Pietro Al-Matushi a Maronite Jesuit missionary and Arabic scholar

Abstract

Pietro Metoscita [al-Matushi] was a Maronite Christian born in Cyprus in 1569* and joined the Society of Jesus, as a novice, on 17 January 1597. He was one of the first pupils of the Maronite College in Rome and was admitted to read a three-year course in Theology. In the Jesuit records for the Roman Province for the academic year 1596/97 he is described as 'Petrus Metoscita Maronite from Cyprus aged 27. Like anyone that agreed to join the Society of Jesus, on his arrival, Metoscita was expected to report all his belongings. Metoscita declared that besides several clothing items, he had brought with him several books and writings in the Chaldean (Syriac) language. These included a missal, a breviary, a lexicon, a grammar, a book of Psalms, a directory, a book of Logic, a booklet with various examples in Chaldean, and a Chaldean book of songs. Forthermore, his possessions also included an Arabic Lexicon, a book of Psalms in Latin and Greek, several other writings, and a small closed wooden box.