ABSTRACT
The thirteenth century represents a high standard in mediaeval Catholicism and not less in missionary endeavor. Missionary work in Europe practically ended with the conversion of the Baltic lands: of Prussia, Livonia, Esthonia, and Lithuania. During the Crusades attention was focused more and more intensely upon other countries: the Jewish and Mohammedan lands and after the Mongol invasion into Eastern Germany upon the unknown people of the lands beyond the Near East. The linguistic requirements for the missionary were emphasized somewhat later by Ricoldus da Monte Croce, the famous Dominican missionary in Mesopotamia. The first official notice for fostering linguistic studies is to be found in the acts of the general chapter in the year 1236: namely, 'in all provinces and houses, the brethren should learn the language of the neighboring people or tribe'. The soul of the whole movement in the Dominican Order was the famous Raymond of Pennafort.
