فعاليت‌هاي فرهنگي و اجتماعي مبلغان كارمليت در ايران عصر صفوي

Cultural and Social Activities of Carmelites in Safavid Iran

كارمليت ها يكي از گروه هاي تبشيري كاتوليك بودند كه فعاليت هاي گسترده اي در ايران دوره صفوي داشتند و به دنبال تحقق اهداف پاپ و برخي از كشورهاي اروپايي بودند. عوامل سياسي از جمله برقراري اتحاد ميان ايران و دولت هاي مسيحي اروپا در برابر عثمانيان، حضور اين گروه را در ايران هموار كرد و شاهان صفوي به حمايت از ايشان برخاستند. اين مقاله به بحث از مهم ترين فعاليت هاي فرهنگي و اجتماعي كارمليت ها در ايران عصر صفوي مي پردازد كه از جمله آنها تاسيس اولين چاپخانه در اصفهان، ترجمه متون مسيحي، تاليف آثاري همچون فرهنگ هاي چند زبانه، منشآت عصر صفوي و برپايي مراكز تبليغي و نوانخانه ها-ست. نتيجه تحقيق نشان مي دهد كه فعاليت هاي فرهنگي و اجتماعي كارمليت ها بيشتر به سود غرب و موجب شناخت بيشتر اروپاييان از ايران شد و ايرانيان به علت پايبندي به دين اسلام تعامل اندكي با آنان پيدا كردند.

The presence of European missionaries in Iran was the important issue in the history of the Safavid. One of the most important groups of missionaries was Carmelites who came to Iran to try to spread the Catholic faith in this country.They came to Iran during the rule of Shah Abbas I apparently to create an alliance between Iran and the Christian countries of Europe against the Ottoman and indeed to promote Catholicism. Carmelites who were always supported by the Safavid kings, could had a continuous presence in Iran by the end of the Safavid era and even after that. The Carmelites’s Presence and activities in Iran, including the establishment of first printing-house in Isfahan, translation of Christian Texts, compilation of bilingual dictionaries, establishment of misionary certres and hospice had many political, cultural, social and religious consequences. These activities had more benefits for West and led to greater cognition by European governments of Iran. Because of their religious beliefs, Muslim Iranians had little interaction with Carmelites missionaries.