"Diplomatic envoy, courtier, and missionary : a comparative study of Juan Cobo and Diego de Pantoja  in east-west exchanges of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries" / Peng Haitao

Published in

Historia Crítica No. 98 (2025)

Abstract. Objective/Context: This article offers a comparative analysis of two early modern missionaries—
Dominican Juan Cobo and Jesuit Diego de Pantoja—within the broader context of early globalization. While
Cobo operated in the colonial setting of Manila and engaged in diplomatic missions like the 1592 embassy to Japan, Pantoja worked at the heart of the Ming court, using scientific and cultural knowledge to promote engagement among the elite. Methodology: Drawing on primary sources and recent scholarship, this study explores the divergent evangelization strategies, political roles, and identity negotiations of these two missionaries. Originality: By situating both figures within the interconnected maritime and diplomatic networks of East Asia, the article contributes to global historical debates on cross-cultural mediation and the complex entanglements among religion, empire, and knowledge in the early modern world. Conclusions: The article argues that the trajectories of these two missionaries reflect the tensions between European imperialist ambitions and the Chinese imperial government.

Wuji Tianzhu zhengjiao zhenchuan shilu 無極天主正教真傳實錄 = Rectificación y mejora de principios naturales / Juan Cobo 高母羨, Fabio Yuchung Lee (李毓中), Tsung-jen Chen (陳宗仁), Jose Luis Cano Ortigosa, Shih Wen-cheng (石文誠), Regalado T. José.

This is a facsimile edition of the work preserved in the Biblioteca Nacional Madrid (National library of Madrid), shelf number R.33.396