The Early Modern Jesuit Attitude towards Hindu and Ethiopian Strains of Asceticism

Download or read book The Early Modern Jesuit Attitude towards Hindu and Ethiopian Strains of Asceticism written by Leonardo Cohen and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2023-12-04 with total page 286 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book presents an early modern Jesuit attitude towards Hindu and Ethiopian strains of asceticism. The Jesuits’ descriptions of both the yogis and the Ethiopian renunciates were marked by ambivalence. While critical of these ascetics, the missionaries also pointed out admirable facets of their comportment. In both the Society of Jesus’ positive and negative impressions, there are glaring ethnocentric views that shift the spotlight onto the other’s flaws. Like many historical cases, these perceptions evolved into a sort of inverted mirror image of the self that revealed differences between the European Catholic and the native renunciate.