Vatican Manuscripts from the Borgiani Tonchinesi/Vietnamese Fond

Currently there are 41 of the 41 volumes in the collection digitized. Volumes 1-21 and 24 came from the Vietnamese Jesuit Felippe do Rosario (nee Philipé Binh, 1759-1832). Work is ongoing to catalogue these in English

Sources

Biblioteca apostolica vaticana. (2011). Guida ai fondi manoscritti, numismatici, a stampa della Biblioteca vaticana. Biblioteca apostolica vaticana. pp. 382-383


Borg.tonch.1, History of Vietnam (1822/1824)

Dedicated to Jesus, Mary, Joseph, Joachim, Anna, St. Ignatius and Francis Xavier. Written in Portugal in 1822, an annex extends the history to 1824


Borg.tonch.2 (Upgraded to HQ), History of Vietnam II (1822)

Part 1 is in Borg.tonch.1


Borg.tonch.3, Philiphê Bỉnh Book of Transcripts (Diary) (1822-1832)

"Binh recounted with many details of his life and his journey from Macao to Lisbôa (1-63). Then things happened in the Churches and congregations in the years 1824-1831. About 1832, he only had the title: 1832. He added to the index and on pages 598, 599 and 601 a list of his works" Source


Borg.tonch.4, The Story of Saint Francis de Borgia (19th C)

translated into Vietnamese from the 1820 version printed in Lisbon


Borg.tonch.5, Story of Saint Ignatius de Loyola (1819-1826)

Lisbon. There are also many details that take place after the saint's death and the history of the Congregation that he founded until 1820 with many additional stickers added until 1826


Borg.tonch.6, Biography of St. Francis Xavier (1818)

Lisbon. This is the most complete and sure biography of that saint in Vietnamese. A catalog of all the chapters and an analytical index at the beginning of the book, and in the biography the author humbly writes: “I cannot collect all the documents, and nor could he see the midday sunlight, nor in the dark ... Xavier died in China at midnight on December 2, 1552. His body was kept in East Asia in a holy temple of Göd , hand in hand in Rome, the center of the world. Despite that sharing, his body was in a very good condition. That miracle was a testament to his death as well as the miracles he performed while he was still alive. Not enough words to describe all the miracles! "I am the Master".


Borg.tonch.7, Philiphê Bỉnh History and letters from the Mission, Poetry (1793-1826)
Incipit: Nhật trình kim thư khất chính chúa giáo

"On each page, there is the title: The diary of the Christian love letter. Index: 1. Chronicles 1793-1862, p. 1-156; 2. Father Binh delegation's history with documents about it in 1795-1800, p. 181-239; 3. Correspondence 1799-1826, p. 239-297, 361-397; 4. Poetry Exam 1793-1802, p. 425-467. Talking about Xavier, p. 77 and 129-130." http://www.vietcatholic.net/News/Html/39884.htm


Borg.tonch.8 (Upgraded to HQ), Philip Binh Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum ope Sacrae Congreg. de Prop. Fide in Lucem editum ab Al. de Rhodes e Soc. Iesu (1651)
Incipit: (f.1v) Franciscus Picolomineus Societatis Jesu Prapositus Generalis. Dictionarium linguae Annaniticae seu Sunquinensis cum explicatione Lusitana & Latina

http://www.vietcatholic.net/News/Html/39884.htm. Owned by Philiphê Bỉnh aka Felippe do Rosario, acquired in 1797


Borg.tonch.9, J.E. Nuremberg, Philiphê Bỉnh (tr) Book of Miracles, on the Mass, on Death and Life of St. Phapha (1814-1816)

Several works collected. Differença entre o temperal e eterno was published in Coimbra in 1741


Borg.tonch.10 (Upgraded to HQ), Philip Binh Documents for writing missionary history (c. 1813)

From: Philiphê Bỉnh aka Felippe do Rosario (1759–1833) In Portuguese, Latin, Vietnamese (18+) XIV (+9+) 321 pages. Contents: 1. An excerpt of Rhodes and Majorica from the Bibliotheca Scriplorum, by Soltwellus, Rome, 1676, then a copy by 2. Relação da Prizão e Morte dos quattro Ven. Padres ... JG Kratz (Chronicle of the persecution and martyrdom of the four Elders ... JB Kratz), Lisbôa, 1738, p. 1-122, a passage on the missionaries in the North quoted by 3. Ant. Franco, SJ Imaagem da virtute em o Noviciado de Lisbôa, Coimbra, 1717, p. 123-351 and 4. Franc de Mattos, SJ Vida de Sancto Ignacio de Loyola, Lisbon, 1718, p. 252-270 and finally 5. Livro Mappa do Mundo, p. 271-319, a book on geography and history, written in 1813; In this work, Binh briefly redrawn the career of Saint Xavier and missionary history in Dang Trong and Tonkin. The last paragraph, pages 291-319, is titled Noticias dos Marlyrios,but in Vietnamese. Source


Borg.tonch.11, Philiphê Bỉnh Septem Dolorum B. Virginis Mariae, Novena for St. Joseph, Story of Anam's Martyrs, etc (c. 1802)
Incipit: (p.7) Stabat Mater dolorosa, Iuxta Crucem lacrymosa, Dumpen debat

"Ceremony: Stabat Mater (Our Lady of the Cross) with commentary, holy week until the Ascension, p. 1-76; then came the Vietnamese practice; 2. Law of the Marianistes, Mass, p. 1-84; 3. Nine days for St. Joseph, p. 85-155; 4. The story of Anam's martyr, translated in 1802 from Relacão in Portuguese about the martyrdom of Father Kratz, written in 1737 and printed in Lisbôa in 1738, p. 156-177 - After number 1 there is a brief list of important world events, starting with “Christmas in 1802, St. Xavier preached in 261, Binh went to Bo in 10." http://www.vietcatholic.net/News/Html/39884.htm.


Borg.tonch.12 (Upgraded to HQ)

Rhodes, Catechism and Brief (Lisbotha, 1797). Source



Borg.tonch.14, Alma Instruida, Book 2 (1811)

Continuation of Borg.tonch.13. Introduction in Vietnamese, main text in Portuguese. Copied from a work printed in 1690


Borg.tonch.15, Alma Instruida, Book 3 (1812)
Incipit: (p.1) Ley Natural, Ley Escripta, e Ley da Graça, illustrey tres Leys, que Deos ao homem deu

From the printed copy of 1699, in Portuguese. Continuation of Borg.tonch.14. At the end there is an section in Vietnamese on the Porguese in India ina 1644 and an excerpt from Escola de Belem(24 pp)



Borg.tonch.17, Regarding the third commandment, to hear Mass (c. 1802-1810)

Handwritten in Vietnamese and Chinese. See Jesuit Literature in Vietnam (in Vietnamese)


Borg.tonch.18, Philip Binh Daily prayers, Novenas for Sts. Anne and Joseph and Christmas, Seven Sorrows of the BVM, etc. (1802-1810)

Borg.tonch.19, Mass Readings (1802-1810)
Incipit: Jesu Maria Jose Joaquim, Anna. Orationes, ou Oraçoens da Missa. Sacerdotes cum cavat manus dicat

In Portuguese with explaination in Vietnamese.


Borg.tonch.20, Philiphê Bỉnh, Mendes Pinto Diary of Mr. Fernão Mendès Pinto (1817)

Preface by Philiphê Bỉnh in Vietnamese, main text translated from Portuguese


Borg.tonch.21, Philiphê Bỉnh Historia Chronologica dos Pontifices (1822-1831)
Incipit: O Presbytero Filippe de Rosario Enviado da Christani[e]

Begins with text as printed in Lisbon to 1822, then an appendix covering 1822-1831 incl. re-establishment of the Jesuits, likely written by Binh


Borg.tonch.22 (Upgraded to HQ), Alexandre de Rhodes, Thomé Vincente (tr) Catechismus pro iis, qui volunt suscipere baptismum in octo dies diuisus, translated into Vietnamese (1801)

Manuscript copy from Thomé Vicente of the 1651 printed work. Contains some text on pp.127-138 that is not found in exemplar. Colophon on p.2


Borg.tonch.23 (Upgraded to HQ), Vietnamese/Portuguese Dictionary

Contains both directions, ff.3-155: Viet->Port, ff.156-325: Port->Viet


Borg.tonch.24, Philiphê Bỉnh Biographies of Saint Anna and Joachim (1833)

Written in Lisbon by Binh and amended after his death.


Borg.tonch.25, De []bus ad Deum, Historiam universalem, religionis dogmata, animaeque salutem pertinentibus (c. 1802)
Incipit: 罪人鑑

According to Sven Osterkamp:

A collection of rare works by Spanish Dominicans, writing in Vietnamese, at the turn of the 19th C. I think there are 4 different texts in total, but the first two (entirely in print) are rather long and divided into several chapters. Sometimes the chapters were not even published at the same time.

  • a) 1r-189v = 罪人鑑 Sinner's Mirror, dated 1802; consists of three books, starting on 3r (?罪卷), 79r (悔罪卷) and 149r (所?卷)
  • b) 192r-521v = 玄妙花林 Mysterious Garden (?), dated 1804-1807; likewise consists of three books, starting on 194r (dated 1804 on 192v and 193v), 299r (no separate date, probably printed together with the preceding one) and 404r (this one is dated 1807 on 405v). Like a) this might be a Vietnamese adaptation of some pre-existing work, apparently on the Rosary, Virgin Maria etc.
  • c) 524r-663v + (in ms.:) 664r-668v; this one has no title page , but starts with the preface right away; haven't found a date yet and haven't really figured out what the full title is to be honest (most of it seems to be a Vietnamese transcription of some Latin/Spanish/... words).
  • d) 670r-677r is in ms. only, very short, no date apparently, but there is a title.

Borg.tonch.26 (Upgraded to HQ), Vietnamese-Portuguese Dictionary
Incipit: Dictionarium Annaticum Seu Tum Kinense Cum Lusitana declaratione




Borg.tonch.30, Meditaçao da Alma


Borg.tonch.32, Pierre Joseph Georges Pigneau Vietnamese catechism (preface [in Chinese] (1774)
Incipit: Catechismo in lingua Anamitica usata nella Cocincina e Tonkino composto da Mons[ignor]e Pietro Giuseppe Giorgio Pigneaux

See this thread by Sven Osterkamp





Borg.tonch.36, (1769)

Dated 1769 on f.3v, 1768 in Vietnamese on f.9v


Borg.tonch.37, Thomé Vicente Poetry (1797)

Borg.tonch.38, Poetry

Perhaps continuation of Vat.tonch.37




Borg.tonch.41 (Upgraded to HQ), Alexandre de Rhodes Catechismus pro iis, qui volunt suscipere baptismum in octo dies diuisus

Manuscript copy of the work as published in Rome, 1651. Mostly illegible