"Adam Schall von Bell's Investigations of the Earth's Interior (Kunyu gezhi 坤與格致, 1639-1640): Recent Achievements and Future Prospects"/Hans Ulrich Vogel and Cao Jin曹晉

https://www.sciengine.com/CAHST/doi/10.3724/SP.J.1461.2024.02001

This article belongs to volume 8, issue 2 of the Chinese Annals of History of Science and Technology, 2024

Local access dig.pdf [Vogel and Cao-Adam Schall von Bell's Investigations.pdf]

Abstract:

This article explores Adam Schall von Bell’s Investigations of the Earth’s Interior (Kunyu gezhi 坤輿格致, 1639–1640), a significant Jesuit work aimed at reforming the Chinese mining and smelting industry by introducing relevant European technologies during the late Ming period. After being lost for centuries, the recent rediscovery of a partial manuscript housed in the Nanjing Library has reinvigorated scholarly interest in this treatise. The authors present findings on the manuscript’s origins, dating, and its reliance on Georgius Agricola’s De re metallica alongside other Renaissance works, such as those by Lazarus Ercker or Vannoccio Biringuccio. They challenge claims that the Investigations of the Earth’s Interior introduced the Western concept of “minerals” (kuangwu 礦物) to China, arguing that the term retained its traditional meaning of “ores and materials.” Additionally, the article presents new historical documents revealing attempts to implement the treatise’s methods and the bureaucratic challenges that prevented its widespread adoption. These topics shed light on the Investigations of the Earth’s Interior’s role in early global knowledge transmission and its potential impact on China’s mining and metallurgical practices during the Ming-Qing transition.

Ecological crisis and strategy in the Jesuit China mission / Adam Parr

Journal of Jesuit Studies 11 (2024)

Local access dig.pdf[Parr-Ecological crisis and strategy.pdf]

Abstract: In Laudate Deum (2023), Pope Francis calls on those negotiating today’s climate emergency to be “strategists.” No organization has a longer history of strategy-making than the pope’s alma mater, the Society of Jesus, whose China mission was founded during an ecological crisis. No Jesuit is more celebrated as a strategist than Matteo Ricci (1552–1610), who observed the effects of that crisis in 1604 and praised the emperor’s response but noted its inadequacy. As a result of this, and the influence of Xu Guangqi (1562–1633), the idea of introducing European science to China materialized as the final strand of the China mission’s strategy. Xu’s own career was dedicated to preserving Ming China through agricultural and military reform, and his ideas are present in Ricci’s work. Thus, Ricci’s strategy-making was forged in the context of challenges recognizable today, and its strengths and limitations represent a resource for the strategists addressed by Pope Francis.

The Origins of the Jesuit Authority and Influence at the Court of Emperors Wanli (1572–1620), Shunzi (1644–1661) and Kangxi (1661–1722) and in the Wider Circles of the Chinese Society in the Light of the Works of Thomas Szpot Dunin (1644–1713) / Andrzej Wadas

Perspectives on Culture, 4/1 (43), 2023

Local access dig.pdf [Wadas-Origins of Jesuit Authority.pdf]

Abstract：

The article analyzes the role of authority in the Jesuit modus operandi in China in the early modern period as it can be deduced from the works of Tomasz Szpot Dunin SJ (1644-1713), in particular from his Historiae Sinarum Imperii (ARSI, Jap. Sin 102; Jap. Sin. 103) and Collectanea Historiae Sinensis (ARSI, Jap. Sin 104; Jap. Sin. 105 I; Jap. Sin. 105 II). The manuscripts contain a detailed description of the Jesuit method of working in a very challenging cultural and political environment in which the question of authority played a predominant role. For Matteo Ricci and his followers, the goal of their missionary work was to plant Christianity in China, but it could have been done only by everyday efforts to win the acceptance of the court and of the wider circles of the Chinese society. The article enumerates and discusses the seven dimensions of Jesuit authority which are broadly divided into two types, namely, the secular authority (auctoritas profana) and the sacred authority (auctoritas sacra). The former found its expression primarily in a proper dress code and grooming, dignified posture, solemn facial expression and impeccable social manners. These were combined with limited use of physical force for self-defence and willingness to offer their military expertise when deemed necessary to promote the missionary goals. Furthermore, the Jesuits lived a virtuous life combined with charity manifested towards the poor, especially in time of natural disasters and social unrest. However, the authority they exercised among the Confucian mandarinate was based on their distinguished literary skills, remarkable command of Chinese and practical understanding of international diplomacy which enabled them to serve as cultural and * Praca naukowa dofinansowana ze środków budżetu państwa w ramach programu Ministra Edukacji i Nauki pod nazwą."