Ignatius of Jesus

17th-century Italian Roman Catholic friar

Narratio originis, rituum, & errorum christianorum Sancti Ioannis (1652)
Grammatica linguae persicae (1661)

Ignatius of Jesus (Italian: Ignàzio di Gesù, born Carlo Leonelli; 1596, Sorbolongo, Pesaro – 21 February 1667, Rome) was an Italian Roman Catholic friar of the Order of the Discalced Carmelites who served as a missionary in Persia, Basra, and Lebanon for 35 years.^[1] He is best known for writing the first Western scholarly work on Mandaeism, Narratio originis, rituum, & errorum christianorum Sancti Ioannis ("Narration of the Origin, the Rituals, and the Errors of the Christians of St. John") (1652).^[2]^[3]

Biography

1596, Carlo Leonelli was born as the fifth of sixth siblings to a semi-noble family in Sorbolongo.^[2]

He joined the Discalced Carmelites (also known as the "Barefoot" Carmelites)^[4] and took his vows on 27 February 1623, receiving the name of Ignatius of Jesus.^[2]

He spent 35 years from 1629 to 1664 as a missionary in the Middle East in the following locations.^[2]

1629–1634: Isfahan
1634–1641: Shiraz
1641–1652: Basra
1652–1664: Lebanon

He died in Rome on 21 February 1667.^[2]

Works

Ignatius of Jesus is best known for his 1652 treatise on Mandaeism, Narratio originis, rituum, & errorum christianorum Sancti Ioannis ("Narration of the Origin, the Rituals, and the Errors of the Christians of St. John").^[5]

His other works include Grammatica linguae persicae (1661),^[6] a grammar of the Persian language.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b "Ignàzio di Gesù". Enciclopedia Treccani (in Italian). Retrieved 2022-04-21.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Lupieri, Edmondo (2004). "Friar Ignatius of Jesus (Carlo Leonelli) and the First "Scholarly" Book on Mandaeanism (1652)". ARAM. 16: 25–46.
^ Flannery, John M. (2013-01-01). "The Catholic Missions to the 'St John Christians'". The Mission of the Portuguese Augustinians to Persia and Beyond (1602-1747). Leiden: Brill. pp. 149–184. doi:10.1163/9789004247703_008.
^ Lupieri, Edmondo F. (2012). "Mandaeans: i. History". Encyclopædia Iranica. Retrieved 2022-04-21.
^ di Gesù, Ignazio (1652). Narratio originis, rituum, & errorum christianorum Sancti Ioannis (in Latin). Typis Sac. Cong. Prop. Fidei.
^ di Gesù, Ignazio (1661). Grammatica linguae Persicae (in Latin). Typis Sacrae Congregationis de Propaganda Fide.