Pantoja's Septem Victoriis (Qike 七克) and the Reconstruction of the Moral Authority in late Ming China / Haitao Peng.

TESI DOCTORAL UPF / 2020. DIRECTOR: Dr. Manel Ollé Rodríguez
INSTITUT D’HISTÒRIA JAUME VICENS I VIVES / DEPARTAMENT D’HUMANITATS

Includes bibliographical references (p.229-243)

Local access dig.pdf [Peng-Septem Victoriis.pdf]

See Japonica-Sinica eds. for more information

Abstract
The thesis aims to analyze the role of Septem Victoriis (Qike 七克), an moral philosophy book of the Spanish Jesuit Diego de Pantoja, in the process of the reconstruction of the moral authority in late Ming China. Since the beginning of the 16th century, China was undergoing a severe social-political crisis. The orthodox literati attributed the social-political crisis to the decline of moral authority and proposed to re-establish moral authority and the highest moral standards. The preaching of God as the source of moral principles and the ultimate goal of moral conduct in Pantoja’s book attracted the orthodox literati. They reinterpreted the book of the Spanish Jesuit and even modified it to meet their own need. As a result, Septem Victoriis (Qike 七克) wielded a specific influence in the development of moral philosophy in the late Ming and early Qing periods.

Resumen
La tesis tiene como objetivo analizar el papel de Septem Victoriis (Qike 七克), un libro de filosofía moral del jesuita español Diego de Pantoja, en el proceso de reconstrucción de la autoridad moral a finales del período Ming. Desde principios del siglo XVI, China atravesaba una grave crisis sociopolítica. Los literati ortodoxos atribuyeron la crisis sociopolítica al declive de la autoridad moral y propusieron restablecerlo y los más altos estándares de moralidad. La predicación de Dios como fuente de principios morales y el objetivo final de la conducta moral en el libro de Pantoja atrajo a los literatu ortodoxos. Reinterpretaron el libro del jesuita español e incluso lo modificaron para satisfacer sus propias necesidades. Por este motivo, Septem Victoriis (Qike 七克) ejerció una influencia específica en el desarrollo de la filosofía moral en el período de finales de Ming y principios de Qing.

“....One of the most popular works on Christian ethics was Diego de Pantoja’s (1571-1618) Qike 七克 (The Seven Victories). In a lengthy exposition it explained how one should overcome the seven capital sins: pride, envy, greed, anger, gluttony, lust, and sloth. The scholars who wrote a preface to the work showed a sense that these Seven Victories might be enlisted in the attempt to rouse China from its complacency and the literati from their self-indulgence. It was considered a text that contained useful and sound moral advice, regardless of one’s theological predilections. Moreover, they assimilated this book on deadly sins with the Chinese genre of “ledgers of merit and demerit”... (gongguoge 功過格)... a type of morality book during the early seventeenth century .... lists of virtues and moral actions..." -- Cf. Standaert, Handbook of Christianity in China, v.1, p. 655-656.

Please refer to Japonica-Sinica edition for online texts, links, and Fr. Albert Chan, S.J. extensive bibliographical entry.
This edition online at National Library of Australia.

Qike 七克 / Diego de Pantoja 龐迪我 (Seven Capital sins and seven opposing virtues) in Tianxue chuhan 天學初函 v.2, pp. 689-1126.
Originally published: 明萬曆42 [1614].
Local access in print (bound photocopy) and dig. pdf. [Tianxue chuhan.pdf].

See also: 京都: 始胎大堂 1798 edition online at National Library of Australia.
Juan 4, 5, 6, see: Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, München.
Full citation see: Ad Dudink & Nicolas Standaert, Chinese Christian Texts Database (CCT-Database).

“….One of the most popular works on Christian ethics was Diego de Pantoja’s (1571-1618) Qike 七克 (The Seven Victories). In a lengthy exposition it explained how one should overcome the seven capital sins: pride, envy, greed, anger, gluttony, lust, and sloth. The scholars who wrote a preface to the work showed a sense that these Seven Victories might be enlisted in the attempt to rouse China from its complacency and the literati from their self-indulgence. It was considered a text that contained useful and sound moral advice, regardless of one’s theological predilections. Moreover, they assimilated this book on deadly sins with the Chinese genre of “ledgers of merit and demerit” … (gongguoge 功過格)….a type of morality book during the early seventeenth century…..lists of virtues and moral actions…”
Cf. Standaert, Handbook of Christianity in China, v.1, p. 655-656.

See also: Robert R. Ellis, They Need Nothing: Hispanic-Asian Encounters of the Colonial Period, pp.98-101.

Following descriptions apply to ARSI Jap-Sin collection:

Jap-Sin I, 84
Qike 七克
By Pang Diwo 龐迪我 (Diego de Pantoja, 1571–1618).
Seven juan (only juan 1–3 are preserved). Chinese bamboo paper in one volume.
The cover bears the title.

There are six prefaces, written by:
1. Chen Liangcai 陳亮采 , Vice Surveillance Commissioner of Shantung, four folios.
2. Cao Yubian 曹于汴, a native of Shansi.
3. Zheng Yiwei 鄭以偉 of Shangyao 上饒 (Jiangsi), four folios.
4. Xiong Mingyu 熊明遇 of Nanzhou 南州 (Nanchang 南昌, Jiangsi), two folios.
5. Yang Tingyun 楊廷筠 of Wulin 武林 (Hangzhou), four and one-half folios.
6. De Pantoja, dated 1607, three folios with the seal of the Society of Jesus at the end.

After the prefaces follows a table of contents (one folio). At the beginning of each juan there is a short introduction by Cui Chang 崔淐 of Jiangdong 江東 (Southern Zhili); cf. Sommervogel (vol. VI, col. 174, no. 8): “Un Chrétien nommé Tsoui tchang, dit le P. Foureau, qui avait aidé le Père en ce travail, a mis une préface de sa façon à chacun des sept chapitres, dans laquelle il a inséré plusieurs fables d’Ésope . . . (Cordier, p. 35).” The introduction to juan 3, however, is missing.
There are nine columns in each half folio. The first column of each paragraph has twenty-two characters and the other columns twenty-one. The upper middle of each folio bears the title, with the number of the juan and of the folio given below.
Colombel states: “ . . . le P. Pantoja, compagnon du P. Mathieu depuis les premières années de son séjour à Pékin. Le P. Pantoja publiait à cette époque un livre resté célèbre, où la collaboration de Siu Koang ki est certaine. Il est intitulé ‘Les Sept Victoires’.” (vol. I, p. 294).
Cf. Jap-Sin I, 85 and 86.

Jap-Sin I, 85
Qike 七克
By Pang Diwo 龐迪我
Seven juan. Chinese bamboo paper in four volumes.
The cover of each volume bears a Latin inscription, giving the title, the author of the book and the number of the juan. Inside the cover of each volume there is a red label giving the author, the title of the book and the number of the juan. The format of this book is the same as that of Jap-Sin I, 84, except for an additional preface (six and one-half folios) by Cui Chang 崔淐 dated Wanli 39 (1611, 辛亥 ). The preface by Yang Tingyun goes before that of Chen Liangcai. There is a short introduction by Cui Chang before each juan.
At the end of the last volume there is a postscript (one folio) by Wang Ruchun 汪汝淳 (cf. Jap-Sin I, 45), dated Wanli jiayin 甲寅 (1614), which indicates that the book was published in that year in Hangzhou and probably is a new edition.

Jap-Sin I, 86
Qike 七克
By Pang Diwo 龐迪我 (Diego de Pantoja).
Seven juan Chinese bamboo paper in three volumes. Re-engraved by the Lingbaotang 領報堂 (Church of the Annunciation) of Peking in 1694 (Kangxi 33).
The cover bears the title.

The first folio bears at the back the title in two large characters. The top right gives the date of re-engraving and the lower left the place of publication.
Compared with Jap-Sin I, 84 this edition has an additional preface (one and one-half folio) by Peng Duanwu 彭端吾 of Dangjun 碭郡 with the heading Ti Xisheng qipian xu 題西聖七篇序 (Preface to the seven treatises of the Western sage). Yang Tingyun’s preface comes after that of Chen Liangcai in block letters, while those of Chen and Cui Chang remain in handwritten style. The preface by Zheng Yiwei is omitted. At the end of de Pantoja’s preface there are two seals, the upper one bearing the name of the author and the lower one his zi (Shunyang 順陽).
There are nine columns in every half folio. The first column of each paragraph contains twenty-one and the rest of the paragraph twenty characters in each column. The upper middle of each folio bears the title with the number of the juan and of the folio marked below.
Cf. Pfister, pp. 71–72; Hsü 1949, pp. 51–56; Courant 7177–7185; BR, p. XXX; Couplet, p. 9.
Source: Albert Chan, S.J., Chinese books and documents in the Jesuit Archives in Rome, pp. 136-138.