Matteo Ricci, an Italian Jesuit in Ming China
The life and work of the Jesuit Matteo Ricci Macerata undoubtedly an interesting example of interaction between different civilizations.
arrived in China in 1582, was among the first to obtain permission to settle in the country then dominated by the Ming dynasty. Thanks to its great culture, open minded and love for the traditions of this vast country, was able to win the favor of the emperor, as evidenced by the burial ground in China, the first ever granted to a foreigner.
After an oblivion that lasted centuries, due to the problems arising with his co-religionists because of the unorthodox methods of evangelization that would use the plagiarism and some of his works by scholars of the time, some years the great scholar is back at the center of attention of researchers and the general public .
After the intervention on his behalf from Pope John Paul I and a renewed interest in the history of relations with the East, in recent years, two major exhibitions have brought to the attention of the public figure of this extraordinary scholar and evangelizing. The first was held in Macerata in 2003, the second, which is also of great importance, both for setting the exposure time, and the number of objects presented, has just ended in Rome. Almost concurrently with the exhibition was published a book of considerable thickness, called Matteo Ricci, a Jesuit at the Ming Court, the journalist and researcher Michael Fontana, in addition to another significant transaction, Matteo Ricci. The kiosk of the Phoenix (The editorial work, Ancona 2004), written by Philip Mignini, director of the Ricci of Macerata.
The life of Matteo Ricci
We believe it is of particular importance in the initial phase of the existence of rich, because it will include the reasons and Reasons for the transaction after the great scholar. The exhibition in Rome was occupied, so, especially the period of formation of the European missionary, reconstructing the cultural soil and material culture of those years, the basis of subsequent developments.
Matteo Ricci was born in 1552 into a family of minor nobility Macerata. After attending the Jesuit college, opened in those years in Macerata, went to Rome in 1568, where he continued his studies at the University School of Law. But his interests are spiritual type and decides to enter the Society of Jesus In 1572 is admitted to the Collegio Romano (now the Pontifical Gregorian University), where, in addition to traditional teachings, as follows, which will prove very important in his work of mission, mathematics and astronomy, and is also interested in geography and cartography . After the first five years of study (two and three years of rhetoric of philosophy), Ricci asked to become a missionary, which is granted before the end of the last year of theology. Between 1577 and 1582 the young missionary went first in Lisbon, and Coimbra, Goa, Cochin and then to Macao, the seat of the Jesuit College of St. Paul. Already here demonstrates Ricci its modernity and its independence, since the authorities had banned the Jesuit teaching philosophy and theology to the Indians who became priests, the young missionary takes a position in their favor, emphasizing that the result of such a tax would be only ' hatred of local populations and low conversions motivated.
The cultural adjustment to the basic mission of the works of
Ricci's views are explained in the light of a new trend that was spreading among the Jesuits, introduced and supported by Alexander Valignano, Chieti jurist who had entered the Society of Jesus and that was coordinator of the missions in Asia. According to the Valignano, missionaries, unlike what they did throughout the colonizers, they had to first learn the local language, study, and also adopt local customs and respect the traditions of the people, unless they were clearly contrary to the moral Christian. One of the objectives of the policy of Valignano was to finally be able to enter China, a country that for years he had always denied access to missionaries of all kinds. He believed that to be able to create a mission, it was necessary to "become Chinese in China." Once you open China to Christianity, all other countries in the area has always been deeply influenced by Chinese culture and customs, they would open their borders to the work of the mission.
The beginnings of the mission of Ricci, Macao, Guangzhou, Zhaoqing
meet again in Macau Ricci Michele Ruggieri, who was his traveling companion during the long months of traveling to India, with whom she shares ideas and method : after discovering that the Chinese dignitaries were particularly fascinated by the extraordinary gifts of objects (for example, mechanical devices like clocks spring, unknown in China) and positively affected by the use of Chinese language and the strict observance of rituals and etiquette , with fellow mission begins to adapt to this behavior, acting really as he had recommended Valignano, from "Chinese in China." Ricci is passionately dedicated to the study of Mandarin Chinese, encountering great difficulties, as he himself acknowledges: "It 'the most unambiguous language and the letter you find yourself." Thanks to rapid progress in learning language, the missionary is able to read, although often with the help of translators, many works of Chinese culture, especially traditional medicine (especially herbal) and geography.
Ricci, Ruggieri and others can finally to obtain approval to reside in China, though after several bureaucratic problems. In 1583 settled in the city of Zhaoqing, a ten-day trip to Canton, the only trading post that was partially opened to Western traders. Dressed as Buddhist monks, with shaven heads, the Jesuits win the attention and protection of local authorities through their precious gifts (prisms and mechanical clocks, globes) and their friendly demeanor. The missionaries built a home in European style, and they get more and more visits by dignitaries and curious, home-style Chinese. It 'started the great adventure of the Western presence in China.
The next work of Ricci
After further study of the geography of China, Ricci public in 1584 the first Chinese world map (will be followed by several others): here again we see respect for local custom. A country that considered itself the center of the World (Zhong Guo) could not be represented as a large but partial territory lost in a boundless world: he had the foresight to place it in the center of the globe, with lands on the left and right. Many Chinese people laughed, however, of this representation: for they were accustomed to seeing all the land covered by China, with little land around it. Others, however, began to be interested for other countries, whose dimensions were considerable. Shortly after (I'm now two years old) the same rich, first called by the locals with the phonetic spelling of the name (in fact becomes Matteo Ricci Li Madou), then with the honorary name of Xitai (Far West), one realizes that the effort to be Chinese among the Chinese has turned significantly: writing to a colleague in Europe would like to apologize for the language and style not very precise, because of its adaptation to the Chinese language and thought. In the following years he began his work as a translator and writer. In 1597 he was appointed superior of the mission and in 1599, after trying in vain to stay in Beijing, with the aim of converting the emperor to Christianity, he moved to Nanjing, where he founded the fourth missionary residence. Finally, in 1601, is authorized to enter the Emperor Wanli in Beijing, a city where lived until his death, and is elevated to the rank of Mandarin. His wrath will be unable to meet the emperor that he had honored his protection: the hearing to which he had participated in March of 1601 was in fact just a staged, to which the emperor was not involved. He died in 1610, the emperor grants ground to build the funeral mound, the first such case against a foreigner.
The cultural mediation of the missionary maceratese
Ricci From the beginning he realized that it was necessary to master the language, rather than the spoken, had written one, in which to read texts written in Mandarin Chinese and in which translate important works of a spiritual, technical and scientific. He had in fact realized that the way forward was for the dissemination of knowledge is poorly understood in China, by adapting to the thought and the local mentality, taking advantage of the wide diffusion of the press. Importantly capital were his globes, updated from time to adapt to the new geographical knowledge, designed according to modern cartographic techniques: many nobles were proud to hang on the wall a few birds. The translation of fundamental texts of Western science, such as Euclid's Elements in Chinese or writing of original works on geometry, mathematics, trigonometry, Ricci made of one of the most respected scholars in the country.
The missionary, however, never forgot the purpose of his mission and is dedicated to the dissemination of their faith through the publication of several works of contents spiritual twenty years after the publication of a first Catechism (written and revised by Ruggieri Ricci himself, but not much appreciated by Valignano because of frequent references to Buddhism), was published in 1603 his Catechism, the result of a long period of study of Christian doctrine and adaptation to Chinese culture and mentality. The work had been deeply influenced by the work of translation of the Confucian texts, to which the missionary had expected in the years between 1591 and 1594. Still waiting dell'imprimatur inquisitor of Goa, the Catechism was published at his own expense by my Feng Yingjing, with the title Tianzhu Shiyi (Vera doctrine the Lord of Heaven).
The work in its own way revolutionary, tried to present Catholic doctrine with the traditional categories of thought and Chinese philosophy is divided into eight chapters, was a literary dialogue between a European and a Chinese man of letters. Explanations of the first, followed questions and comments from the second. In order to make inroads in the Chinese literati, the work presented arguments that could only be accepted with pure reasoning, leaving aside issues that had to be accepted by faith alone. The goal was to convince the Chinese that the philosophy of Confucius and Christianity were not in conflict, the latter would have translated in practice the best Confucian teachings. Work, as you might guess, certainly commendable, but very difficult to accept today, because the constant use of Confucian writings was almost always one-sided and reflected the positions of the rich and not the original author. The opposition, of course, did not fail, but they were almost always in the philosophical dispute.
To further educate the new converts, Ricci public in 1605 the Christian Doctrine (jiaoyao Tianzhu), containing prayers, the presentation of the Ten Commandments and that of the seven sacraments. August 1605 public instead work very pleasing to the Chinese literati, the twenty-five judgments (Ershiwu yan), Chinese translation of the Enchiridion of the Stoic philosopher Epictetus, who better than other texts reflect concepts very similar to Confucian ethics. This work had a big spread, similar to what had long ago another treaty, the Treaty on Friendship (1595) or a text mnemonics,
Along with Ricci, also contribute to this work of local writers disclosure of Western knowledge in China. Among these perhaps the most important thing is Zhizao Li, a senior who had notable worked in Nanjing and was then summoned to Beijing. Helped by Ricci, Li Zhizao results in important works of Chinese astronomy and mathematics.
conclude stressing that Matteo Ricci has played a key role in the understanding of the culture and Chinese customs and traditions in the West, mainly by means of its important historical work, the entries of the Society of Jesu and Christianity into China, which will translated into Latin and published, with additions by Nicolas Trigault in 1615. The Italian edition was published in 1622. (1)
Bibliography
Michela Fontana, Matteo Ricci, a Jesuit at the court of Ming, Mondadori, Milano 2005.
F. Mignini, Matteo Ricci. The kiosk of the Phoenicians, the editorial work, Ancona 2004
M. Ricci, Friendship, edited by F. Mignini, Quodlibet, Macerata 2005 (the third volume of the Collected Works)
Notes 1. Published by the magazine Arts of the East, July-August 2005.
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