The Mysterious Christopher Columbus

When people search their families’ immigration records or use services such as Ancestry.com, they may be surprised to find variations of their family names.  For instance, Smythe may become Smith or during WWII some German names may have been modified to sound more American.

 

It seems that “Christopher Columbus,” as we know him in America, may have had more than one name variation and more than one personal history account.  We’ll look at two of the mysterious possibilities and let you decide which version you want to embrace.

 

Other derivations of Columbus’ name include:  Christophe Colomb in French, Kristoffer Kolumbus in Swedish, Christoph Kolumbus in German, and Christoffel Columbus in Dutch.  We can only wonder how Cristoforo Colombo’s name ended up as Cristóbal Colón in his adopted country of Spain?

 

Version 1:  Most historic records state that Columbus was born on May 20, 1451 of humble means, in Genoa, a maritime republic of Italy.  According to those accounts his birth name was Cristoforo Colombo or Christoffa Corombo.  Some accounts say his father, Domenico Colombo, was a wool weaver; and owned a cheese stand at which Columbus worked.  His mother was Susanna Fontanarossa.   He had three brothers, Bartholomew, Giovanni Pellegrino, Giacomo (also called Diego).  He also had one sister, Bianchinetta. Later in life, Bartholomew would have a cartography workshop in Lisbon, Spain.  This would be important for Columbus when he started his Westward voyages.

 

Apparently, Columbus was gifted with a spirit of curiosity and innate wisdom.  He taught himself to read Latin, Portuguese and Spanish.  He studied astronomy, geography, math.  He went to sea an early age, possibly 14, and sailed to many different lands before setting out to explore on his own.  He read the adventures of Marco Polo and dreamed of sailing to these foreign lands.  This narrative paints Columbus as a greedy explorer who was only interested in gold and power.

 

According to his own account, “At a very early age I went to sea and have continued navigating until today (1492).  The art of sailing is favorable for anyone who wants to pursue knowledge of this world’s secrets. I have already been at this business for forty years. I have sailed all the waters which, up to now, have been navigated. I have had dealings and conversation with learned people—clergymen and laymen, Latins and Greeks, Jews and Moors, and with many others of other sects. I found Our Lord very well-disposed toward this my desire, and he gave me the spirit of intelligence for it. He prospered me in seamanship and supplied me with the necessary tools of astrology, as well as geometry and arithmetic and ingenuity of intellect and of manual skill to draw spherical maps which show cities, rivers and mountains, islands and ports—everything in its proper place.”

 

When in 1453, Muslim Turks conquered (Christian) Constantinople, the land routes were cut off from Europe to India and China. These land routes were used in the time of explorer Marco Polo, who travelled to China in 1271 and brought back stories of Beijing’s Kublai Khan, Chinese gunpowder, charcoal, porcelain, silk, paper currency, and spaghetti. India was a trade destination for its dyes, spices and teas.  Europeans were invested in finding other routes to reach these countries, or in Columbus’ narrative, to find alternate trading centers.

 

The Muslims had continued to conquer cities and nations, dominating the European countries for 700 years until their defeat by the Spanish monarchy, Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand, in January, 1492. Although Columbus had been requesting money, ships and supplies from various European monarchs for seven years prior, it wasn’t until the defeat of the Muslim Moors that he was granted his request from the Spanish rulers.

 

Here is where the narrative becomes interesting and where we’ll look at the second version.

 

Version #2:  Some historic records have surfaced that state a different family history and life purpose.

 

This alternate version states that Christopher Columbus’ father was from Portugal, that he was a prince and royalty, but whose wealth had diminished.  His mother was Jewish and from Italy.  This narrative would explain why Columbus gained access to royalty and the courts in Europe; and how he could attend the prestigious “Prince Henry the Navigator School” in Portugal.  More about the school later.

 

Much of Columbus’ life is recalled in history books, etc. but that narrative omits one very important point: Columbus’ Christian faith.  His name, Christopher, actually means “Christ-Bearer,” and it is recorded that he believed he had a mission to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to many nations.  He was not an explorer of greed but a discoverer who was motivated by spiritual and religious reasons.  In a letter to the Spanish monarchs, he asked them to use the gold for the church and to push back the Islamic invasion of the Holy Land and restore Jerusalem.

 

He wrote to the Spanish monarchs: “No one should be afraid to take on any enterprise in the name of our Savior, if it is right and if the purpose is purely for His holy service…Those who heard about my enterprise rejected it with laughter, scoffing at me. Neither the sciences which I mentioned above, nor the authoritative citations from them, were of any avail. In only your Highnesses remained faith and constancy. Who doubts that this illumination was from the Holy Spirit? I attest that He (the Spirit), with marvelous rays of light, consoled me through the holy and sacred Scriptures, a strong and clear testimony, with forty-four books of the Old Testament, and four Gospels with twenty-three Epistles of those blessed Apostles, encouraging me to proceed, and, continually, without ceasing for a moment, they inflame me with a sense of great urgency.”

 

It turns out that Columbus was a Bible scholar and studied Biblical prophecy.  He believed that the return of Christ would be soon, and therefore, felt compelled to reach foreign nations with the Gospel.  You can read more about that in his “The Book of Prophecies.”

 

Which narrative do you find more valid?  That Columbus was a greedy explorer or a man on a mission to spread the Gospel and restore Jerusalem?

 

Next week we will explore interesting information about Columbus’ first voyage.