noun
padre; Portuguese Jesuit missionary
Historical term for Portuguese Jesuit priests who came to Japan in the 16th century, from Portuguese 'padre'. Used in historical or Christian contexts.
See also: イルマン
戦国時代に多くのバテレンが日本に渡来した。
Many padres came to Japan during the Sengoku period.
バテレン追放令はキリスト教宣教師を国外に追放する法令だった。
The Edict of Expulsion of the Padres was a decree that expelled Christian missionaries from the country.
noun
Historical metonymic use where 'padre' came to refer to Christianity itself or Christians in general during the early modern period. Rare and archaic outside historical contexts.
当時の文献では「バテレン」がキリスト教そのものを指すこともあった。
In documents of that time, 'bateren' sometimes referred to Christianity itself.
From Portuguese 'padre', borrowed during the 16th-century Christian mission to Japan. The ateji spellings 伴天連 and 破天連 are phonetic approximations.