A Brief Response on the Controversies over Shangdi, Tianshen and Linghun (Palgrave Studies in Comparative Global History)

This book represents the first critical edition and scholarly annotated translation of a pioneering report on the predicament of cross-cultural understanding at the dawn of globalization, titled "A Brief Response on the Controversies over Shangdi , Tianshen and Linghun " ("Resposta breve sobre as Controversias do Xámtý , Tien Xîn , Lîm hoên "), which was written in China by the Sicilian Jesuit missionary Niccolò Longobardo (1565–1654) in the 1620s and profoundly influenced Enlightenment understandings of Asian philosophy. The book restores the focus on Longobardo's own intellectual concerns, while also reproducing and analyzing all the Chinese-language annotations on the previously unpublished Portuguese and Latin manuscripts. Moreover, it meticulously modernizes all romanizations with standard Hanyu pinyin and identifies, on the basis of archival research, most of Longobardo's Chinese interlocutors, thus providing new insights into how the Jesuits networked with Chinese scholars in the late Ming. In this way, it opens up this seminal text to Sinologists and global historians exploring Europe's first intellectual exchanges with China. In addition, the book presents four introductory essays, written by the editors and two prominent scholars on the Jesuit China mission. These essays comprehensively reconstruct the historical and intellectual context of Longobardo's report, stressing that it cannot be viewed purely as a product of Sino-European cultural exchange, but also as an outgrowth of both exegetic debates within Europe and of European experiences across Asia, especially in Japan. Hence this critical edition will greatly contribute to a more globalized view of the Jesuit China mission. Preface Acknowledgements Contents Notes on Contributors List of Figures List of Tables 1 The Genesis, Editions and Translations of Longobardo’s Treatise 1.1 Before Longobardo: The Jesuit Mission in Japan and João Rodrigues 1.1.1 The Jesuit Mission in Japan 1.1.2 The Man Driving the Debate: João Rodrigues 1.1.3 Niccolò Longobardo 1.2 The Discussions About the Terms Within the Jesuit Order 1.2.1 Under the Visitor Francesco Pasio (1611–1612) 1.2.2 Under the Visitor Francisco Vieira (1615–1619) 1.2.3 Under the Visitor Jerónimo Rodriguez Junior (1619–1626) 1.2.4 Under the Visitor André Palmeiro (Visitor, 1626–1635) 1.3 The Jiading Conference 1.4 The Circulation of Longobardo’s Treatise Among the Mendicant Friars 1.5 The Canton Conference 1.6 The Members of the Missions Étrangères de Paris 1.7 Conclusion 2 The Identification of Chinese Non-Christian Literati and Reflections on the Dating of the “Resposta breve” and Its Place of Composition 2.1 Eight Pagan Literati with Record of Conversation 2.1.1 Wu Yongxian 吳用先, Alias Wu Benru 吳本如 2.1.2 Zhou Qiang 周锵, Alias Zhou Muqian 周慕乾 2.1.3 Qian Xiangkun 錢象坤, Alias Qian Linwu 錢隣武 2.1.4 Xu Ruke 徐如珂? 2.1.5 Zhou Hongmo 周洪謨, Alias Zhou Qingyu 周慶虞 2.1.6 Li Zongyan 李宗延 2.1.7 Chen Qiyu 陳奇瑜? 2.1.8 Zhu Yicheng 祝以成? 2.2 Eight Pagan Literati Without Record of Conversation (Prelude 17, N.o 15) 2.2.1 Wu Shiqi 吳士奇, Alias Wu Hengchu 吳恒初 2.2.2 Huang Yuntai 黄運泰, Alias Huang Jiyun 黄際雲 2.2.3 Mao Yilu 毛一鹭, Alias Mao Ruchu 毛孺初 2.2.4 Chen Yi 陳儀, Alias Chen Shaofeng 陳紹鳳 2.2.5 He Qiaoyuan 何喬遠, Alias He Feiwo 何匪莪 2.2.6 Liu Dingguo 刘定國? 2.2.7 Cao Yubian 曹于汴, Alias Cao Zhenyu 曹貞予 2.2.8 Feng Shixing 馮時行? 2.3 Dating of Longobardo’s Treatise and Its Place of Composition 3 Longobardo’s Scholastic Critique of Ricci’s Accommodation of Confucianism 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Textual Criticism and Humanism 3.3 Esoteric and Exoteric Knowledge 3.4 Chinese Wisdom and the Presocratics 3.5 The Role of the Commentarial Tradition in State-Mandated Orthodoxy 3.6 Conclusion 4 Longobardo’s Reading of Song Confucianism 4.1 Longobardo’s Double Method: Semiotic and Philosophical 4.2 Longobardo’s Sources 4.3 Shao Yong’s Cosmology 4.4 Zhang Zai and Zhu Xi’s Metaphysics 4.5 On the guishen, or Spirits, and the Human Soul 4.6 Conclusion 5 Philological Note 5.1 This Edition 5.2 Manuscripts and Printed Editions of Longobardo’s Treatise 5.2.1 Portuguese Original, Dated to 1623–1624 but with Evidence of Revisions Made as Late as 1630 5.2.2 Latin Translation by Caballero 5.2.3 Spanish Translation by Navarrete 5.2.4 French Translation by Louis Champion de Cicé 5.2.5 English Translation by the Churchill Brothers 6 A Brief Response to the Controversies Over Shangdi 上帝, tianshen 天神, and linghun 靈魂, by Longobardo 6.1 Preface. To Know the Origin of These Controversies and the Efforts Made in Relation to Them by the Order of the Major Superiors 6.2 Index of the First Part 6.3 Prelude 1. On the Classic and Authentic Books by Which These Controversies Must Be Decided 6.4 Prelude 2. On the Difference or Contradiction Which Is Sometimes Found Between the Authentic Books. In Such Cases We Ought to Be Governed by the Commentaries Rather Than the Texts 6.5 Prelude 3. On the Symbols of the Sect of the Literati. From These Symbols It Emerges That They Have Two Modes of Teaching: One True, the Other Apparent 6.6 Prelude 4. On the Philosophical Method Used in Rujiao, {That Is, the Sect of the Literati} 6.7 Prelude 5. On xiantianxue {Knowledge}, That Is, {Knowing a Priori} How the Universe Was Produced According to the Opinion of the Chinese 6.8 Prelude 6. On houtianxue {Knowledge}, Which Is {Knowing A Posteriori, Namely} How Things Are Generated and Corrupted in This Universe 6.9 Prelude 7. On the Most Celebrated Axiom of the Chinese, Namely “wanwu yiti,” Which Corresponds to Our “omnia sunt unum” (All Things Are One) 6.10 Prelude 8. What Is Generation and Corruption in Their Teaching 6.11 Prelude 9. How Do They Understand the Differentiation of Things Given That the Essence and Nature of All Things Are One and the Same? 6.12 Prelude 10. The Chinese Did Not Recognise Two Distinct Substances, Spiritual and Corporeal, but Only One That Is More or Less Material 6.13 Prelude 11. On the Spirits or Gods Which the Chinese Adore According to the Sect of Literati 6.14 Prelude 12. On the Various Authoritative Texts by Classic Authors Who Discuss the Spirits or Gods of the Chinese 6.15 Prelude 13. All Chinese Spirits or Gods Are Reduced to Only One Which Is What They Call li or taiji 6.16 Prelude 14. On the Various Names and Attributes Which the Chinese Attribute to This First Principle of the World and Its Universal Substance 6.17 Prelude 15. What Is Life and Death According to the Chinese Literati Sect in Order to See Whether [for Them] Our Soul Is Immortal and in What Way 6.18 Prelude 16. The Wisest of Those Chinese Literati Professing the Rujiao Sect Are All in the End Led to the Sea of Atheism 6.19 Prelude 17. On the Testimony of Various and Authoritative Literati Concerning the Most High Shangdi and the Spirits 6.19.1 Part 1. On the Saying and Judgement of the Pagan Literati 6.19.2 Part 2. On the Mind and Judgement of the Christian Literati 6.20 Annex 6.20.1 Cover Page by Caballero 6.20.2 Preface by Caballero 6.20.3 Postface by Caballero Appendix 1: Transcription of Caballero’s Latin Translation Appendix 2: Transcription of Longobardo’s Portuguese Text Bibliography Index This book represents the first critical edition and scholarly annotated translation of a pioneering report on the predicament of cross-cultural understanding at the dawn of globalization, titled "A Brief Response on the Controversies over Shangdi, Tianshen and Linghun"/"Resposta breve sobre as Controversias do Xamty, Tien Xin, Lim hoen" which was written in China by the Sicilian Jesuit missionary Niccolo Longobardo (1565-1654) in the 1620s and profoundly influenced Enlightenment understandings of Asian philosophy. The book restores the focus on Longobardos own intellectual concerns, while also reproducing and analyzing all the Chinese-language annotations on the previously unpublished Portuguese and Latin manuscripts. Moreover, it meticulously modernizes all romanizations with standard Hanyu pinyin and identifies, on the basis of archival research, most of Longobardos Chinese interlocutors, thus providing new insights into how the Jesuits networked with Chinese scholars in the late Ming. In this way, it opens up this seminal text to Sinologists and global historians exploring Europes first intellectual exchanges with China. In addition, the book presents four introductory essays, written by the editors and two prominent scholars on the Jesuit China mission. These essays comprehensively reconstruct the historical and intellectual context of Longobardo's report, stressing that it cannot be viewed purely as a product of Sino-European cultural exchange, but also as an outgrowth of both exegetic debates within Europe and of European experiences across Asia, especially in Japan. Hence this critical edition will greatly contribute to a more globalized view of the Jesuit China mission This series proposes a new geography of Global History research using Asian and Western sources, welcoming quality research and engaging outstanding scholarship from China, Europe and the Americas.Promoting academic excellence and critical intellectual analysis, it offers a rich source of global history research in sub-continental areas of Europe, Asia (notably China, Japan and the Philippines) and the Americas and aims to help understand the divergences and convergences between East and West.