During the Eighteenth Century
 
The Editorial Board of the Church History Association of India has great pleasure in presenting to the public the long awaited Volume III (Eighteenth Century Christianity in India). Its revered author, the late Fr Hambye, is an acknowledged doyen of Indian Christian history, whose presence and friendship we all shared and enjoyed for about five decades of his stay in India. History of Christianity in India in the eighteenth century is a chequered history, marked as it is, by ups and downs, political turmoil, social as well as ecclesiastical conflicts, rivalries, controversies, confrontations and so on. Eighteenth century is perhaps the least researched period and hence the writing entailed fresh research and analysis. The author courageously took up the challenge and worked out with all his heart and soul, with the strong backing of his sense of documentation and source discovery. The volume starts with the establishment of an impact-making French Jesuit Mission in Pondicherry in 1703, and with the beginning of a more important event, the starting of the first Protestant mission in India, the Tranquebar Mission (1706). The book ends with the launching of the William Carey enterprise, the beginning of the very significant Serampore Mission (1795). This book will serve as a valuable reference work for the History of Christianity in India for the period covered.