An Inauspicious Beginning: 1627–1643

This chapter details the difficulties and challenges that confronted the missionaries, specifically in financing their activities and in acclimating to the political and cultural dynamics of western Syria. It introduces important European and Syrian entities and individuals that provided much needed assistance and guidance for the mission to be firmly established. Chapter 4 details the many mistakes of judgment that led to “self-inflicted” wounds that would influence their attitudes toward the indigenous population and their interactions with Ottoman authorities. It demonstrates Ottoman neutrality, beneficence, and in some instances, corruption. During this period, of the initial five founding missionaries, four of them were imprisoned for breaking Ottoman law. Moreover, this chapter provides insight into the daily routines of the Jesuits, their reflections, and anxieties, yet reveals the capacity for the Jesuits to accrete aspects of Syrian culture in order to “fit in.”