History Of Bartolomé De Las Casas

Bartolomé de Las Casas was a sixteenth century Dominican friar, who was best known for his detailed accounts on the initial stages of colonization of the West Indies by the Spanish Empire. His most famous work, entitled A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies, outlined the numerous atrocities committed against the native population by Spanish colonizers. Las Casas’s letter was written to King Charles I of Spain with the purpose of informing him of these wrong doings. Additionally, Las Casas hoped that Charles I would remedy the situation before Spain fell victim to God’s wrath. The Catholic Reformation of the sixteenth century, also called the Counter Reformation, was the Catholic Church response to the Protestant Reformation. It’s primary mission was to purify, revitalize, and expand Christianity. Many new religious orders and sects began to form in the wake of the reformation. The most prominent of these new orders was Society of Jesus, which was founded in 1540 and was led by Ignatius Loyola. Jesuits took vows of obedience, poverty, and chastity. They are also well known for their loyalty to the Pope and some Jesuits elected to devote themselves to God as missionaries at the Pope’s request. Francis Xavier, who was a founding member of the Society of Jesus, was one of the first Jesuit missionaries to travel to Asia and he was particularly renowned for his missionary accomplishments in Japan. In 1552, Saint Francis Xavier wrote a letter entitled Missionaries in Japan, wherein he described the cultural norms of Japanese society and the daily lives of the Jesuit missionaries. His writings provided insight into how Roman Catholicism was spread throughout Asia as well as the difficulties these missionaries faced. These acc...

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...aw, natural law, and therefore Spanish law as well. Xavier on the other hand was equally as influential because of his personal commitment to spread Christianity and the successes of his missions. Perhaps the most profound impact of Xavier was not his letter, or his ability to adapt Christian constructs, but rather his ability to be a religious trailblazer in a far off land. His faith in God was unrivalled and he is still used by the church to teach missionaries the value of their work. During his lifetime he converted thousands of people with his words and actions. Today, his letter remains just as instructive and important to Christianity as it serves as a symbol of self-sacrifice and guidance for modern-day missionaries. These two authors used different strategies to promote the spread of Christianity and they helped to foster the Christian emphasis on morality.