In 法國國家圖書館明清天主教文獻. Chinese Christian texts from the National Library of France, v.24.166. Philippe Couplet 栢應理. Simo zhenlun 四末真論 [6998].

Bibliographic citation see: Ad Dudink & Nicolas Standaert, Chinese Christian Texts Database (CCT-Database)

JapSin I, 102
Simo zhenlun 四末真論.
By Bo Yingli 柏應理 (Philippe Couplet, 1622–1693).
One juan. Chinese bamboo paper in one volume. Published by the Jingyitang 敬一堂 of Yunjian 雲間 (Jiangsu) in 1675 (Kangxi 14).

The title given on the cover is Simolun 四末論. There is a Latin inscription that reads: “De quatuor | Novissimis a p. Philippo | Couplet SJ.”

The frontispiece bears the emblem of the Society of Jesus with the four characters 耶穌聖號 (the Holy Name of Jesus), one in each corner. The verso of this folio gives the title of the book.
There is a preface by Couplet himself. Permission for publication was granted by Cheng Jili 成際理 (Feliciano Pacheco).

The text consists of twenty-six folios and deals with the four last things, namely death, judgement, heaven, and hell. It is divided into four parts, each accompanied by an illustration and a saying from one of the saints of the church. The Jingyitang is the oldest Catholic church in Shanghai. Originally the residence of a government minister, it was bought in 1640 by Francesco Brancati with the help of Martina Xu, the fourth grand-daughter of Xu Guangqi. It was known in later days as the lao tianzhutang 老天主堂 or simply “laotang (JWC 2:56–59).”
Cf. Courant 6968–6971; Pfister, p. 310, no. 4 (mistakenly calling it a Peking edition); Couplet, p. 39; JWC 2:181–182.
Source: Albert Chan, S.J., Chinese Books and Documents in the Jesuit Archives in Rome, pp. 153-154.

The debate on the Chinese and Western concepts of Hell in the Ming and Qing dynasties / Zhu Yan

Published in Religions 2025, 16(11), 1406

Abstract:
The introduction of Christian culture to China during the late Ming Dynasty marked a pivotal moment in Sino–Western cultural exchanges. Jesuit missionaries, adhering to a strategy of aligning with Confucianism while rejecting Buddhism, encountered significant challenges in gaining acceptance. Their discourse on “hell” provoked opposition from both Confucian scholars and Buddhists. This paper focuses on key missionary works from the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, specifically Tianzhu shilu 《天主實錄》 (True Record of the Lord of Heaven), Tianzhu shiyi 《天主實義》 (The True Meaning of the Lord of Heaven), Sanshan lunxue 《三山論學》 (The Records of Debate in Fuzhou), Tianzhu shengjiao shilu 《天主聖教實錄》 (True Record of the Sacred Teachings Concerning the Lord of Heaven) and Kouduo richao 《口鐸日抄》 (Diary of Oral Admonitions). Exploring this notable cultural controversy and analyzing the intricate process of rejection and acceptance within this cultural collision will undoubtedly provide special insights into deepening our understanding of different religions’ beliefs about the afterlife and facilitating dialogue among civilizations.