Matteo Ricci
02.07.2010
An insight into the life of an early Jesuit missionary.
In China, Fr Matteo Ricci remains the best known of the early Jesuit missionaries due to his scholarship, knowledge of Western science, his fluency in Mandarin, and above all, his love of Chinese traditions, literature and culture.
May 11, 2010 marked the 400th anniversary of his death. Exhibitions and conferences are being held in various countries including China. Already an exhibition in Beijing has portrayed his life and work and will move to other major centres including Shanghai; an official exhibition, it brings out the reverence and esteem that China has for Ricci.
At the beginning of their Chinese mission in 1579, the Jesuits decided that, before any work of evangelization could be undertaken, their missionaries should have a good grounding in the Chinese language and culture. Their hopes were then to find Chinese people who could help the missionaries through introductions and if needed, protection and patronage.
Few of these “friends of the Jesuits,” mainly scholar-administrators, became Christians but were an influential group. Most converts in the beginning came from among the ordinary people; though this couldn’t have happened without the network of Jesuit protectors and friends.
Ricci first arrived in China in 1583 and established himself in south-east China. After some years, and by now Director of Jesuit activities in China and resident in Nanjing, he decided to go to Beijing, the imperial capital. He thought if he was acceptable to the imperial court, the whole of China would become open to the missionaries.
His first journey from Nanjing in early 1599 moved slowly. He set up mission stations as he went and also made friends with local mandarins who had influence at the imperial court. In late 1599 he arrived in Beijing and met palace officials but could not get an audience with the emperor because of China’s war with Japan and so he returned to Nanjing.
Eventually on his next attempt he arrived in the capital in January 1601 to a warm welcome from the Emperor and court. Probably his reputation had preceded him as he was, by now well- known for both his knowledge of Western science and scholarly understanding of the Chinese classics.
In the nine years he was to live in Beijing, Ricci’s reputation continued to increase and converts came from among scholars and officials. Such was this esteem that on his death the emperor granted Ricci a burial site in the city and his grave is still visited today.
While Matteo Ricci wouldn’t recognise modern China, he would see parallels between the situation of today’s missionary and of himself and his fellow Jesuits. Today a suspicion of missionaries means a prohibition on direct evangelization. Modern missionaries are acceptable, not as missionaries, but as scholars providing a skill and knowledge in demand in China such as the teaching of English. These echo the situation which the 16th century Ricci and his colleagues encountered.
Fr Reg Howard is on the staff of the Columban Mission Institute in Strathfield, NSW.
Read more from The Far East, July 2010
