BRAHMANA SANYASI DARI ROMA: ROBERTO DE NOBILI (1577–1656) DAN ADAPTASI DI MISI MADURAI

Abstract

This present work is aimed at introducing the figure of Roberto de Nobili (1577–1656), an Italian Jesuit missionary in Madurai Mission in South India who was well known for his immersion in Indian culture. He was a master of Indian languages, a keen scholar of Indian literature and intellectual tradition, and a Roman Catholic priest turned a Catholic brahmin sanyasi. This research is conducted by reading primary sources, namely two treatises written by de Nobili in 1613 and 1619 respectively. The reading of these sources shows that his intense encounter with Indian people led him to a conclusion that the way to open the door of Indian people to the Gospel was by putting off Western social concepts and adapting to that of India. Otherwise, the Church would always be labeled paranghi, i.e. foreigners, therefore would never be openly accepted, especially by the high-caste. De Nobili developed a method by which he helped to facilitate Indian people to receive Gospel messages and at the same time did not fall to the practice of superstitions. De Nobili's experiment in Madurai Mission is a challenge to today's Church to be alert in finding new creative ways of building bridges between Gospel message and local cultures.