Juan Cobo

Who was Juan Cobo?

Juan Cobo OP was Spanish Dominican missionary, diplomat, astronomer and sinologist.

Cobo was born in Alcázar de San Juan. After becoming a priest of the Dominican order, he traveled to Mexico in 1586 and later to Manila in 1588. He was assigned by King Philip II to bring Christianity to China along with Miguel de Benavides. He translated into Chinese several works by Seneca and the Catechism. He also translated from Chinese into Spanish the work Mingxin baojian compiled by Fan Liben 範立本 in 1393 under the title Espejo rico del claro corázón and published in 1593. Cobo's translation is considered to be "the first translation of a Chinese book into an European vernacular." Cobo also "has the distinction of being the first to introduce European philosophy and science to China, at least in print." He was sent to Japan by the governor of Manila and received by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. He died when his boat sank during his return from Japan.