Jesuit on the Roof of the World

In his mission to spread the gospel, Jesuit priest, Ippolito Desideri (1684-1733), traveled in Tibet from 1715-1721. This is the first full-length study of Desideri's remarkable exploits, Pomplun follows Desideri's journey. Describing his spiritual warfare against the Tibetan "pope," the missionary offers a unique glimpse into the theological problem of the salvation of non-Christians in early modern theology: the curious - and highly controversial - appeal of Hermetic philosophy in the Asian missions; the political underbelly of the Chinese Rites Controversy; and the persistent European fascination with the land of snows.