\n104-106.\nNow I speak of what I know you are most anxious to hear\nabout the state of religion in India. In this region of Travancore,\nwhere I now am, God has drawn very many to the faith of His\nSon Jesus Christ. In the space of one month I made Christians\nof more than ten thousand. This is the method I have followed.\nAs soon as I arrived in my heathen village where they had sent for\nme to give baptism, I gave orders for all, men, women and children,\nto be collected in one place. Then, beginning with the first elements\nof the Christian faith, I taught them there is one God Father,\n'Son, and Holy Ghost; and at the same time, calling on the three\ndivine Persons and one God, I made them each make three",
      "status": "completed"
    },
    {
      "pageNumber": 33,
      "ocrText": "SOURCE MATERIALS\n33\ntimes the sign of the cross; then, putting on a surplice, I began\nto recite in a loud voice and in their own language the form of\ngeneral Confession, the Apostles' Creed, the Ten Commandments,\nthe Lord's Prayer, the Ave Maria, and the Salve Regina. Two\nyears ago I translated all these prayers into the language of the\ncountry, and learned them by heart. I recited them so that all\nof every age and condition followed me in them. Then I began\nto explain shortly the articles of the Creed and the Ten Command-\nments in the language of the country. Where the people appeared\nto be sufficiently instructed to receive baptism, I ordered them all\nto ask God's pardon publicly for the sins of their past life, and to do\nthis with a loud voice and in the presence of their neighbours still\nhostile to the Christian religion, in order to touch the hearts of\nthe heathen and confirm the faith of the good. All the heathen\nare filled with admiration at the holiness of the law of God, and\nexpress the greatest shame at having lived so long in ignorance of\nthe true God. They willingly hear about the mysteries and rules\nof the Christian religion, and treat me, poor sinner as I am, with\nthe greatest respect. Many, however, put away from them with\nhardness of heart the truth which they well know. When I have\ndone my instruction, I ask one by one all those who desire baptism if\nthey believe without hesitation in each of the articles of the faith.\nAll immediately, holding their arms in form of the cross, declare\nwith one voice that they believe all entirely. Then at last I baptise\nthem in due form, and I give to each his name written on a ticket.\nAfter their baptism the new Christians go back to their houses\nand bring me their wives and families for baptism. When all are\nbaptized I order the temples of their false gods to be destroyed\nand all the idols to be broken in pieces. I can give you an idea of the\njoy I feel in seeing this done, witnessing the destruction of the idols\nby the very people who but lately adored them. In all the towns\nand villages I leave the Christian doctrine in writing in the language\nof the country. I prescribe at the same time the manner in which\nit is to be taught in the morning and evening schools. When I\nhave done all this in one place, I pass to another, and so on suc-\ncessively to the rest. In this way I go all round the country, bring-\ning the natives into the fold of Jesus Christ, and the joy that I feel\nin this is far too great to be expressed in a letter, or even by word of\nmouth.\nThe island of Manaar is about 150 miles from this place. Its\ninhabitants sent me some of their people to beg me to go there to\nbaptise them, as they had determined to become Christians. I\nwas occupied on affairs of the greatest importance, relating to the\ninterests of religion, and so could not go myself; but I persuaded\na certain priest to go instead of me and baptise as many as possible.\nHe had already baptized a great number, when the Raja of Jafana-\npatam, under whose dominion the island lies, most cruelly put to",
      "status": "completed"
    }
  ]
}