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The Complexities of a New Faith: X u G uangqi's Acceptance of Christianity
Author(s) -
Liu Yu
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
journal of religious history
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.117
H-Index - 13
eISSN - 1467-9809
pISSN - 0022-4227
DOI - 10.1111/1467-9809.12029
Subject(s) - baptism , faith , character (mathematics) , christianity , period (music) , religious studies , history , philosophy , history of religions , theology , literature , art , aesthetics , geometry , mathematics
X u G uangqi (1562–1633) was one of the most important early C hinese C atholics closely associated with M atteo R icci (1552–1610), the legendary founder of the J esuit C hina mission. In spite of his widespread fame since the seventeenth century, the precise nature of his religious experience has not so far been adequately investigated. To understand his complex relationship with C hristianity and thereby gain insight into the fateful E ast– W est intellectual interaction in the early modern period, this article closely probes various aspects of X u's spiritual journey including his family history, his reception of baptism, and his association with Jesuit missionaries both before and after his conversion, and the particular character of his C atholic faith.