The Doctrina Christiana (English: Christian Doctrine) were two early books on the catechism of the Catholic Church, both published 1593 in Manila, Philippines.

[1][2] The Doctrina Christiana en lengua española y tagala written in Early Modern Spanish and Classical Tagalog with the Latin and Baybayin script.

Con licencia, por Keng yong, china, en el Parián de ManilaIn English: Christian Doctrine in Chinese letter and language, composed by the priest ministers of the Sangleys, of the Order of Saint Dominic.

One of the earliest references to both versions comes from Gómez Pérez Dasmariñas, the seventh Spanish governor-general of the Philippines, who wrote a letter to Philip II of Spain on June 20, 1593, that read: “Sire, in the name of Your Majesty, I have for this once, because of the existing great need, granted a license for the printing of the Doctrinas Christianas, herewith enclosed—one in the Tagalog language, which is the native and best of these islands, and the other in Chinese—from which I hope great benefits will result in the conversion and instruction of the peoples of both nations; and because the lands of the Indies are on a larger scale in everything and things more expensive, I have set the price of them at four reales a piece, until Your Majesty is pleased to decree in full what is to be done.”[8]Missionary fathers placed the Doctrina among the books necessary to have in print in foreign lands.

According to Piet Van der Loon (1966) though, the above letter is more likely referring to the Tagalog Doctrina and the Rectificación y Mejora de Principios Naturales 天主教真傳實錄 also by Fr.

William H. Schab, a New York City dealer, purchased the book and took it to the United States, where he resold it to Lessing J. Rosenwald, who in turn presented it to the Library of Congress where it remains today.

[9] Sometimes though, this Doctrina in Chinese has been confused with the Rectificación y Mejora de Principios Naturales (天主教真傳實錄), by Juan Cobo, published posthumously in 1593, Manila.

Vertical lines long the inner margins of some pages were made by the inked edge of the block, and the grain of the wood appears as striations throughout the printed areas.