Japan and China
China
was evangelized thanks to the work of the Jesuit Matteo Ricci. Born in Italy,
he came to China in 1583. He spent years studying and adapting himself to
Chinese customs. It was this respect for Chinese traditions that significantly
contributed to his success. In contrast, the belief among missionaries in other
places that pagan customs were completely incompatible with Christianity was
one of the reasons that they were not as successful. Once Ricci and his fellow
missionaries had mastered the Chinese culture, they were able to meet the
Chinese on their own level and were respected as learned men. Ricci and his
companions presented the Chinese with much of Western European scholarship and
technology, including translations of Euclid and the books Geometrica Practica and Trigonometrica;
European maps and map-making techniques; the astrolabe; the mathematical concept
of trigonometry; astronomy; and the art of creating calendars. Ricci was later appointed
the court mathematician at Peking (modern-day Beijing). The scholarship of the
Jesuits attracted the attention of the upper class, whom the Jesuits then
sought to evangelize. They presented their moral and religious treatises, for
which they won respect as a result of their prestige in the sciences. They made
numerous converts, including a wife of the emperor.
Later missionaries in China included Johann Adam Schall von Bell, Paul Hsu, Michael Yang, and Leo Li, who continued to make converts through the 18th century, until their suppression by the papacy in 1773. Unfortunately, this suppression caused much of the Christian community in China to die out. Despite this, the knowledge Ricci had brought from Europe left an indelible mark on Chinese history. He had made trigonometry practical, introduced Chinese to the heliocentric model, and used rational arguments to bring to gospel message to China.
There was also missionary activity in nearby Japan. Francis Xavier reached Japan in 1549. He and his fellow Jesuits were able to convert much of the Japanese population through rational discourse, and Catholic missionaries continued to work in Japan until the 1630s, when the Japanese government terminated relations with foreigners.
Ultimately, while missionaries in China and Japan were met with initial success, they ultimately were unable to make large numbers of permanent converts, but they were still successful in spreading European scholarship to the Orient.
Later missionaries in China included Johann Adam Schall von Bell, Paul Hsu, Michael Yang, and Leo Li, who continued to make converts through the 18th century, until their suppression by the papacy in 1773. Unfortunately, this suppression caused much of the Christian community in China to die out. Despite this, the knowledge Ricci had brought from Europe left an indelible mark on Chinese history. He had made trigonometry practical, introduced Chinese to the heliocentric model, and used rational arguments to bring to gospel message to China.
There was also missionary activity in nearby Japan. Francis Xavier reached Japan in 1549. He and his fellow Jesuits were able to convert much of the Japanese population through rational discourse, and Catholic missionaries continued to work in Japan until the 1630s, when the Japanese government terminated relations with foreigners.
Ultimately, while missionaries in China and Japan were met with initial success, they ultimately were unable to make large numbers of permanent converts, but they were still successful in spreading European scholarship to the Orient.