A Vision Betrayed

Overview

Francis Xavier's arrival in Japan in 1549 initiated an approach to mission that distinguished the Jesuits from all other Europeans for the next two hundred years. In a highly readable and stylishly written book, Andrew Ross shows how the Jesuits' sensitivity to Japanese and Chinese culture contradicted the imperialism of the Spanish and the Portuguese, and allowed the possibility of dialogue between East and West. It is a richly detailed account, exploring the first attempt by western European Christians to realize the universality of Christianity outside European culture, and will be welcomed by students of Japanese and Chinese History, Church History, Religious Studies and Missiology.