Jesuit Propaganda and La Syrie Sainte of Joseph Besson

This chapter evaluates the literary and methodological approach to Jesuit propaganda. Joseph Besson’s La Syrie Sainte ou La Mission de Jesus et des Pères de la Compagnie en Syrie, divisée en deux parties demonstrates Jesuit capacity to embellish and fictionalize experiences in contrast to the rather muted or benign episodes conveyed in the letters of the missionaries. It considers Besson’s “interpretive schema” in which he aligns his narrative with the expectations of his audience, while reinforcing a priori stereotypes of the Islamicate World. Besson’s work is an exceptional source that reveals a propagandized agenda, demonizing the Muslim population in order to win political and material support from its target audience, the elites of European society. He chose imagery that moved the hearts of his readers, portraying indigenous Christians mercilessly persecuted and deprived of their “patrimony,” while it would be left to the Jesuits as heroes willing to relinquish their lives to save these souls.