DU JARRIC, Pierre. Toulouse 2.3.1566 — Saintes 1617. S.J. French Historian of Mission. Joined Jesuits in 1582. When his hope to become a missionary was not accepted he turned to writing mission history. Ordained priest he taught many years philosophy and moral theology in Bordeaux. Beside mission his work contains…
CINNOMA, Leonardo. 1??? — 1644. Father. Catholic Missionary in India. Publications: A grammar and dictionary of Kannaḍa, publ. Goa 1674 (some say 1774), some religious works. Sources: The work often briefly mentioned, e.g. in V.K. Gokak, Literatures in Modern Indian Languages. Delhi 1967, 107. These may all hail from one…
BOUCHET, Jean Venant. 1655 — 1732. S.J. French Missionary in Thailand and India. First in Thailand, when the Jesuits were forced to leave in 1688 entered Madurai mission. Following Roberto de Nobili’s methods lived as a sannyāsin. In 1704-10 in Rome defending the Jesuit missionary tactics. In 1710-32 Supérior of…
BOCARRO, Antonio. Abrante (or Lisbon?) 1594? — Goa 1643?. Portuguese Historian and Geographer. Son of New Christian parents (with Jewish background). In 1615-38 served in India, first as soldier in Goa and Cochin, finally as corretor-mor of customs in Goa, but also official historiographer in 1631-43. Married 1624 Isabel Vieira.…
BLIN, Amédée. 1799? — 18??. French Colonial Officer. Still in Paris, he had some months attended the Hindustani classes of Garcin de Tassy. From 1823 (if not earlier) served in Pondichéry (1831 mentioned as Lieutenant of the Cypahi Battalion). His dictionary is “dédié à Mr. le Ministre de la Marine”.…
SÃO MIGUEL, Gaspar de. 1595? — 1647. Born in Portugal. Franciscan priest and missionary in India. Publications: Manuscript works: Arte da lingoa Canarim (lost?); Dictionarium et ars lingua Canarinae; Vocabulario da Lingua Portugues e Canari. – A collection of sermons; an apologetic work describing and refuting Hindu religion (also manuscripts?).…
LAET, Joannes de (Latin: Ioannes Latius). 1581 or 1593 — buried 15.12.1649. Flemish Geographer, Philologist and Naturalist, who wrote from secondary sources a well known book on India. Son of a cloth merchant from Antwerpen, he was student of Erpenius and Scaliger at Leiden. Worked as merchant, in 1620 one…
LA LANE, Pierre de (Lalane, Lalanne). Toulouse 6.8.1669 — Pondichéry 1746. S.J. French missionary in South India. Entered Jesuit order in 1685, in 1703 in Pondichéry learning the language and then worked there until his death (except three years in Tarcolam and a visit to Bengal). Publications: According to Vinson…
STEPHENS (Stevens), Thomas (Thomaz/Tomás Estevão/Esteves, also known as Padre Busten/Buston). Bushton, Wiltshire 1549 (?) — Salcete 1619. S.J. British Missionary in India. Early Marathi scholar and author. Studied at Oxford. Adopting Catholic faith he went to Rome and joined Jesuits in 1575. Arrived in Goa in 1579 and remained in…
SCHULTZE, Benjamin. Sonnenburg (now Słonsk in Poland) 1689 — 25.11.1760. German Missionary and Precursor of Indology. In India 1719-43. From Sonnenburg in Neumark. After studies of Theology at Halle (from 1711) he joined the Lutheran Trankebar Mission in 1719 and participated in the conclusion of the Tamil Bible. He did…