How has the Age of Exploration aided missionary activity and vice versa?

1. How has the Age of Exploration aided missionary activity and vice versa?

2. What is “The Age of Exploration”? • Consisted of Christians from Europe searching the rest of our globe to spread the faith and seek wealth, particularly between 1450 and 1650. This began the “Global Age” in world history, which continues to this day. • The Portuguese were the first power to determine that there might be a better way to these Asian markets than the long routes over land. They understood that it was far less expensive to transport goods by sea. • By the 1500s, Europeans were traveling the seas to almost every part of the globe. Missionaries followed the European conquerors, traders, and colonists.

5. Jesuit missionaries that went to different countries all over the world to spread Christianity

6. Francis Xavier

7. He catechized and baptized hundreds, perhaps thousands, of native converts before moving on to Malaya and Japan. • He was able to preach to the people in their native tongue and translate the Apostle's Creed and the catechism into their language. • 1549, he came to Japan and found friends among influential political leaders. • Within a few years, thousands of Japanese converted, and Nagasaki became a successful center of Christian missionary work in Japan. • His dream of bringing the Gospel to China was never realized and, at the time of his death in 1552, he probably considered himself a failure.

8. Robert de' Nobili

9. He attempted to convert Hindus who adhered to the caste system and were hesitant to adopt Christianity. • In a series of controversial compromises, de' Nobili encouraged converts by allowing social divisions within worship.

10. Matteo Ricci

11. He adopted Chinese culture and clothing and attempted to assimilate Christianity into the local tradition.

12. The Age of Exploration aided missionary activity and vice versa by: • Giving Europeans an excuse to rationalize their abusive economic practices • Spreading the faith to all nations of the world. • Such missionaries taught natives Catholicism along with farming techniques and other trades in addition to building hospitals and schools. • They established dioceses and performed large-scale baptisms.