Pedro Chirino, S.I., and the Sino-Spanish Dictionary (Dictionarium Sino-Hispanicum) of the Angelica Library

The Andalusian Jesuit Pedro Chirino (Osuna 1557-Manila 1635) is mostly remembered for having written books rather than converting souls. Bibliographers and hagiographers, with the exception of Horacio de la Costa (1916-1977) and a few other Jesuit scholars, have to some extent been hampered in their work by unfamiliarity with the history of the Philippines and the importance of the achievements of the Society of Jesus in Southeast Asia. More generally, the conversion of the Filipinos has been regarded as an easier evangelical task compared to the missionary aims and objectives pursued by Matteo Ricci (1552-1610), João Rodrigues (1561-1633), and the other Jesuit ‘giants’ of the Sino-Japanese mission. It is, however, an undeniable fact that Chirino contributed to the achievements of the Society of Jesus in Asia, in this case in Manila, much like his celebrated companions in Beijing and Nagasaki. Little is known about Chirino’s commitment to the study of Minnan vernacular and the conversion of the Sangleys. The compilation of the Sino-Spanish dictionary at the Angelica Library is one good example of his strong dedication to the understanding of cultural alterity, in line with the Jesuits’ strategy of accommodation and inculturation aimed at the conversion of the pagans and the learning of their languages, customs and culture.
This article explores Pedro Chirino’s missionary work among the Chinese in the Philippines, while trying to trace back the genesis of the manuscript compilation and provide hypothesis on how and why it ended up in Rome. The final section presents the text of a letter written in Persia by the Augustinian friar Nicolás de Melo (ca.1548-1614), which is a part of Ms. 60 and shared a common destiny with the Dictionarium.