Joseph de Prémare, 1666-1736, S.J.

Joseph de Prémare, 1666-1736, S.J.
Author: Knud Lundbæk
Publisher:
Total Pages: 254
Release: 1991
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN:

Joseph de Premare came to China from France in 1698 and worked as a missionary in Jiangxi until 1724 when he was banished to Canton by the Chinese government. While in exile at Canton, he composed the "Notitia Linguae Sinicae" a treatise on the structure of the Chinese language which formed the basis of academic sinology in Europe for more than a century, and was reprinted as late as 1893. In this study, Knud Lundbaek provides a comprehensive picture of Premare's philological and theological ideas, prominent among which was the concept of "figurism". The book also describes the intellectual milieu in which de Premare moved, including other famous figurist Jesuit scholars such as Joachim Bouvet and Jean-Francois Foucquet. This biography is a contribution to the history of European sinology as well as to the study of China's relations with the West.

The Silencing of Jesuit Figurist Joseph de Prémare in Eighteenth-Century China

The Silencing of Jesuit Figurist Joseph de Prémare in Eighteenth-Century China
Author: D. E. Mungello
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 154
Release: 2019-06-24
Genre: History
ISBN: 1498595650

The image of a voice in the wilderness evokes an outcast who has been condemned and banished by society. That image fits the scholar-priest Joseph de Prémare who spent the last thirty-eight years of his life (1698-1736) mainly in remote areas of China. He was condemned to silence by not only his religious superiors, but also by intellectuals in Europe. He was silenced because his Figurist theories were regarded as dangerous and implausible. And yet the irony of this silencing is that Father Prémare was one of the most knowledgeable Sinologists of all time. As a missionary in towns in the southern province of Jiangxi, he was freed from many pastoral duties by an assisting catechist and able to devote himself to intensive study of Chinese texts. He was practically a scholar-hermit who left the urban, politicized atmosphere of Beijing after only two years to return to Jiangxi province. There he cultivated Chinese literati who helped him assemble a remarkable collection of classical texts. He was prolific in producing a wide body of works in philology, history, philosophy, religion and drama. Faced by critics who were claiming that Chinese culture was alien to Christianity, Prémare joined the effort led by his fellow Jesuit Joachim Bouvet to save the Christian mission in China from destruction. The Figurists were radical in arguing that the ancient Chinese texts, like the Old Testament, anticipated the coming of Christ long before his birth. They claimed that Chinese commentators erred in viewing these ancient texts as records of history when in fact they were works of metaphorical and figurative meaning. Influenced by a Chinese scholar, Prémare made a philological analysis of Chinese characters to explain his theory. When Figurism was condemned by his religious superiors, Prémare attempted to circumvent their prohibition by sending his manuscripts to the proto-Sinologist Etienne Fourmont in Paris, asking that they be published anonymously. Fourmont criticized Prémare’s theories and failed to publish them. By the time of his death, Prémare had sent most of his manuscripts to Paris where they remained buried for many years.

The Forgotten Christians of Hangzhou

The Forgotten Christians of Hangzhou
Author: David E. Mungello
Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
Total Pages: 274
Release: 1994-01-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780824815400

Based on manuscripts from the once inaccessible former Jesuit library of Zikawei in Shanghai, this book breaks new ground in focusing on the generation that followed Matteo Ricci and other luminaries of the early China mission. Unusual in its coverage of both Jesuits and their Chinese literati converts, The Forgotten Christians of Hangzhou traces the development of the Christian presence in seventeenth century Hangzhou through the work of Jesuit fathers Martino Martini and Prospero Intorcetta, and Confucian scholar Zhang Xingyao, whose struggle to demonstrate the compatibility of Neo-Confucianism with the "Lord of Heaven Teaching from the Far West" forms the focus of D. E. Mungello's penetrating study. Zhang and his fellow literati converts were in almost all respects highly orthodox Confucians who nevertheless regarded Christianity as complementary to, and in some respects transcending, Confucianism. Their search for an intellectual blending of the two religions shows that, contrary to important recent studies, Christianity was inculturated into seventeenth-century China far more than has been realized. Prior to their dissolution at the hands of a hostile imperial government a century later, the Hangzhou Christians had built one of the most beautiful churches in East Asia, a seminary for training young Chinese priests, a library and printing center, and a Jesuit cemetery. The church and cemetery have since been reopened and the works of Hangzhou Christians are preserved in libraries in Shanghai, Beijing, and Paris. These architectural and literary monuments help reconstruct the features of one of China's most colorful and historical cities and the experiences of some of her most remarkable inhabitants. The Forgotten Christians of Hangzhou not only tells us their story but adds a new dimension to our knowledge of the assimilation of Christianity by Chinese culture - a process that is still under way today.

China Bibliography

China Bibliography
Author: Harriet T. Zurndorfer
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 396
Release: 2021-12-06
Genre: History
ISBN: 9004483950

This volume serves as a guide to all facets of China study: from advice on choosing an appropriate literary dictionary to finding the most recent yearbooks that offer statistical data about the contemporary economy. China Bibliography does not restrict itself to one particular 'discipline', but considers the development of Chinese civilization as a whole, from its imperial beginnings to the present, and therefore demonstrates how one would find information about Chinese history, literature, religion, linguistics, collectanea, as well as present day PRC economic and political policies. Because this book also explains how bibliographical data on China has accumulated over the last 300 years (including within China itself), it also may help the reader understand the significance of a particular type of reference work.

The Early Dutch Sinologists (1854-1900)

The Early Dutch Sinologists (1854-1900)
Author: Koos (P.N.) Kuiper
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 1206
Release: 2017-07-10
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 9004339639

In The Early Dutch Sinologists Koos Kuiper gives a detailed account of the studies and work of the 24 Dutchmen trained as “interpreters” for the Netherlands Indies before 1900. Most began studying at Leiden University, then went to Amoy to study southern Chinese dialects. Their main functions were translating Dutch law into Chinese, advising the courts on Chinese law and checking Chinese accounts books, later also regulating coolie affairs. Actually their services were not always appreciated and there was not enough work for them; later many pursued other careers in the Indies administration or in scholarship. This study also analyses the three dictionaries they compiled. Based on a wealth of primary sources, it gives a fascinating picture of personal cross-cultural contacts.

The Great Encounter of China and the West, 1500-1800

The Great Encounter of China and the West, 1500-1800
Author: David Emil Mungello
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 191
Release: 2013
Genre: History
ISBN: 1442219750

For the Chinese, the drive toward growing political and economic power is part of an ongoing effort to restore China's past greatness and remove the lingering memories of history's humiliations. This widely praised book explores the 1500-1800 period before China's decline, when the country was viewed as a leading world culture and power. D. E. Mungello argues that this earlier era, ironically, may contain more relevance for today than the more recent past. This fully revised fourth edition retains the clear and concise quality of its predecessors, while drawing on a wealth of new research on Sino-Western history and the increasing contributions of Chinese historians. Building on the author's decades of research and teaching, this compelling book illustrates the vital importance of history to readers trying to understand China's renewed rise.

Angelo Zottoli, a Jesuit Missionary in China (1848 to 1902)

Angelo Zottoli, a Jesuit Missionary in China (1848 to 1902)
Author: Antonio De Caro
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 189
Release: 2022-07-22
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 981165297X

This book offers a study of the cosmogonic works by Fr. Angelo Zottoli S.J., a Jesuit missionary who has received relatively little attention by modern scholars, but who deserves a special recognition for his theological and philosophical ideas. More generally, the book aims to shed light on the importance of cosmogony in the cross-cultural and interdisciplinary environment of Xujiahui, the area in modern Shanghai where Zottoli flourished. It shows how through Zottoli’s teaching and sermons he was able to reimagine his own cosmogonic ideas, his personality, and his relationship with local Chinese converts. Among Zottoli’s most famous students was Ma Xiangbo (馬相伯 1840–1939) and Zottoli played a crucial role in Ma’s intellectual formation. A wider familiarity with Zottoli’s works is not only interesting in and of itself, but also paves the way to future studies on the complex and multifaceted relationship between European missionaries and Chinese students in Shanghai during the nineteenth century.

The Great Encounter of China and the West, 1500–1800

The Great Encounter of China and the West, 1500–1800
Author: D. E. Mungello
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 207
Release: 2024-09-17
Genre: History
ISBN:

For the Chinese, the drive toward growing political and economic power is part of an ongoing effort to restore China's past greatness and remove the lingering memories of history's humiliations. This widely praised book explores the 1500–1800 period before China's decline, when the country was viewed as a leading world culture and power. Europe, by contrast, was in the early stages of emerging from provincial to international status while the United States was still an uncharted wilderness. D. E. Mungello argues that this earlier era, ironically, may contain more relevance for today than the more recent past. Building on the author's decades of research and teaching, this compelling book illustrates the vital importance of history to readers trying to understand China’s renewed rise.

The Acta Pekinensia or Historical Records of the Maillard de Tournon Legation

The Acta Pekinensia or Historical Records of the Maillard de Tournon Legation
Author: Kilian Stumpf SJ
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 821
Release: 2019-06-07
Genre: History
ISBN: 9004396578

The Acta Pekinensia is a Latin manuscript found in the Jesuit Roman Archives. It is a record of the papal legation to China of Charles Maillard de Tournon, from his arrival in China to his death in Macau. It was compiled by Kilian Stumpf, a German Jesuit missionary/scientist serving at the court of the Kangxi Emperor of China. Stumpf was in a privileged position to record day by day the events of this crucial episode not only in the history of Christianity in China but in Chinese-Western relations. This annotated translation provides a full documentation and an acute and lively commentary on the clash of values which resulted in the failure of the legation and the condemnation of Chinese Rites.

Jesuit on the Roof of the World

Jesuit on the Roof of the World
Author: Trent Pomplun
Publisher: Oxford University Press on Demand
Total Pages: 321
Release: 2010
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0195377869

- And highly controversial - appeal of Hermetic philosophy in the Asian missions; the political underbelly of the Chinese Rites Controversy; and the persistent European fascination with the land of snows."--Résumé de l'éditeur.