Abstract
In 1554 Ignatius Loyola realized Malta’s great potential as a stepping-stone for building contacts with the Muslim Maghreb. The close association of the Maltese language to Arabic further convinced the Jesuit Curia, and the Holy See, to ‘privilege’ Malta as an ideal base for the evangelization of North Africa and the Levant. However, with time, the <College became more concerned with preaching and missionary activities within Malta itself. The present study, largely based on research at the Jesuit Curia archives in Rome, looks at Jesuit activities in Malta from the end of the sixteenth century to 1768, when the Jesuits were expelled. During the span of almost two centuries, the role played by Malta had much to do with Malta’s geographical proximity to North Africa, coupled with the ability of the Maltese to speak a native Semitic language which was believed to be very close to Arabic, while at the same time being a place inhabited by a fervently Catholic population. The Jesuit Curia appears to have used Malta as a base for missionary activities to, or, from the Levant.
Highlights
En 1554 Ignacio de Loyola se dio cuenta del gran potencial que constituía la isla de Malta como punto de partida desde el que construir puentes con el Magreb musulmán
During the span of almost two centuries, the role played by Malta had much to do with Malta’s geographical proximity to North Africa, coupled with the ability of the Maltese to speak a native Semitic language which was believed to be very close to Arabic, while at the same time being a place inhabited by a fervently Catholic population
In an early eighteenth-century compilation of Jesuit achievements at the Collegium Melitense, one finds a note written by a Jesuit priest, which is worthy of attention
Summary
In 1554 Ignatius Loyola realized Malta’s great potential as a stepping-stone for building contacts with the Muslim Maghreb. The close association of the Maltese language to Arabic further convinced the Jesuit Curia, and the Holy See, to ‘privilege’ Malta as an ideal base for the evangelization of North Africa and the Levant. During the span of almost two centuries, the role played by Malta had much to do with Malta’s geographical proximity to North Africa, coupled with the ability of the Maltese to speak a native Semitic language which was believed to be very close to Arabic, while at the same time being a place inhabited by a fervently Catholic population. La asociación de la lengua maltesa con el árabe convenció todavía más a la Curia Jesuita y a la Santa Sede, para “privilegiar” a Malta como una base ideal para la evangelización del norte de África. La Curia Jesuita parece haber usado a Malta como base de su actividad misionera a y desde Levante. Palabras clave: Curia Jesuita; Collegium Melitense; Norte de África; Levante; Propaganda Fide; Lengua maltésa; Escuela de árabe; misiones
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