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| Book Review पुस्तक समीक्षा |
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A Biographical History (Book Review) |
Date:
2008-07-20 |
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U. J. Gurung
Cindy Perry’s book A Biographical History of the Church in Nepal (Kathmandu: Nepal Church History Project, 2000) has presented the history of Christianity being around the life stories of some of the pioneer Nepali Christians. This is why the work is called A Biographical History of the Church in Nepal. She has explained in the introduction that "This is not a definitive account. It is but a beginning - the beginning of the church which is growing in spite of crushing odds." In this book she has mentioned how the Capuchin missionaries came to Nepal in the mid-1700s and established their missions and made some of the converts. The first Nepali Catholic converts were converted in Tibet according to her book. There were few converts among the Nepalese by the end of the Malla dynasty. The Capuchin missionaries along with their converts left Kathmandu for Bettiah, Bihar in 4 February 1769 after the victory of Prithvi Narayan Shah over Kathmandu valley. Then Nepal was closed for the preaching of the Christianity for two hundred years.
In the winter of 1950-51, a way was open for Nepali Christians to live in Nepal for the first time after two hundred years. There were many Nepali Christians in border sides of Nepal. Some of them were settled in Pokhara and the first church was established there. The first church was called Ram Ghat Church. Slowly Nepalese converts were increasing by then. But after the constitution of 1962, Nepal was made one party and one religion state. Then penetrations against the Christians began in Nepal. She has mentioned little bit about the penetration against the Nepalese Christians.
Cindy Perry has used primary sources such as documents, questionnaires, interviews and secondary sources to complete her work. The merits of this book are the some of the important information such as: the brief history of Capuchin missionaries who came to Nepal in 1715 and left in 1769; new beginning of Christian Evangelism in Nepal after two hundred years. In the new beginning, Christians had very good beginning and they were increased in a good number. For them it was the first arrival in Nepal most probably. But the work does not mention specially on the areas of Church ministries, activities, ordinances, customs and manners of the Christians. Even the Christian missions, their contributions and the failures are not mentioned in this work.
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