Subject: Astronomy--Europe--History

Lifa xiquan 曆法西傳. [Jap-Sin II, 39.3. BSB Cod.sin. 2929]
AuthorSchall von Bell, Johann Adam 湯若望, 1592-1666
Place---
Publisher---
CollectionRicci Institute Library
Edition
LanguageChinese 中文
TypeBook (stitch-bound 線裝本)
Series
ShelfDigital Archives
Call NumberCE37.S342 1656d
Description1 juan.
NoteLifa xiquan 曆法西傳 / [湯若望]
Dig. ed. online at the Digital Easy Asia Collections of the Bavarian State Library [BSB Bayerische StaatsBibliothek]
See BSB edition.
BSB ed. description: Blockdruck (刻本. - 框 20,3 X 13,8 公分, 9行20字, 小字雙行同, 白口, 四周單邊, 單黑魚尾, 版心上鐫"書名", 中鐫小題,下偶鐫頁碼. - 卷端題 "敕錫通微教師加二品通政使司通政使掌欽天監印務事臣湯若望著)
Full citation see: Ad Dudink & Nicolas Standaert, Chinese Christian Texts Database (CCT-Database).
Local access dig.pdf. [Schall-Lifa Xiquan]

JapSin II, 39.3
Lifa xiquan 曆法西傳.
By Tang Ruowang 湯若望 (Johann Adam Schall von Bell).
One juan. Bamboo paper. No date or place of publication.

The cover bears a label with the title and a Latin inscription: “Europaea Kalendarii methodus | a p. Adamo Schall | S.J.”
Folio 1 bears the title and the author’s name: 敕錫〔賜〕通微教師加二品通政使司通政使掌欽天監印務事臣湯若望著. There is a preface by Schall himself (one and one-half folio). There are nine columns in each half folio with twenty characters in the first column of each paragraph and nineteen in the rest of the paragraph. Annotations are given in smaller type and in double lines. The title of the book is given in the middle of each folio; the title of the chapter and the number of the folio are given below the fish tail. The whole book contains thirty-eight folios.

This is a book on the history of Western astronomy. In his preface Schall states that his book proposed to give a general introduction to Western astronomy since ancient times and then to the books he had written on astronomy, i.e., the Xiyang xinfa lishu 西洋新法曆書, in order to show that this so-called new science is not a recent invention nor had been invented by one man. Rather it derived from studies of eminent scientists. Therefore these studies were solid and based on truth. Furthermore, Schall states that the books he and his colleagues had written would serve students in the future as a clear guide, and in the long years to come these books might help to correct [astronomical] errors. In a word, one may forecast the future from the past and thus help to make adequate adaptations.

Source: Albert Chan, S.J., Chinese Books and Documents in the Jesuit Archives in Rome, p. 327.

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