Chapter 8 Section 2 Nanjing Teaching Cases and Catholicism in the Late Ming Dynasty
After the death of Matteo Ricci, Long Huamin, a Sicilian from Italy, took over the Catholic church affairs in China.He regards rituals that Matteo Ricci considers irrelevant, such as offering sacrifices to heaven, worshiping ancestors, and worshiping Confucius, as superstitions and prohibits believers from participating.As a result, people in the society resented it, and an anti-religion trend also followed.
In May, August and December of 1616, Shen (氵麺) [que Que], Minister of the Ministry of Rites in Nanjing, made three elucidations to Emperor Shenzong of the Ming Dynasty, arguing that Western missionaries were scattered in China, and they sometimes acted as spy; Worshiping ancestors is teaching people to be unfilial, and there is a rebellion against famous teachings; private learning of the calendar is forbidden by obedient laws and private learning of astronomy; gathering men and women in one room, anointing holy oil and sprinkling holy water, is easy to corrupt customs and confuse discipline ("Nangong Department") Slip·San Shen Yuan Yi Shu ").All ministers in Nanjing, such as Yan Wenhui, Yu Mao Maozi, Xu Ruke, etc., all echoed.Literati and bureaucrats also wrote books one after another, such as Yu Chunxi's "Liyi Deceiving the World", Lin Qilu's "A Brief Introduction to the Barbarians", Zhong Shisheng's "The First Expedition of Tianxue" and "The Second Expedition of Tianxue", and Zou Weilian's "Disciplinary Views on Exorcising Evil". "Records", Xu Dashou's "Holy Dynasty Zuo Ci", etc., accused Catholicism of "secretly hurting the king", "falsifying the teacher", and "confusing people by the leftist way", thus setting off a trend of non-religion. In July, Xu Guangqi published "Bianxue Zhangshu" in Beijing, trying his best to defend the missionaries:
Over the years, I know that all the accompanying ministers (Western missionaries) are the most true and accurate because of their attention to research and study.Not only the traces, but nothing suspicious, they are all sages.His way is very upright, his guard is very strict, his knowledge is very extensive, his knowledge is very refined, his heart is very sincere, and his views are very determined.In that country, there are also heroes of thousands of people and heroes of thousands of people.Therefore, those who come tens of thousands of miles from the east, like the people of that country, all practice self-cultivation to serve God. After hearing the teachings of Chinese sages, they all practice self-cultivation and serve God. To make everyone do good, to say that God loves people. ("Xu Wending Public Collection" Volume 5)
Li Zhizao was in Gaoyou and Yang Tingyun was in Hangzhou, and they both wrote to Nanjing officials to ask for protection.However, Shen (氵麺) made friends with Fang Congzhe, a scholar of Dongge University, Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites, and ordered Sun Guangyu, the censor of the patrol city, to arrest Wang Fengsu and Xie Wulu, and detained 20 to 30 believers one after another.Then Gu Shuzhao asked the emperor to issue a ban on religion on December 28.In the following year, Pang Diwo, Xiong Sanba, Wang Fengsu, Xie Wulu, etc. were escorted to Guangdong, and other missionaries went into hiding among the people. In 1621, during the Shandong White Lotus Sect uprising, Shen (氵麺) was promoted to be a Bachelor of Dongge University, Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites.He colluded with Wei Zhongxian, accused Catholicism of being the White Lotus Sect, and again ordered Nanjing to arrest believers.The missionaries moved to the homes of Yang Tingyun in Hangzhou and Xu Guangqi in Shanghai to avoid disaster. In 1623, Shen (氵麺) was rejected by Ye Xianggao, and the Nanjing teaching case came to an end.Wang Fengsu changed his name to Gao Yizhi, Xie Wulu changed his name to Zeng Dezhao, and sneaked into Shanxi, Zhejiang, Shaanxi and other places to preach.
Since then, non-religious trends have continued. For example, in 1625, Ai Julian went to Fujian to preach, which aroused the disgust of Shi Bangyao, Huang Wenwen, Chen Houguang, Li Weiyuan, Huang Zhen and other scholar-officials. "Dispelling evil spirits", "Distinguishing the humble words of learning", "asking Yan Maoyou to explain the Catholic Church", "can't bear not to speak", "breaking evil collection" and so on came out one after another, setting off a wave of not too big or small.But at the end of the Ming Dynasty, due to the rise of the Manchus, the crisis of border defense, and the disrepair of the calendar, there were many errors in deduction. It was necessary to rely on Western missionaries to manufacture artillery and revise the calendar. The expelled priests were recalled again.Under Xu Guangqi's recommendation, Deng Yuhan, Long Huamin, Yang Manuo, Ai Julian, Bi Fangji, Tang Ruowang, Luo Yagu, etc. successively came to Beijing to work, obtained legal status, and had the convenience of preaching.At the beginning of Chongzhen, Long Huamin, Tang Ruowang, and Luo Yagu were even banned from entering and leaving the palace, and Catholicism therefore penetrated into the court.Legend has it that Ming Sizong believed in Catholicism and ordered the Buddha statues in the palace to be dragged out with hemp ropes and iron cables (Mu Chen 忞 [min Min] "Beiyouji").Although there is no conclusive evidence for this statement, there are many ministers in the imperial clan, relatives of the emperor, and religious believers.At that time, the missionaries "went in and out of the palace quite conveniently, communicated with eunuchs, etc., and often took the opportunity to explain the principles of the holy religion." In 1630, Pang Tianshou, the imperial horse eunuch, was first baptized by Long Huamin, and soon after, 40 people were baptized by Tang Ruowang.A special church was set up for Tang Ruowang in the palace, and as many as 540 people were baptized within a few years (Xu Zongze's "Introduction to the History of Catholic Missions in China").
In 1613, in order to expand the scale of missionary work in China, the Jesuits sent Kinney Court back to Rome and asked for more priests.Kinney Court asked the Holy See to approve China as a province.At that time, there were less than 20 priests in China, only five churches (Beijing, Nanjing, Zhaoqing, Shaozhou, and Nanchang), and less than 10,000 followers. Therefore, it was only reclassified as a sub-province, which belonged to the same province as Japan.Although it was allowed to hold Mass and read scriptures in Chinese, it has not been implemented.After Long Huamin, Luo Ruwang (1623), Yang Manuo (1625), and Fu Fanji (1636) successively served as presidents of the Chinese Missionary Society of the Jesuits in China.Later, it was divided into two dioceses, North China and South China. Fu Fanji served as the president of North China, managing the educational affairs in Beijing, Shandong, Shaanxi, Shanxi, and Henan. There were five priests in total.Among them, Long Huamin contributed the most to the teaching in Jinan, Shandong.Tang Ruowang began teaching in Xi'an, Shaanxi.The teaching started in Jiangzhou, Shanxi, from Gao Yizhi.Kaifeng, Henan Province started teaching, beginning with Franciscan Bi.Ai Julian was stationed in Fuzhou, served as the president of South China, and managed the educational affairs in Nanjing, Jiangxi, Huguang, Sichuan, Zhejiang, and Fujian. There were 15 priests in total.The teaching in Hangzhou began with Guo Jujing and Jinni Pavilion.The opening of teaching in Yangzhou and Fuzhou began with Julian Ai.The beginning of teaching in Wuchang began with He Dahua.In addition, there are churches in Nanxiong, Shanghai, Jiading, Changshu and other places.Since 1575, Guangdong and Guangxi have been administered by the Diocese of Macao. Catholicism was introduced to Hainan Island in 1632. In 1641, Lisisi started teaching in Sichuan.By the end of Chongzhen, Catholicism had been introduced into 13 provinces across the country.
After the Qing soldiers entered the customs, the Nanming regime borrowed troops from the Portuguese government through missionaries who went to Macau in a crisis.Franciscan Pi Francis from Naples, Italy, was forced to leave Beijing after the Nanjing teaching case, and went to Jiading, Shanghai, Kaifeng and other places to preach. In 1628, Ming Shenzong's third son Fugong Wang Zhu Changxun (xun Xun) summoned him many times in Kaifeng. In 1644, after Chang Xun's son Fu Wang Zhu Yousong established the Hongguang regime in Nanjing, he sent Bi Fangji to Macau for help. In March 1645, Bi Francis set off from Nanjing and arrived in Macau. Nanjing had already fallen.Zhu Yujian, king of the Tang Dynasty, proclaimed himself emperor in Fuzhou and changed his name to Yuanlongwu.Bi Fangji had made acquaintance with Tang Wang in Nanyang in 1628. At this time, he went to Fuzhou to study "Xiu Qi Zhiping Ode", expressing his willingness to serve the Nanming regime.The king of Tang wrote a poem praising him as "an easygoing citizen of the Western Regions and an outstanding scholar in China", and ordered him to go to Macau with his inner eunuch Pang Tianshou to borrow weapons. In August 1646, King Tang was captured by Qing soldiers, and King Gui Zhu Youlang (lang Lang) ascended the throne in Zhaoqing and established the Yongli regime.Bi Francis followed Emperor Yongli and built a church in Guangzhou. In 1647, he led 300 Portuguese soldiers to defend Guilin.
In the Nanming court, Pang Tianshou, the eunuch who was in charge of seals, was baptized more than 10 years ago, and his Christian name was Yaqilou Qilisdang.Under his persuasion, there was a small hall in the palace dedicated to Jesus.One year later, in 1648, the Empress Dowager and Empress were baptized by Qu Shawei, a German.The Empress Dowager, the banished mother of Yongli, was given the Christian name Liena, the Empress Dowager, the born mare of Yongli, was given the Christian name Maria, and the queen was given the Christian name Yana.Emperor Yongli could not be baptized because he had many concubines.The newly born Prince Cixuan was also baptized into the religion after suffering from a serious illness. His Christian name was Gong Si Dangding, and he intended to imitate Emperor Constantine to teach and start a business.There were 50 concubines, more eunuchs, and 40 ministers who were baptized successively in the palace.The Empress Dowager sent envoys to Macau to ask priests to pray for the Ming Dynasty, and was received by the Portuguese Governor. Macau officials presented Pang Tianshou with 100 firecrackers, and sent troops to help him as bodyguards.
According to the archives of the Holy See Missionary Department, Pang Tianshou, who held military and political power in the Yongli regime, first expressed his willingness to send envoys to visit the Pope and pay tribute to the Jesuit president at the instigation of Jesuit priests.So the Empress Dowager Lina made a letter to Pope Innocent X and the President of the Society of Jesus.The envoy was a Hungarian-Polish boymig.Two Chinese national books were translated into Latin by Qu Shawei and Boym, and were written on yellow silk and gold-rimmed scrolls. The Holy Father of the Pope", and one piece of "Edict to Father Priest of the Grand Master of the Society of Jesus".Pang Tianshou also has a book on the Pope.Pang Tianshou's letter to the President of the Society of Jesus, printed in vermilion and red, with a silver plate on one side, engraved with Chinese and Latin inscriptions, dedicated to the tomb of St. Ignatius in Rome.Pang Tianshou also has a red rectangular post, which was submitted by Boym to the Republic of Venice, and the original is kept in the Venice City Archives.
In January 1651, Boym wrote a book and set off from Zhaoqing, accompanied by a Chinese Christian, Qin Ande, who was only 19 years old.In Macau and Goa, the Portuguese authorities, unwilling to incur the displeasure of the Qing, obstructed them.Boym and his party did not arrive in Venice until December 1652.Boym presented documents to the Venetian government in splendid attire.Immediately went to Rome, but the Holy See was extremely suspicious of his emissary status, and the president of the Society of Jesus also accused him of acting arbitrarily and coming to Rome privately.It was not until the new Pope Alexander VII received letters from the bishops of Macao, India and other places that his emissary identity was confirmed. On December 18, 1655, Pope Boymong summoned and presented the letter of Empress Dowager Reina and Pang Tianshou.The pope's reply letter was vague and was handed over to Boym to bring it back to China. Boym arrived in Siam (Thailand) in 1658.At this time, Guangdong and Guangxi had fallen into the hands of the Qing army. Emperor Yongli fled from Yunnan to Burma, and the empress dowager and Pang Tianshou had already died of illness.Boym was unable to return to his life and died of illness in Baise the following year.During this period, Qu Shawei, another Jesuit missionary, also asked for help from the Yongli regime in Macau, but was rejected. When Emperor Yongli left Nanning in 1651, Qu Shawei accompanied him on a boat westward, but was hunted down by Qing soldiers on the way.
The success of the missionary activities of the Jesuits in the court of the Ming Dynasty was wiped out due to the demise of the Ming Dynasty, but the spread among the people, especially the progress during the Tianqi and Chongzhen years, continued until the early Qing Dynasty.The number of Catholics in the country has grown from 2,500 to 5,000 by 1615, 13,000 after the Nanjing Missionary Case in 1617, 38,000 in 1638, 150,000 in 1650, and 164,400 in 1664 .These believers are distributed in the three dioceses of North China (Zhili, Shandong, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Henan, Sichuan), Central China (Fujian, Jiangnan, Zhejiang, Jiangxi), and South China (Hainan, Guangdong and Guangxi).South China is under the jurisdiction of Macau and is a province of Japan.North China and Central China belong to the Jesuits in the provinces and regions of China.Cities with concentrated believers include Shanghai (42,000 people), Hanzhong (40,000 people), Xi'an (20,000 people), and Changshu (10,900 people).According to the report written by the priest Bijia in Guangzhou prison in 1667, in the 83 years from 1581 to 1664, the Jesuits baptized 246,000 people in China, more than 80,000 more than the above figure.During this period, there were 82 Jesuit missionaries in China and 12 in Japan.During the same period, a total of 131 Catholic books, 100 arithmetic books, and 55 academic, ethical and physical books were printed.There are also 14 kinds of doctrinal works published by believers (Gao Longpan's "History of Missions in the South of the Yangtze River").The first series of Catholic books, "Tianxue Chuhan", compiled and published by Li Zhizao in 1629, was also published during this period. "Tianxue Chuhan" consists of 52 volumes, including 20 kinds of dogmatic theology and various academic works.The publication of these translations shows that after Matteo Ricci, Jesuit priests continued to use the introduction of natural science and technical knowledge as a means to achieve the purpose of spreading Catholicism.Therefore, when Jinnige returned to China from Rome in 1620, he carried more than 7,000 books donated by the Pope.
In addition to the Jesuits, Franciscans and Dominicans also entered China during this period. In 1590, the Pope sent four Franciscan missionaries to China.During the reign of Emperor Tianqi, Spain occupied Taiwan's chicken coops and fresh water, and established churches as a base for missionary work in China. In 1630, several Dominican priests crossed the sea from Taiwan to Fujian to preach, and only Gu Kui landed. In 1633, the Pope allowed other religious orders to share the right to preach in China with the Jesuits, and the exclusive missionary rights enjoyed by Portugal and the Jesuits in China began to be destroyed. In 1631, at the request of Gu Kui, the governor of the Philippines in Spain sent Li Yufan, a Dominican missionary, and Li Andang, a Franciscan missionary, to Fujian to preach.From 1650 to 1664, a total of 3,400 people were baptized, with 30 monks. In 1633, another 10 priests from the Philippines went to Shandong to preach.From 1633 to 1660, a total of 3,500 people were baptized. (Yin Duoze's "Report to the Roman Missionary Ministry on April 18, 1671")
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