Jesuits and the early Chinese Catholic rosary : unveiling new insights into the authorship and origins of song nianzhu guicheng

Published in Journal of Jesuit Studies vol. 13 issue 1 

Also available throughBoston College Libraries

Abstract:
Song nianzhu guicheng 誦念珠規程 (The Method of Reciting the Rosary) is the earliest known illustrated Chinese Catholic work, published in the early seventeenth century. Debates over its authorship, publication date, and place persist in academic circles. While existing studies have productively examined its artistic features and visual adaptation, less attention has been devoted to systematic textual analysis. As a result, key questions about its textual provenance and authorship remain unresolved. This paper seeks to enrich the discourse by conducting a comprehensive comparison of the texts of song nianzhu guicheng, its Portuguese original, and another related Rosary work, in order to shed new light on the text’s composition and historical context.

Three main authorship hypotheses are critically examined: attribution to João da Rocha (羅儒望, 1565–1623), sole authorship by Gaspar Ferreira (費奇規, 1571–1649), or collaborative authorship involving Ferreira and Francisco Furtado (傅汎際, 1589–1653). Historical evidence seems to contradict Rocha’s authorship, as his documented work only treated the “Five Sorrowful Mysteries,” unlike the fifteen mysteries in song nianzhu guicheng. The case for Ferreira as the sole author is also problematic; close textual analysis suggests his version of the Rosary likely integrated and adapted Rocha’s earlier work. Drawing on records of missionary activities, this study argues that nianzhu was likely a collaborative work by several missionaries and was first published in Hangzhou between 1620 and 1628.

L'euchologe de la mission de Chine : editio princeps 1628 et développements jusqu'a nos jours ; contribution à l'histoire des livres de prières / par Paul Brunner S.J.
Former library copy from the Maryknoll collection, Maryknoll, New York
Full publisher attribution on title page: "Aschendorffsche Verlagsbuchhandlung."
Summaries in English and German.
Includes bibliographical references.
Consists of a history written in French, followed by the text of the prayer book in French and then Chinese: Tianzhu shengjiao nianjing zongdu 天主聖教念經總牘.

Contents:
Préface -- Signes et abréviations. Index de la Littérature citée en abrégé -- Principales dates de la Mission de China

Introduction

Première Section -- L'Editio Princeps (1628)
I. Contexte historique
II. Analyse de l'Editio Princeps - Tome I
III. Analyse de l'Editio Princeps - Tome II

Deuxième Section - Les développements de l'euchologue chinois
IV. L'Editio ne varietur
V. Suppléments de "l'Exercice Quotidien" (18e siècle)
VI. L'Exercice Quotidien de poche (1823)
VII. Le Manuel de Bienheureux Moye (1780)
VIII. Problèmes et Conclusions

Traduction du recueil general des prieres

Texte chinois du receuil general des prieres

Table des matières en Chinois -- Appendice des caractères chinois -- Index -- The Prayerbook of China. Origin, development, and reform -- Das Gebetbuch der China-Mission. Ursprung, Entwicklung und Reform