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15 pages, 824 KB

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Pedro de la Piñuela’s Bencao Bu and the Cultural Exchanges between China and the West

by Junyang Ye

Religions 2024, 15(3), 343; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15030343 - 12 Mar 2024

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3021

In the 16th and 17th centuries, Catholic missionaries in China adopted the strategy of cultural accommodation and engaged in extensive interactions with Chinese literati and the general population in order to integrate into Chinese society. They left numerous writings in the Chinese language, objectively promoting cultural exchanges between the East and the West. This article focuses on the pharmacological work Bencao Bu (本草補, Supplement to Chinese Materia Medica) by Spanish Franciscan Pedro de la Piñuela (石鐸琭, Shi Duolu, 1650–1704). The article argues that, in addition to questioning whether the works in Chinese left by missionaries have contributed to the progress of Chinese society in science, medicine, humanities and other aspects, we should also explore the process of encounter between two different cultures. Although Bencao Bu did not significantly advance Chinese medicine, la Piñuela incorporated elements of Chinese culture into the book and made an initial attempt to apply Chinese medical concepts in diagnosis and treatment. Furthermore, the book not only introduced certain Western scientific knowledge and pharmaceutical techniques but also could be considered the epitome of the global exchange of botanical knowledge and medical experiences, promoting mutual understanding between different parts of the world. This underscores the cultural significance beyond religious purposes found in Bencao Bu as well as other scientific and cultural works by missionaries during the Ming and Qing periods in China. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Texts, Interpretations, and Reception Histories in Chinese Christianity)

23 pages, 458 KB

Open AccessArticle

Between Spanish Franciscans and Chinese Literati in Late Ming and Early Qing: Modes of Interactions and Cultural Exchanges

by Junyang Ye

Religions 2024, 15(3), 261; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15030261 - 21 Feb 2024

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3811

Abstract

The Franciscan Order was one of the most important missionary orders in China during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. While rooted in the local communities, they also engaged in various forms of interactions with Chinese literati. This article will begin by briefly discussing the issue of the Franciscans changing from religious habit into Chinese dress as well as their evolving attitude towards Confucianism and Chinese rituals, aiming to illustrate the process of shaping their “Western Confucian” image and their adaptation to Chinese culture. Subsequently, the focus of this paper will be shifted to exploring the modes of interactions between the Spanish Franciscans and the Chinese literati. The author argues that the interactions between the two sides were primarily power-based. These power-based interactions entailed establishing connections with officials and leveraging their influence to safeguard missionary activities. It can be further categorized into three types. The first type involved socializing with officials, while the second type included interaction with Jesuit officials in court, and the third type was direct involvement in official positions. In their engagement with literati, the Franciscans demonstrated a thorough understanding of and adaptation to Chinese societal and cultural norms, thereby facilitating the development of their mission. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Catholic Encounter with Chinese Thought, Society and Politics in the Ming–Qing Dynasties)

18 pages, 342 KB

Open AccessArticle

Waste, Exclusion, and the Responsibility of the Rich: A Franciscan Critique of Early Capitalist Europe

by Dana Bultman

Religions 2022, 13(9), 818; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13090818 - 2 Sep 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2796

Abstract

Francisco de Osuna’s Fifth Spiritual Alphabet of 1542, subtitled Consolation for the Poor and Warning for the Rich, is a Spanish text on economic inequality in Western Europe. Osuna treats the life-threatening political divisions of his day, including those intended to reduce people to objects of uselessness and slavery, with spiritual and practical advice that defines free will as true wealth and focuses on the responsibility of the rich for producing poverty. I examine Osuna’s theology and sensorial, embodied imagery in dialogue with Francis’ encyclical Fratelli Tutti: On Fraternity and Social Friendship (2020), particularly Francis’ concept of a “beautiful polyhedral reality”, through the lens of twenty-first century decolonial feminist and social theory. I argue that Osuna’s work is a compelling Franciscan precedent for combating avarice and indifference that is best understood through scholarly perspectives critical of the legacies of patriarchy and colonialism. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Franciscan Intellectual Tradition: Sustaining Hope Amid a Climate Emergency and Political Polarization)

16 pages, 1692 KB

Open AccessArticle

Served on a Plate: Engraved Sources of San Diego de Alcalá’s ‘Miraculous Meal’ for the Franciscans of Santiago, Chile (ca. 1710)

by Catherine Burdick

Arts 2021, 10(2), 30; https://doi.org/10.3390/arts10020030 - 29 Apr 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 5792

Abstract

There exists a consensus in academic literature regarding the centrality of engraved prototypes for the production of colonial paintings in the Spanish Americas. In Peru, these artistic models were written into legal contracts between painters and clients. An examination of the notarial contracts produced in Cusco from 1650 to 1700 suggests that prototypes in a variety of formats were not only central to artistic professional practice, but that adherence to their images may have provided one motive for entering into such agreements. This study leans upon the centrality of Flemish print sources to confirm the attribution of a partial canvas at the Pinacoteca Universidad de Concepción, Chile as an episode of the series on the life of Diego de Alcalá (c. 1710) in Santiago, Chile. Commissioned from Cusco by the Franciscans of Santiago, the status of the hagiographic cycle as the most extensive ever produced on the subject of this missionary saint dictates that a multiplicity of sources was necessary for its creation. By identifying two engravings that served as its models, this study recovers the subject of this painting as a miracle that sustained Diego during an arduous journey. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Latin American Art, Visual and Material Culture in the Long Eighteenth Century)

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