“Spectatissimo, Eruditione & Pietate, Insigno Viro”: Abraham Rogerius, the Open-Deure, and the Identity of A.W. JCtus

• Published in: Journal of early modern christianity Vol. 10; no. 2; pp. 259 - 277
• Main Author: Schilt, Cornelis J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin De Gruyter 27.11.2023; Walter de Gruyter GmbH
• Subjects: Biographies; biography; book history; Death & dying; Editorials; Editors; Hinduism; history of religion; Plot (Narrative); Religion; Rites & ceremonies; Theologians; Translations; VOC
• ISSN: 2196-6648; 2196-6656
• DOI: 10.1515/jemc-2023-2047

In 1643, a manuscript was sent from Batavia to Amsterdam. It described in vivid detail a world virtually unknown to the West, that of South-Indian Hinduism, taken from the words of local Brahmins and drawn up by VOC minister Abraham Rogerius. It was not until 1651 that appeared from the presses of the Leiden printing house of François Hackius. By then, its author had died, and circumstances regarding the actual publication are shrouded in mystery. This is also true about the life of Abraham Rogerius and the identity of the ’s anonymous editor, A.W. JC . Traditionally associated with the Polish Socinian theologian Andreas Wissowatius, A.W’s annotations added a wealth of scholarly detail to Rogerius plain narrative. In this paper, I greatly expand upon the existing biographies of Rogerius and draw lines between the various actors involved with the eventual publication of his writings. I provide a fresh insight into the editorial history and afterlife of the , showing that there are in fact two different editions that diverge at key points. Moreover, I demonstrate that the elusive A.W. JC is most certainly not Wissowatius, but instead the Leiden lawyer and politician Arnoldus Wittens.