The interpretation of Confucian culture by Nicolao Longobardo

an analysis of the Brief Response on the controversies over Xám Tí Tiēn Tí Lîm Hoên and other Chinese names and terms

Abstract

Longobardo became the Superior of the mission in China after the death of Matteo Ricci. However, he was also one of the missionaries who strongly opposed the evangelical strategy of his predecessor, and, for this purpose, he wrote a treatise under the title of  A Brief Response on the Controversies over Shangdi, Tianshen and Linghun. In this treatise, he shared his perspectives on the Chinese classics and Confucianism, the doctrine of Li and the production of the Universe. He also criticizes the theory of Ván uŏe Yĕ Tì, arguing that Chinese culture is fundamentally different from Catholic culture. Longobardo's treatise was  one of the most important historical documents of the Chinese Church, the cultural exchanges between China and the West, the transmission of Chinese classics to the West, and the Jesuit missions in China. It had a profound impact on the understanding of Chinese religion, Confucianism, and the cultural exchanges between China and the West.