Orientis Aura: Perspectives in Religious Studies
Orientis Aura is an international, peer-reviewed journal that focuses on religion, culture and culture across East and Southeast Asia. The journal provides a dedicated forum for articles, reviews and reflections from established and emerging academics in the field. Orientis Aura is interdisciplinary, publishing work that contributes to the religious, theological, cultural, historical, comparative, social, economic, political, and practical study of religion across East and Southeast Asia. Orientis Aura also welcomes submissions on religious current affairs. Orientis Aura seeks to make significant contributions towards the enhancement of study and research within the field of religious studies across the region. It pursues an ambitious agenda which encourages exploration of the broadest possible range of issues and specialisms associated with religious studies. The journal is global in outlook and encourages submissions from diverse backgrounds. Along with the annual hard-copy, themed publication of the journal, Orientis Aura publishes a wide range of online articles, reviews, and essays throughout the year. Orientis Aura is committed to publishing work that meets the highest standards of scholarship. Manuscripts should be written for an international readership and substantially contribute to the advancement of our understanding of subjects and research issues across the field of East and Southeast Asian religious studies. Orientis Aura: Perspectives on Religion and Culture began as an annual publication from the Faculty of Religious Studies and Philosophy of the University of Saint Joseph, Macau. It has since grown into an international, interdisciplinary journal with far broader coverage, embracing a significantly wider audience. All articles in Orientis Aura undergo a rigorous peer review process, based on initial screening by the editorial team and anonymised refereeing by at least two referees. Instructions for Authors can be found here. Professor Martyn Percy &amp; Dr. Thomas Cai Editors
Copyright (c) 2025 Sue Ann Mak http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
[Book Review] Religion: The Classical Theories. James Thrower. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1999.
Copyright (c) 2025 Anthony Bash http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
[Book Review] Religion and Politics: European and Global Perspectives. Edited by Johann P. Arnason and Ireneusz Paweł Karolewski. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. 2014.
The The Life of The First Pentecostal Missionary to China
This article chronologically compiles the life and work of T. J. McIntosh. A legendary figure, T.J. McIntosh was the first Protestant Pentecostal missionary sent by the Pentecostal Holiness Church of the USA to China and arrived in Macau by faith on August 7th, 1907. McIntosh had followed the voice within him which he believed to be from the Holy Spirit and bravely voyaged around the world twice with his family, without any solid financial support. He pioneered missional effort in Macau, Hong Kong, and Sainam. As the first Pentecostal missionary to China. McIntosh did not stay in China long enough to see the fruit of his work. Yet his efforts and impact has been taken up and continued by both other missionaries and local Chinese believers.
Copyright (c) 2025 Dr. Jackson Tsui http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
While we can never know a person’s heart nor everything going on in his/her mind, we can deduce from the person’s life context, the underlying roots, what seems to motivate the action of a person. This paper explores these matters for the life of Robert Morrison, early Nineteenth Century Protestant Missionary to China. Considering the religious background of Morrison through the lens of Charles Taylor’s work “Sources of the Self” leads to a view of how Morrison’s early years motivated his life’s work. Exploring his religious and spiritual experiences in the home, Christian/Church of Scotland community, and educational context reveals motivating factors leading Morrison to the Far East and a lifetime of missionary service. Key Words: Robert Morrison, Church of Scotland, Priesthood of the Believer, Missionary Motivation, Education
Copyright (c) 2025 Robert Lawrence Ballew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
This paper will look at the relationship between Natural Law and The Halacha, the moral code of Rabbinic Judaism. Just as it happens with Sunni Islam, the general opinion among scholars is that natural morality is a concept alien to the Judaic religion and its law. However, the most fervent defender of natural morality in Judaism, David Novak, has argued and continues to argue that there is a basis of Natural Law thinking underneath the mitzvot of the Jewish Halacha. In this article, we will look at how some of the language used in the Talmud and in Maimonide’s Mishneh Torah corroborates Novak’s claims that the Mishnaic Noahite Laws may have a Natural Law a priori motivation. Keywords: Halacha, Noahite Laws, Revealed Law, Natural Law, Mishnah, Talmud, Torah, Mishneh Torah, Rabbinic Judaism, Maimonides
Copyright (c) 2025 Roberto Ceolin http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
On the bi-centenary anniversary of the establishment of the Old Protestant Cemetery in Macao, in which the first Protestant missionary to China, Robert Morrison, is buried, we take the opportunity to revisit one of the great contributions he made, i.e., translating the Bible into Chinese. We focus on the translation decision that he made concerning the divine appellative. After reviewing the semantics of the Christian divine appellative in their original biblical languages, namely, אֱלֹהִים, θεός, and Deus, the earlier Christian missionaries’ proposals, and the implications of the Catholic official ruling on the matter, we make a comparison between Morrison’s version with the Catholic official Chinese version, the Don Scotus Version. The article demonstrates that a reevaluation of the Catholic conventional Chinese rendering of the divine appellative, 天主 Tianzhu, is necessary. 第一位來華的基督教傳教士羅伯特馬禮遜一直安葬在澳門基督教墳場。適逢其兩百週年之際，我們藉此機會重新回顧他所做的其中一項偉大貢獻：將《聖經》翻譯成中文。本文關注的是他針對「神聖名稱」所做的翻譯決定。在考察過在古典語文中「神聖名稱」——即אֱלֹהִים、θεός和Deus——的詞性和語義、早期基督宗教傳教士的提議以及天主教官方對此事的裁決的影響之後，我們將馬禮遜譯本與中國天主教官方翻譯本（《思高》本）進行了比較。本文表明，現在有必要重新評價天主教傳統中文對「天主」這一「神聖稱謂」的翻譯。 No bicentenário da criação do Antigo Cemitério Protestante em Macau, onde está sepultado o primeiro missionário protestante na China, Robert Morrison, aproveitamos a oportunidade para revisitar uma das suas grandes contribuições, i.e., a tradução da Bíblia para o chinês. Focámo-nos na decisão de tradução que tomou a respeito do apelativo divino. Depois de revermos a semântica do apelativo divino cristão nas suas línguas bíblicas originais, nomeadamente אֱלֹהִים, θεός e Deus, as propostas dos primeiros missionários cristãos e as implicações da decisão oficial católica sobre o assunto, fazemos uma comparação entre a versão de Morrison com a versão oficial católica chinesa, a versão de Don Scotus. O artigo demonstra que é necessária uma reavaliação da tradução católica convencional chinesa do apelativo divino, 天主 Tianzhu. Keywords: Bible translation; Robert Morrison; Tianzhu; Shangdi; Deus
Copyright (c) 2025 LEONG Chin Hei, Andrew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
This paper will examine the role played by the faculty of human Reason in Islamic Shariah law in pre-modern times. It is generally accepted that Natural Law played no part in the inception and development of Shariah and that natural morality is alien to the Islamic tradition, which is based mainly on a written religious tradition, namely the Quran, the Sunnah and the Hadiths. However, because law based on Revelation has a limited reach, which becomes more evident as time progresses, Reason may have played some part in the development of the Islamic legal system. In this article, we will see the significance of Reason in Islamic jurisprudence or fiqh and how Al-Ghazali felt the need to design a device called maqāṣid al-šarīʿah in order to bring under control the use of rational thinking in Islamic fiqh system so as not to endanger Sunni orthodox views on how the will of God makes itself manifest to men. Keywords: Natural Law, Shariah, Islamic Law, Usul al-fiqh, Fiqh, Maqasid, Reason, Revelation, Islam, Al-Ghazali
Copyright (c) 2023 Roberto Ceolin http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Does Romans 2:14 Refer to the Natural Law?
Whilst after decades of research, exegetes have all agree on the complexity of Paul’s line of thinking in Rom 2:14–16, the ITC in its 2009 document, In Search of a Universal Ethic, still in an oversimplified manner propagates the view that Rom 2:14 presupposes a theory/theology of the natural law. This article makes plain the major disagreements among Pauline exegetes whether such presupposition stands by reviewing some major contributions to the discussion by raising major questions regarding the issue of φύσει in those verses, the nature of the law mentioned by Paul, the identity of the people Paul calls “Gentiles.” This article offers a more nuanced understanding of Rom 2:14. Keywords: Rom 2:14, ITC, Universal Ethic, Natural Law, φύσει, Gentiles
Copyright (c) 2024 Andrew, Chi Hei Leong http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Sancitification and the Gift of the Holy Spirit
TIn the nineteenth century, the suppression of the Religious Orders in the wake of the definite implementation of a Liberal Government in Portugal led the authorities in Goa to seize the rich and extensive archives of the colleges and convents throughout the Estado da ’India.. However, unlike the archives of the Dominicans, Augustinians or Oratorians, which are kept at the Directorate of Archives and Archaeology in Panaji, Goa, the records from both Franciscan Provinces (Mother of God and Saint Thomas) are nowhere to be found. This article aims to highlight the potential of the Directorate of Archives and Archaeology’s holdings in order to further the knowledge of Franciscan presence in Asia by exploring documentary series not directly produced by Franciscans. Keywords: Archives; Directorate of Archives and Archaeology; Goa; Province of Mother of God; Province of Saint Thomas
Copyright (c) 2023 Fr. Agüero http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
“To Listen to the Language of Nature and to Act Accordingly” :
The article sets off from a speech given by Benedict XVI in the German Bundestag in 2011, where he requested an ecological learning process to aim at sustainable human development. Appreciating the Ecological Movement, he asked to learn to listen to Nature’s language and act accordingly, which he applies analogically to “human ecology”. The article bridges elements of “Listening to Nature” and the Natural Moral Law Tradition in Benedict’s speech and in Francis’ Encyclical Letter Laudatu Si’ inview of serving human flourishing in an ecological civilization. Keywords: Natural Moral Law; Nature, Laudatu Si’, Benedict XVI, Francis; Ecological Civilization/生態文明, Sustainable Development, Ecology of Man.
Copyright (c) 2023 Franz Gassner http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Baptism as Christian Initiation in the New Testament
The sacrament of Baptism is the foundation of Christian life and ministry. The Church calls on all the baptized to live out their baptismal vocation. Because Christian life is a lifelong living out of one’s baptism, it is extremely necessary that Christians understand what the New Testament says about it. This article examines the meaning and practice of baptism in the New Testament by looking at its historical antecedents, by comparing it with the baptism of John, and by looking at the variety of metaphors employed by the early church to explain the practice.
Copyright (c) 2016 Arnold Monera http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
A preliminary survey on Franciscan documents in the Directorate of Archives and Archaeology (Panaji, Goa)
In the 19th century, the suppression of the Religious Orders in the wake of the definite implementation of a Liberal Government in Portugal led the authorities in Goa to seize the rich and extensive archives of the colleges and convents throughout the Estado da Índia. However, unlike the archives of the Dominicans, Augustinians or Oratorians, which are kept at the Directorate of Archives and Archaeology in Panaji, Goa, the records from both Franciscan Provinces (Madre de Deus and São Tomé) are nowhere to be found. This article aims to highlight the potential of the Directorate of Archives and Archaeology’s holdings in order to further the knowledge of Franciscan presence in Asia by exploring documentary series not directly produced by Franciscans. Keywords: Archives; Directorate of Archives and Archaeology; Goa; Province of Madre de Deus; Province of São Tomé
Copyright (c) 2021 Susana Bastos Mateus http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
The Translation of God’s name in Cochinchina:
This article analyzes and publishes the Trattato written by the Neapolitan Jesuit Francesco Buzomi in 1622 on the translation of God’s name in Cochinchina. The article examines this terminological controversy in other East Asian countries, such as Japan and China and also portrays a short biography of Buzomi. This latter contains the partial transcription of the litterae indipetae (also unpublished), which he addressed to the Superior General in order to express his desire to be sent to the overseas missions of the Society of Jesus. Keywords: Cochinchina; Francesco Buzomi; Litteræ indipetæ; Society of Jesus; Translation of God’s name
Copyright (c) 2021 Carlo Pellicia http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
From Maximum Illud 1919 to the First National Synod Primum Concilium Sinensis 1924 in Shanghai
The Synod is as old as the Church itself. The concept originates from Greek σύνοδος, literally, “coming together,” “joint way”, “assembly”, “concourse”. Following the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, it is the proper forum to address major challenges in the church, e.g., the admission of Gentiles (Jerusalem 50 AD), the nature of Jesus Christ (Nicaea 325 AD), or the role of Mother Mary in the history of Salvation (Ephesus 431 AD). For the whole of China, as late as 1924 a First National Synod was convened to deliberate and decide on major issues of inculturation of faith and the sinicization of the universal Church in China. It was convened by the Apostolic Delegate Celso Costantini in Shanghai 1924, and was a response to Pope Benedicts XV’s urgent mission directive Maximum Illud (1919) during a time of dramatic and historical transitions in China. Keywords: Celso Costantini; Christianity in China; Colonialism; Inculturation; Maximum Illud; Mission and Politics; Sinicization; Synod of Shanghai
Copyright (c) 2022 Franz Gassner http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Religious Pluralism and Intercultural Dialogue in China
In the history of religions in China, Three Teachings discourses develop the case for a harmonious relationship between Buddhism, Confucianism and Daoism. These discourses represent a traditional Chinese strategy for the management of interreligious relations. In his apostolic letter Maximum Illud Benedict XV reminds missionaries that Christianity must not be presented as the religion of a foreign nation. The relevance of his warning is evident in the contemporary Chinese context where Christianity is widely seen as a foreign religion while Confucianism is understood to be a native cultural tradition. For the sake of the missio ad gentes, it is argued that Catholic missionaries should engage the Confucian tradition in intercultural dialogue. The paper then evaluates three main responses to religious pluralism, namely relativism, assimilation and interculturality. The paper ends with some brief remarks on the efforts at intercultural dialogue with China by a Catholic higher education institution in Macau. Keywords: China; Intercultural Dialogue; Macau; Maximum Illud; Religious Pluralism; Three Teachings
Copyright (c) 2022 Edmond Eh http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
A national mission in the times of Maximum Illud
The First World War had devastating consequences for Christian missionary activities, with thousands of missionaries deployed to the front or arrested due to their nationalities. The war’s nationalistic frictions did not spare the religious field. As before, Christian missionaries were seen as representatives of their own countries rather than messengers of their religious denominations. In a way, Benedict XV’s apostolic letter Maximum Illud responded to those national (and imperialistic) dissensions in the Catholic missionary world by fostering a more supranational consciousness in missionaries’ minds. This supranational and Papal-directly-supervised mission was far from complying with Portugal’s old and persisting understandings of a mission submitted to and working on behalf of the imperial state. The Catholic missions remained a nationalising tool despite Portuguese laic policies towards the Catholic Church (namely the Separation regime). This concept disputed the Holy See’s insights on the goals of missionary work. Although pontifical officials held assertive judgements regarding Portuguese missionary policies, Rome sought a less confrontational relationship with Lisbon even after the publication of Maximum Illud. The Holy See understood how the Catholic missions were indispensable to Portugal and in which way a passive collaboration would ultimately benefit Catholic evangelisation in Portuguese Africa. Keywords: Catholic Mission; Holy See; Maximum Illud; Portuguese Empire
Copyright (c) 2022 Hugo Gonçalves Dores http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Maximum Illud, the magna carta of Catholic mission in the modern world, aimed at rooting out narrow nationalistic mentality from among the missioners of the universal reign of God. The exhortations contained in the letter reveal certain principles, and the chief of which is an openness to all nations beyond any self-serving interests and other influences from secular sovereign entities. And one of the most practical consequences would be the growth in prominence of the local clergy. In the case of China, unanimous applaud towards this call did not come spontaneously; rather, some felt uneasy with its urging. It was Ma Xiangbo (1840-1939), the venerated Chinese Catholic doyen who took the initiative to translate Maximum Illud into Chinese and published it in the form of pamphlets by means of private funding. The more conscious Chinese clergy and faithful, as well as evangelisation pioneers like Vincent Lebbe (1877-1940) and Celso Costantini (1876-1958), welcomed the document as the sign of a second spring for the integral development of Catholicism with authentic Chinese characteristics. Keywords: China Mission, Evangelisation, Inculturation, Colonisation, French Protectorate, Propaganda Fide, Benedict XV, Ma Xiangbo
Copyright (c) 2022 Cyril J. Law (劉偉傑) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
In the 7th century, missionaries of the Assyrian Church of the East increased their evangelical activities across Central Asia, particularly in Nisibis, Turkey, Arabia, India and China. Known in China as Bodijiao, literally Persian Religion, these early Christian missionaries were well received by the Tang emperors and obtained the consent to translate Christian texts and erect places of worship in several locations within the Chinese empire. A few centuries later, when Franciscan missionaries and European travelers and traders commenced diplomatic relations and trade with the new-established Yuan rulers in China they found evidence of earlier Christian missionary activity and initiated a new episode the Christianity in China under the support of the Catholic Church. In both cases, the use of Christian imagery was an important instrument for the transmission of doctrine and religious teachings as the missionaries recognized the eloquent power of images in religious syncretism. This paper discusses how images were used as a form of convenience exploring the proximity and similarity of forms and meanings between Christian and Buddhist art in China, from the Tang to the Yuan dynasties.
Copyright (c) 2021 Rui Oliveira Lopes http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Asia and the presence of the Franciscans from New Spain
This article presents some sources in Mexican archives that can be of interest for the study of the missionary activity of the Franciscans in Asia. We will focus on documents related to the Province of San Gregorio, whose relationship with New Spain was close and intense; also, on the correspondence that the Bishop of Puebla had with individuals in the Philippines and missionaries in China. Keywords: Manuel Fernández de Santa Cruz; New Spain; Order of Saint Clare; Philippines; Province of San Gregorio
Copyright (c) 2021 Jésus Peña Espinoza http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Providing Livelihood for the Native Catholics
The office of the Father of Christians was created in the 1530s, with the purpose of instituting a person responsible for caring for catechumens and converts who lived in the State of India. The position of the Father of Christians was instituted in a context marked by systematic efforts to Christianize native populations through granting privileges to converts while restricting or harassing local non Christian populations. The purpose of this article is to analyze a facet of the work of the Father of Christians: his efforts to support catechumens and converts, “putting them in some public posts or with people who could help them,” as the 1595 Instruction emphasized. The following documentary sources will be analyzed to achieve this objective: the laws of the State of India, the correspondence exchanged between the Fathers of Christians, the kings of Portugal and the viceroys, and dozens of records (produced between the last quarter of the 17th century and the first decade of the 18th century) that demonstrate to whom such catechumens and neophytes were given to serve and what kinds of trades they would be taught.
Copyright (c) 2021 Patrícia Sousa de Faria http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Three Eighteenth Century Portuguese Jesuits in China Revisited: André Pereira, Domingos Pinheiro and Félix da Rocha
This contribution focuses on three 18th-century Portuguese missionaries of the China mission. It gauges especially the relationship between their education in Portuguese Jesuit colleges and their activities in China, particularly with regard to the Qintianjian (Beijing Bureau of Astronomy, including the Observatory). It tries notably to ascertain whether the attempts to improve the level of mathematical instruction in the Jesuit colleges since the 1690s had indeed an effect on the Portuguese missionaries sent to the Beijing Court. These three analyses – partly hampered by our incomplete information – suggest that there was not a linear correlation between education and commitments inside China: A. Pereira never succeeded in replacing Kögler, and the best mathematical talent (D. Pinheiro) was committed only to administrative and logistical functions, not to the Observatory; Da Rocha got his engagements from the Chinese-Manchu authorities. This apparent lack of interest from the Portuguese Jesuit authorities in assigning competent Portuguese Jesuits for an efficient management of the Qintianjian explains also the disapproval of the German astronomers in the Bureau (A. von Hallerstein; Fl. Bahr) towards their Portuguese colleagues.
Copyright (c) 2020 Noël Golvers http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
‘To go to China or Japan...Not to Stay in these Colleges.’ Jesuit Procurators of China and Petitioners for the Indies (1640s and 1690s)
The Society of Jesus was a missionary order since its foundation in 1540. Many of its members chose to join it precisely because as Jesuits, they had the opportunity to go to the farthest and most unknown countries in the world. Jesuits who wished to become missionaries wrote the so-called litterae indipetae, petitions for the Indies. Thousands of these are still preserved in the Roman Archive, unedited, providing access to the desires, dreams, and fantasies – as well as the strategies, problems, and discomforts – of young European Jesuits of the Early modern age. This article considers the different relationships some European Jesuits established with their confreres stationed in China as missionaries when they returned to Europe, through direct contact, correspondence and writings about the missions emerging from the litterae indipetae. It examines the visits of two men as case studies: the return to Europe in the 1640s of the Portuguese procurator Álvaro Semedo (1585-1658) and, by way of a comparison, the visits in Italy of the Italian procurator Filippo Grimaldi (1686-1694) half a century later. On one hand, the procurators had the chance to select people with whom they had directly talked, those who seemed best suited to the missionary life in countries they well knew. On the other, their passage could trigger among the Jesuit candidates desires and vocations to the missions. Each overseas appointment was, in fact, influenced by political factors, the candidates’ family circumstances, as well as the local superiors’ or the General’s opinions. Therefore, procurators were not always successful: because they could not bring with them all the people they wanted, or because their tours did not always obtain the same popularity among the European Jesuits.
Copyright (c) 2020 Elisa Frei http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
'So Many Things I Wanted from Guangzhou.' The Orders of Two Jesuit Procurators: Francisco de Cordes (1689-1768) and José Rosado (1714-1797)
Based on the analysis of two little-studied Portuguese Jesuits, who in the 18th century served as general procurators for the East Asia missions, this text draws on the theme of the circulation of material culture, such as tangible objects, between the two extremes of Eurasia. Through Francisco de Cordes (1689-1768) and José Rosado (1714-1797), we endeavor to contribute to a better understanding of the role of the General Procurator of the missions in ordering, acquiring and distributing artistic objects for consumption, both inside and outside of the Society of Jesus. The main objectives of this article are to outline their biographies and to analyze the sumptuary goods they transacted, namely through their correspondence and other related sources.
Copyright (c) 2020 Maria João Coutinho http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
In the Service of the Emperor: Félix da Rocha S.J. (1731-1781) and Qianlong's "Ten Great Campaigns"
In the mid-late 18th century the Qianlong emperor (1711-1799) launched a number of great military campaigns in order to expand the Qing control over new territories on the north and south western part of his empire, as well as over the Tibet-Himalayan region: they have been recorded as the “Ten Great Campaigns” (Shi quan wugong 十全武功). The results of these winning campaigns were the acquisition of new territories and the submission of people, primarily the Zunghar tribes and the Khambas of Sichuan, to the Qing empire. Such an endeavor had its cost in number of lives and military expenditure. During this time some Jesuit missionaries living at court in Peking were involved on a few occasions in the emperor’s agenda. In particular, the Portuguese fathers Félix da Rocha and José de Espinha, following in the footsteps of their fellow brethren almost a century earlier, at the request of the emperor not only drew maps of his new domains, but also cast cannons for one of his campaigns. In doing so, Qianlong followed the example of his predecessor Kangxi in using the scientific and technical skills of the court Jesuits in order to secure his victory and control over new conquered territories. This paper focuses mainly on Félix da Rocha’s undertakings in the service of Qianlong, both as a map-maker and as an expert in ballistics and cannon casting. At the same time, it aims to show how in the 18th century the Qianlong emperor followed the example of his grandfather in his relationship with the Jesuit missionaries at court and their scientific knowledge.
Copyright (c) 2020 Davor Antonucci http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Writing on Chinese History: António de Gouveia and The Monarchiada China (1654)
This article focuses on the analysis of the Portuguese Jesuit António de Gouveia (c.1592-1677) and his monumental work Monarchia da China dividida por seis edades (Monarchy of China, Divided in Six Ages). Completed in January 1654, in Fuzhou 福州, this is undoubtedly the least known of Gouveia's works, although it is often mentioned. Despite being one of the earliest histories of China written by a European in a Western language, and based on Chinese sources, the Monarchia da China remains unpublished and calls for a systematic study. To the best of our knowledge, there are two manuscripts of this work. The most well-known is a copy dating from the eighteenth century kept at the National Library of Spain, in Madrid. However, we came across a second manuscript, in the Archivo de España de la Compañia de Jesús (henceforth AESI-A), in Alcalá de Henares, which we conclude to be the original autograph one. Therefore, it is from this latter manuscript, with its ca. 500 folios, that we are preparing the first critical edition of the work. This edition will include a biographical study of António de Gouveia, as well as other still unpublished significant textual production, namely his active and passive epistolography.
Copyright (c) 2020 Cristina Costa Gomes http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
The Other Half. Portuguese Voices from the China Mission
Copyright (c) 2020 Isabel Murta Pina http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
In the Catholic world, the year 2017 is marked by the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Apparitions of Mary in Fátima, Portugal. Although the field of the devotional and popular Marian piety might be a field of misunderstandings and fuel to feed prejudice on how different Christians relate with each other, namely on the understanding of Mary, it should be taken as a pastoral opportunity and an ecumenical challenge. This paper looks into the different Roman Catholic documents that since the Vatican II presents Mary’s role in the history of salvation and her place in the church and how they denote an ecumenical dimension and concern. Following it proposes to analyze the declarations on Mary of the North-American Lutheran-Roman Catholic Commission, the French Dombes Group and the Anglo-Roman Catholic International Commission. These ecumenical consensuses express a reception from Vatican II’s contribution on Mary, and manifesting a more positive tone regarding the popular Marian piety and devotions; they challenge all the Christians from the pastoral and ecumenical point of view.
Copyright (c) 2017 João Marques Eleutério http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
In this paper, I address the phenomenon of syncretism with respect to Chinese religions. An analysis of the syncretism that takes place between the three major Chinese religious traditions is first done in its personal and social dimensions. The social structure of Chinese religion is then used as a framework to understand how Buddhism and Daoism were made compatible with Confucianism. All this will serve as a background for the case study of Macau, where Chinese religious syncretism is very much alive. Three popular religious festivals are celebrated annually and simultaneously on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month, namely, zuilongjie (醉龍節) Feast of the Drunken Dragon, tangongdan (譚公誕) Tam Kung Festival and fodanjie (佛誕節) Feast of the Buddha.
Copyright (c) 2017 Edmond Eh http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Mary, Mother of Jesus and First Disciple
The article offers a re-reading of biblical accounts on Mary in the Gospels and in Acts with consideration of the theological perspectives of the gospel writers’ way of presenting Mary’s role as mother of Jesus and disciple. Biblical scholarship has established a strong case that the evangelists are drawing the readers' attention away from Mary's blood relationship with Jesus and more towards her bonds of discipleship and faith. This signals a reinterpretation of the symbol of Mary’s motherhood for our time and for particular cultures so that women and men may find in it a meaning that they can re-appropriate for themselves.
Copyright (c) 2017 Judette Gallares, rc http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0