| Note | 2 Photostats of rubbing, with data cards by Fr. Rouleau. In Rouleau Archives folder (stacks): SCHALL: Peking inscription rubbing -- ARSI IV, 2 -- 1650.
Rubbing to Brancato, cf. Brancato to Gen. SJ 20.6.1651: Jap-Sin 161 362v.
Japonica-Sinica IV, 2
Beijing Xuanwumen nei xinjian Tianzhutang beji 北京宣武門內新建天主堂碑記
Photocopy, 29.7 x 22.5 cm.
On the upper right corner there is a Latin inscription: “Originali 44/97 cm.”
This inscription on a monument erected by Johann Adam Schall von Bell records the completion of the building of the church in Peking in 1650 (Shunzhi 7). The monument was destroyed in 1664 during the persecution of Yang Guangxian 楊光先. For this reason the Latin catalogue says: Pretiosa haec inscriptio est.
The top middle bears the emblem of the Society of Jesus with designs of clouds on both side. Below is the inscription borne by the monument:
POST FIDEM À D. THOMA APlo PRIMVM AD ̴ | VECTAM POSTque EANDEM À SYRIIS TEMPO ̴ | RE IMPERII TÃM, ITERVM ET LATIVS | PROPAGATAM; TERTIO RVRSVM SVB IM ̴ | PERIO MÎM POST EANDEM, DVCIBVS Sto | FRANco XAVERIO AC P MATT° RICCIO, PER | SOC: IESV HOMINES, ET VERBO ET LIBRIS | SINICÈ EDITIS DIVVLGATAM, MAGNO QVI ̴ | DEM STVDIO ET LABORE, SED FRVCTV, PROPTER GENTIS INCONSTANTIAM, PER ̴ | EXIGVO; DEVOLVTO IAM AD TARTAROS | IMPERIO, EADEM SOC:as PRO INSTAVRATI | PER SVOS CALENDARII, XI HIEN LIE DICTI | LABORVM CORONIDE, TEMPLVM D.O.M. | PVBLICÈ PEQVINI REGVM SINARVM CVRI ̴ | ÆPOS: DICque | Anno Jubilaei 1650 Xún Chi 7°
自昔西漢時有宗徒聖多默者初入中國傳 | 天主正教此則唐貞觀以後有大秦國西士數 | 人入中國傳教又次明嘉靖時聖方濟各入中 | 國界傳教至萬曆時西士利瑪竇等先後接踵 | 入中國傳教譯有經典有書籍傳衍至今荷 | 蒙 | 清朝特用西法定造時憲新曆務告竣 | 謹於 | 都城宣武門內虔建 | 天主新堂昭明正教時 | 天主降生一千六百五十年為 | 大清順治七年歲次庚寅云 | 修政曆法湯若望記 | .
There are two seals at the end of the Chinese text: 1) the emblem of the Society of Jesus (IHS); 2) 湯若望印 (in seal characters). Both are in incised inscriptions.
The text of the Latin inscription as given by Athanasius Kircher and quoted by Pfister (p. 170 n. 1) is somewhat different from the text just given:
Post fidem a D. Thoma Apostolo primum advectam, postque eamdem a Syriis tempore imperii Tam, iterum et latius propagatam, tertio rursum sub imperio Min, post eamdem ducibus S. Francisco Xaverio et P. Matthaeo Riccio, per Societatis Jesu homines et verbo et libris Sinice editis divulgatam, magno quidem studio ac labore, sed propter gentis inconstantiam haud pari successu, devoluto jam ad Tartaros imperio, eadem Societas pro instaurati per suos Calendarii Xy hien lié dicti laborum coronide, templum Deo Opt. Max. publice Pekini Regum Sinarum curiae posuit dicavitque anno MDCL, Xunchi VII.
Pater Joannes Adamus Schall a Bell, Germanus, S.J. professus, et praefati Calendarii auctor, ex laboribus manuum suarum aedem hanc et patientiam posteris legat.
Väth (p. 168) gives a German translation of this inscription. P. Hoang’s Zhengjiao fengbao, folio 25v, gives the original text of this inscription. Hsiao Ching-shan, who does not seem to have come across the Chinese text, gave a Chinese translation of the Latin text (Hsiao, vol. 2, p. 7).
Liu Zhaoguo 劉肇國 in his essay Zeng Tianzhu xin tang ji 贈天主新堂記 ( Jap-Sin II, 76, ff. 3v–6v) gives an account of the building of this church. He mentions (f. 3) that there were two slabs at the entrance of the new church. According to him, Adam Schall intended to write an account on the building of the church and its religious aspect and to have it engraved on one of the slabs. On the other slab he would have had Liu’s essay inscribed, the theme of which would be on the calendar achievement of the Jesuit missioners at the Imperial Court. Seemingly, Schall was aware that the Chinese scholars were in general pagan in their outlook. They became friends of the missioners for the sake of their learning but were totally indifferent or even hostile when it came to the question of Christianity.
Source: Albert Chan, S.J., Chinese books and documents in the Jesuit Archives in Rome, pp.511-513.
Local access dig. image [Tianzhutang beiji.tif/jpg]. See archive folder under Schall. |
