Monografia a stampa
About books, maps, songs and steles: the wording and teaching of the christian faith in China
Leuven : Ferdinand Verbiest institute, 2011
Abstract/Sommario:
In 2007 the 9th Verbiest Symposium took place at the University of Leuven, Belgium. Of the 27 presentations, 12 are published here. These contributions represent both the “ancient mission” (17th-18th centuries) and the mission of “modern times”, since the late 19th century. One of the commitments of the F. Verbiest Institute, indeed, is, not only to stimulate the historical research of the China mission, in all its aspects, but also to focus – if possible – on the forms of continuity b ...; [leggi tutto]
In 2007 the 9th Verbiest Symposium took place at the University of Leuven, Belgium. Of the 27 presentations, 12 are published here. These contributions represent both the “ancient mission” (17th-18th centuries) and the mission of “modern times”, since the late 19th century. One of the commitments of the F. Verbiest Institute, indeed, is, not only to stimulate the historical research of the China mission, in all its aspects, but also to focus – if possible – on the forms of continuity between both, in every respect.
Another tradition of the Symposia is to focus, not only on the “common” themes, but in addition to this, to select one individual personality in mission history: this time, it was the “Namurois” Antoine Thomas (1644-1709), secretary and (temporary) successor of F. Verbiest, and an important (but underestimated) figure in the history of science (as mathematician, astronomer, cartographer, etc.), and as such a highly interesting “transition” figure between the 17th century missionaries (up to F. Verbiest) and their 18th century successors. The 12 texts, which we are publishing in this volume, do cover a rather broad specter of Chinese mission history:
Summary:
The Late-Ming Jesuit Stele of 1644 and its Tang Ancestor of 781: Parallels between two Christian stones found in Xi’an”/ Matteo Nicolini-Zani (the A. describes two crucial epigraphical testimonies of ancient Chinese Christianity, in the perspective of continuity, demonstrated from some unmistakable linguistic affinities in certain words and sentences in both texts, which strongly suggest that the 1644 stele, erected 20 years after the discovery of the 781 monument, intentionally referred to this first Christian monument from China)
The Chinese Christians fighting for the Ming Dynasty / Monika Miazek-Męczyńska ( the Story of an Embassy”,The Boym embassy to Rome (in the 1650s) and especially the role of the Great Chancellor Pang Achilleus Tianshou . The A. also publishes a transcription of two Latin letters of Achilleus.
Mapping the world: a copy of Verbiest’s Kunyu Quantu in Glasgow University’s Collection / Nick Pearce (a study of the copy of F. Verbiest’s Kunyu Quantu in the former T.S. Bayer collection, part of the Hunterian Papers, since 200 years now in the Glasgow University’s Collection)
Antoine Thomas’ De Bello Cam Hi Imperatoris Tartaro: Sinici contra Tartaros Erutanos. Feliciter confecto anno 1697 : its historical meaning… / Davor Antonucci (The study of Antoine Thomas’ manuscript “de Bello Erutano”, a unique observation by the Belgian Jesuit, eyewitness of the wars between Kangxi and some of the Western Mongols (1696-1697), is a first presentation of the results of a recent doctoral dissertation at the La Sapienza University (Rome), pursued with much sense of philological meticulousness, and based on a large knowledge of the native Sino-Mongol sources)
Antoine Thomas and the Chinese Rites Controversy: The conciliator becomes a victim / Paul Rule (the A. offers, on the basis of a broad knowledge of the original sources, a global overview on the personality and the work of A. Thomas, with special attention for his place in the Chinese Rites Controversies)
Jesuit missionaries in China and their Western books (1650-1770): Evidence of spiritual and devotional books / Noel Golvers ( the impact which (Western) books about spirituality, and other meditative and devotional publications did have in the mission; the A. describes so in the context of his current project on “Circulation of Western Books in the Jesuit Mission in the 17th – 18th centuries”.
“The turn to relation” : The dialogue on the ethical issues between the Jesuits and the late Ming Literati / Pan Feng-Chuan (a dialogue between a Jesuit, a Confucian and a Buddhist that occurred at Sanshan, Fujian, in 1627 signaled a turning point from dialogue on mere abstract metaphysical concepts to one about ethical issues. This change embodied some deep self-reflection on the part of two traditions)
Between Christianity, Buddhism and Confucianism: Research on the apologetic work Jue Si Lu in Qing Dinasty / Li Zhen (The “ordinary” Chinese convert is represented by Liu Ning (1625?-1715), from Jiangxi province, and his apologetic Jue Si Lu)
Miracles, Death and Devil. Natural and Supernatural Events between the Worlds / Claudia von Collani (exploration of the very rich, but largely unexplored materials of the Neue Welt-Bott (18th century); in her conclusion, she arrives at a fair assessment of this source as a mirror of Europe’s view on China)
Joachim Enjobert de MArtiliat in China (1732-1746) / Robert Entenman (In his paper on Joachim Enjobert de Martiliat (1732-1746), R. Entenmann offers a sympathetic portrait of this French missionary during his stay in Huguang and Sichuan provinces, and of his relation with Johannes Müllener; in the last part, the author also refers to Martiliat’s revision of Basset’s translation of the New Testament)
Defending God in the turmoil of the New China: about the Chajiao Guanjian (keys for the examination of religion), 1914-1923 by the catholic priest Jaconus Zhang (1856-1935) / Françoise Aubin (An in-depth discussion on the highly interesting 3 volumes Chajiao Guanjian or “keys for the examination of religion” by the Catholic priest Jacobus Zhang (1856-1935)
Neumes and Chinese liturgy: How liturgical renewal was brought to China by Vincent Lebbe / Ng Ka Chai (Vincent Lebbe and his annotation of the Gregorian “neumes”, and his place in the liturgical Renewal)
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