Jesuits in China: Catholic Counter-Reformation Missionaries - Essay Sample

Introduction

Jesuits were founded by Ignatius of Loyola with the approval of Pope Paul in 1540. Their main aim was to spread the Catholic pursuits. Due to the protestant reformation in the early 1500s, the Catholic Church lost many of its followers to the protestant church. In response, they launched the counter-reformation; this is where missionaries were sent to convert people among the main target for the catholic church was china. Surpassing all other early Christian influence in China were the Jesuits members of the newly organized society of Jesus. The Jesuits were proselytizing in an impressive and civilization, and their resilience in humanism was an essential asset in winning over not only the educated elites but also the ordinary Chinese as well. Jesuits in China had a unique role to play in introducing the west to the east.

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Although the Jesuits came to bring Christianity messages, they will still be remembered more for their role in transmitting contemporary European science to the foreign land. The Jesuits lived & worked in China during the time of the late Ming and the early Qing dynasties. This was a time of political decline, & towards the end, there was a significant competent rule & prosperity. Ricci was a scholar and a priest; he was among the first Jesuits who traveled to China. In Europe, the priest studied the latest development astronomy, cartography, and mechanics. This knowledge helped in winning the attention of the Chinese People. Western science, particularly astronomy, was mainly used to make the religious message more attractive to the people. Calendrical science & astronomy were commonly used in china. The Chinese scholars regarded their Confucian heritage as superior compared to anything else the west had to offer.

However, the Jesuits aimed to interpret Confucian and other Chinese authors. The Jesuits started mastering the Chinese language sufficiently, and they began writing books like "presenting our faith according to natural reason" this book was written specifically by Ricci. Matteo Ricci dressed as a Chinese scholar instead of dressing like a priest; this was to alleviate his "foreignness," and he attempted to adapt to the local culture. He also explained the Christian doctrine through a dialogue between Chinese scholar-official and western intellectuals. The Jesuits developed and introduced more accurate maps and calendars than the Chinese possessed up to that point since the Chinese believed that their events were governed by the stars and needed to be planned in accordance with the astrological signs.

The Jesuits served as intermediaries in intercultural communication; this was enhanced by publishing the first Chinese magazines and newspapers. Jesuits contributed to intercultural dialogue in contemporary times through music; they used hymns and translated them to Chinese for the local people to praise the Lord. They also incorporated the Chinese style in western music. The Jesuits missionaries wrote columns of teachings, science, and technology so that the local Chinese leaders can accept them.

Confucian scholars were interested in mathematics, astronomy, cartography, and alchemy due to this the Jesuits had to present themselves as experts on such matters so that Chinese would realize the backwardness of their own science and be astonished by the western way. The Jesuits helped the Chinese people to improve their technology by teaching them some of the European knowledge in doing things. Mapmaking was one of the areas in which the Jesuits had a more significant impact on china. In the 18th century, Jesuits cartographer traveled through the country performing astronomical observations to verify or determine the latitudes and longitudes. They drew maps, and their work was summarized into four volumes. Through Ricci's world map, the Chinese elite, for the first time, were able to realize the position of china with respect to the rest of the world.

History of scholarships of the Jesuits in china reviewed that less had been done in assessing the impact of literature to change the transmission of information to Jesuits. Jesuits were very active in transmitting Chinese knowledge to Europe. They also translated Confucius's work into European languages; it is thought that such works had considerable importance on what Europeans think of the period of particularly those who were interested in the integration of the Confucian system of morality into Christianity. Chinese linguistics, science, and technology were reported to the west by the Jesuits.

Activism is a strategy that means that all encounters involve a determined effort to accept the symbols, actions, and even linguistic nuances and not just ideas and values. Knowledge of China in the west was spread through the translation of historical and philosophical works into the western language. Translation of ideas is the first step of activism strategy; what is needed is to study how the introduction of Chinese ideas enriched western vocabulary and, eventually, conceptualization. The Jesuits had an effect on the perceptions and writings of the Europeans; this should never be neglected. The chinoiserie was a representation of the idealized vision of the Chinese Empire. It began with the Philosophies publication, that is, Confucius Sinarum in 1687. This was an elucidate comparison of the Jesuit reality influences; however, the majority of the objects' d'art were of typical European design except for a little Chinese flavor.

The Jesuits conveyed information from china to Europe through the publishing of books that were more influential than the letter books they had published. The books were organized, and they had general descriptions, which enhanced China's improved image and shape, as compared to haphazard reports of characteristics & events as existing in the Jesuits letter. Apart from writings, the European perceptions were affected by the Jesuits. This information was manipulated, and the Jesuits supplied the information, also allowing European intellectuals in using China as a means of criticism. Their system's structure of knowledge in economy & production in comparing two socio-economic systems was criticized. Europe, being on the brink of unprecedented growth, is pivotal because of the great understanding of the evolution of the thought of civilization. In the nineteenth century, this understanding was key in both the global knowledge & China brokers' role played, especially in the intellectual foundations of Orientalism that flourished.

In a short period, there would be a dramatic change in china because of the evolving changes in Europe; however, it would be anachronistic to see it that way. In the view of the global relationships behind information creation, it allows persons to see and understand the impact of Jesuits in China. The Jesuits were the predominant information suppliers in China, & their relationship between China & Europe created European perspectives. The important process in the conveying of information was china to Europe. Chinese benefited more in the gain of this information; they attained more knowledge, which enabled them to come up with different ideas in technology and sciences.

Work Cited

"Translating China". Google Books, 2020, https://books.google.co.ke/books?id=wS_XBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA26&lpg=PA26&dq=roles+of+the+Jesuits+in+China+as+mediators+between+Chinese+and+European+culture+and+thought&source=bl&ots=nWabidxgYG&sig=ACfU3U3Dy7LVHQwX9ZypKcVq9bEBvokmzQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi-vqXEl6fpAhWB2-AKHdiRC9kQ6AEwAHoECAkQAQ#v=onepage&q=roles%20of%20the%20Jesuits%20in%20China%20as%20mediators%20between%20Chinese%20and%20European%20culture%20and%20thought&f=false.

"'The Observations We Made In The Indies And In China' On JSTOR". Jstor.Org, 2020, https://www.jstor.org/stable/90020957.

Mariani, Paul. "The Jesuit China Mission: A Brief History, Part I (1552-1800) | Society Of Jesus, Chinese Province". Amdgchinese.Org, 2020, https://www.amdgchinese.org/en/2012/12/14/the-jesuit-china-mission-a-brief-history-part-i-1552-1800/.