Most Europeans believed in Christianity, and Christianity was born in the territory of the Roman Empire, advocating patience, obedience and tolerance among people, so it was used by the Roman ruling class and became the state religion of Rome.
In the sixteenth century, the Reformation in Europe not only dealt a heavy blow to Christianity, but also caused most people in northern Europe to begin to oppose Roman Catholicism, causing the Pope to lose the spiritual rule of northern Europe and suffer heavy losses.
Later, some Christian intellectuals tried to save this situation, so they set their sights on the east of the world, planning to leave their hometown and go to the east to spread their influence, so as to make up for the losses caused in Europe. These Reformed Christians established many organizations to maintain papal rule and oppose the Reformation, including the Jesuits, the largest men's religious order in the Catholic Church.
In 1534, Loyola, a Spanish aristocrat, founded the Society of Jesus in Paris, and in 1540, with the approval of Pope Paul III, he was elected president. Loyola studied at several universities in Barcelona and Paris, and later founded the Académie de Rome and the German Academy. It can be said that his unusual life experience has also accumulated valuable spiritual wealth for his future religious activities.
After this sudden and huge shock, the Catholic Church also reflected internally, believing that if they wanted to stabilize their sphere of influence, they must carry out their own reform and refinement.
Loyola no longer agreed with the stereotypes of the Church of Rome, such as asceticism, fasting, uniform clothing, etc., he was bold and innovative, flexible, and had his own unique vision and vision. He advocated engaging in various affairs in the social, economic, and political fields, such as establishing schools and hospitals, investing in industry and commerce, conducting scientific research, and also carrying out overseas missions.
Loyola devoted her life faithfully to the cause of religion, and by the time of his death in 1556, his congregations were spread all over the world. Among them, among the missionaries to China, the influence was relatively large, such as Matteo, John Tang, and Nan Huairen. Although the Jesuits were absolutely loyal to the Pope, they were able to actively participate in the activities of all levels of politics and business, so in another sense, the Jesuit missionary was also a kind of cultural exchange. Through their own cultural activities, they have promoted the exchange and integration of Eastern and Western civilizations.
For China, although the later Opium Wars and the invasion of the great powers broke this peaceful exchange, the collision between the two civilizations was of great significance, especially the missionary Xavier, who first arrived in the East, and his missionary ideas had a profound impact on the later exchange of Eastern and Western cultures.
In the mid-sixteenth century, Xavier, as the earliest Jesuit missionary, went to Japan and India in Asia.
In the process of preaching, he accumulated a wealth of experience, in his view, a true missionary, must have noble character and profound knowledge, and missionary must first learn the local language, and secondly, in order to expand the influence of Christianity, it is also necessary to make use of the natural sciences that have developed in the West.
Xavier, who thought of Chinese mainland missionary, could not set foot on Chinese territory until his death, but his spirit inspired the descendants of the Jesuits and provided valuable experience for later missionaries. In the middle of the Ming Dynasty, the missionary Matteo Ricci was able to succeed in preaching in ancient China thanks to Xavier's missionary experience.
Matteo Ricci came to China, first of all, to integrate himself into the Chinese customs and customs, not only gave himself the Chinese name "Matteo Ricci", but also worked hard to learn Chinese, imitated Chinese costumes, seriously disseminated natural science knowledge, used Chinese version to preach, and changed the Catholic funeral coated with olive oil to the custom of following Chinese etiquette only with oil on the forehead.
It was this kind of cultural activity that allowed Matteo Ricci to successfully preach in China.
In propagating Catholic doctrine and engaging in scientific and technological activities, the Jesuits unconsciously deviated from the dominant direction.
Matteo Ricci came to China with the intention of spreading religion in the sacred territory of China and serving God to the death. However, when he engaged in scientific and technological activities to enable the mission to proceed smoothly, he invisibly put the cart before the horse and turned his attention to this aspect. Later, missionaries such as John Tang and Nan Huairen also received attention from the Chinese side for spreading Western science and technology culture.
In addition, the missionaries also used Western medicine to cure the Malaria of the Kangxi Emperor, so that Western medicine was also well received by Chinese. Nan Huairen was deeply accomplished in astronomical calendars and artillery, and was deeply appreciated by the Kangxi Emperor, became Kangxi's scientific enlightenment teacher, and was responsible for the research work of the observatory at that time, making great contributions to astronomical science and artillery research, and was awarded the title of Gongbu Waiter, official Zhizheng Erpin.
In the process of missionary work, these missionaries who came to China tried their best to follow Chinese customs and allowed believers to worship their ancestors. However, this act of theirs directly aroused the indignation of the Holy See, which believed that the worship of ancestors was a superstitious activity and contrary to doctrine, and denounced the missionaries for dereliction of duty and asked them to return to the West for debate.
In this regard, the missionaries wrote a reply article on Chinese faith and culture, explaining that worshipping ancestors is a ritual of Chinese, not superstition. After reading these documents, the Kangxi Emperor also greatly appreciated them, supported them very much, and gave high praise to them.
However, the Church of Rome did not budge, and fierce contradictions and conflicts arose between the two sides. And these missionaries, if they go back, their status will be in question, and I am afraid that even their personal safety will not be guaranteed. At this time of confusion, the Kangxi Emperor gave the green light and promised these missionaries who came to China: "You can stay in China for the rest of your life, you can never go back, I will issue you a green card." ”
These people were the first Westerners to receive Chinese green cards, and after that, a large number of foreign missionaries, including John Tang and Nan Huairen, did not return to China until their deaths, and they were forever buried on Chinese soil.
Resources:
[Chronology of St. Francis Xavier of the Jesuits, Essential Records of the West, Records of the Ancestors of the Qing Dynasty, Chinese Classics and Culture]