Nelson Falcao and recent writings on Thomas Stephens' Khristapurana

 Strangely, Nelson Falcao's Marathi and English translations of the Khristapurana, find no mention in the recent and growing literature on the topic. Perhaps because Falcao chose to publish his two translations "privately" through Kristu Jyoti Publications, and they have not received sufficient critical notice. The Marathi translation did receive book reviews (e.g. in Vidyajyoti and in Divyadaan), but being Marathi, was probably not accessible to most people. The English translation has not, to my knowledge, received enough attention. There are the following mentions of it, but I've not yet found a single real review.

Here is one notice, in Michael Barnes, SJ, Ignatian Spirituality and Interreligious Dialogue: Reading Love's Mystery, Messenger Publications, 2021, p. 274:

Another one: Augustine Kanjamala, The Future of Christian Mission in India: Toward a New Paradigm for the Third Millennium, Pickwick Publications, 2014, p. 12: 

And another: Schouten, Jan Peter. The European Encounter with Hinduism in India. Netherlands: Brill, 2020, p. 56-57:

And this: Francis X. Clooney, "God's Suffering in the Hindu-Christian Gaze," in Catherine Cornille, ed. Atonement and Comparative Theology: The Cross in Dialogue with Other Religions. United States: Fordham University Press, 2021, p. 129.

A MS of Thomas Stephens' Khristapurana in Mangalore

 In the last few weeks, thanks also to the persistence of Jason Pinto, SDB, we have come to the knowledge of a MS of Thomas Stephens' Khristapurana: The Dussarem Puranna, in the possession of the St Aloysius College Library, Mangalore. Very likely this was one of the MSS used by J.L. Saldanha.

Instead, a great disappointment. We thought we had found the "Falnir Coelho" MS, probably one of those used by J.L. Saldanha (the one borrowed from Julian Coelho?), said to be in the possession of Friar Sidney Mascarenhas, OFM, The Friary, Bengalruru. (Sidney's mother was a Coelho). Joseph Velinkar had reported Ms Kranti K. Farias remark in one of her books about "a very well preserved MS" of the KP in the possession of the "Falnir Coelhos" in Mangalore. Instead, it turned out to be a copy of J.L. Saldanha's 1907 edition, The Christian Puranna. 

Yves de Steenhault on the Calcutta School

 

Cfr. Yves de Steenhault, History of the Jesuits in West Bengal, Part I: 1921–1947 (n.p., n.d).

the above text is from S.S. Abreu:

This is also from Abreu:

The following is from Will Sweetman:

Ananya Chakravarti, The Empire of Apostles

See the list of KP MSS consulted: the Pilar MS (which she dates at 1609 and calls the earliest extant MS); two copies of the MS at the TSKK; and the "printed edition" (the 3rd, of 1654) held at the Central Library, Panjim. (201n87) Strange that she calls the last "the printed edition", when it is an MS copy of the third edition. The others that she calls MSS are also copies of the printed editions. 

She does not mention Nelson Falcao's Marathi and English translations of the KP at all, though she does mention his book (the one coming from his PhD thesis) in the bibliography. Her decision is to make use of the Saldanha edition - perhaps because it is completely in Roman script? 

Neither does she mention Tadkodkar. 

Her remarks on yema loca and agnicondd are interesting. 

She discusses some "confusion" in the economic affairs handled by Stephens in Salcette.

The material she has accessed for the chapter is interesting. It bears comparison with that accessed by Velinkar.  

Yemaloka, agnikund, yamkond - translations of "hell" in Konkani

In the Khristapurana, "hell" is translated as "yema loca" but also as "agnicondd" or "agni kund" (see Adi Purana ch. 8, verse 58; A. Chakravarti, The Empire of Apostles 210-11)

Yemaloka is straight enough, but agnikund, according to Chakravarti, is bold: hellfire is now identified with the sacred sacrificial fire.

I remember now the word "yemkondd" in our prayers at home. Here is one occurrence in a common enough prayer, rendered here as "yamkond". A combination of yamaloka and agnikund. 

Ie mhojea Jesu (Fatima Prayer)

Ie mhojea Jesu amchi patkam amkam bogsi. Yamkondantlia ujiantlem amkam nivar. Samest atmiank, sargar tuji kakutichi adhi garz asleank sargar von tu pavay.

Cecilia Carvalho, three books on Thomas Stephens, SJ

Cecilia Carvalho. Olivelā lagadalī tulshīchī pane. Phādar Thomas Stiphans caritra [Biography of Fr. Thomas Stephens]. Maharashtra Rajya Sahitya ani Sanskrti Mandal, Mumbai, 2013. 

Cecilia Carvalho. Fr. Thomas Stephans: A Monograph. Sahitya Akademi, 2017. 

Cecilia Carvalho. Fr Thomas Stephensachi Sanskrutik Bhavponnachi Ruzvonn [Fr Thomas Stephens' Cultural Brotherhood]. Translated into Konkani by Dr Pandurang Phaldesai. Porvorim: Thomas Stephens Konknni Kendr, 2024.

MS of the Khristapurana in Mangalore

According to Farias Kranti, cited by Velinkar 178, the "Falnir" Coelho family in Mangalore has a well-preserved MS of the Khristapurana. Jason Pinto inquired with the family, they told him they had given the MS to Friar Sidney Mascarenhas (his mother was a Coelho). Unfortunately, what Sidney has is a copy of J.L. Saldanha's 1907 edition, The Christian Puranna. Disappointment!

See Joseph Velinkar, Fr Thomas Stephens: The First Englishman in India (Margao - Goa: CinnamonTeal, 2021).