Matteo Ricci

views updated

Matteo Ricci

1552-1610

Jesuit missionary

Confucian Scholar. Born at Ancona, Italy, in 1552, Matteo Ricci quickly showed his scholastic aptitude and attractive character. At the age of sixteen he moved to Rome to study law. While there he joined the Society of Jesus in 1570, where he showed a talent for arithmetic and geography. In 1577 he decided to practice his missionary career in Asia, and he arrived in Goa (on the western coast of India) in 1578. Goa was under Portuguese rule. After finishing his spiritual education he lectured in the college there until 1582, when he was called to Macao to prepare himself to visit China. He studied written and spoken Chinese, and in 1583 he became the first Jesuit to enter into China, near Guangzhou in the South although at first he was regarded as only a guest. He began to study Confucianism, and in 1589 he used a Chinese architectural design to build a church. He adopted the clothing, as well as the behavior and learning, of a Confucian scholar.

Characteristics. Ricci was a forceful, energetic person with blue eyes, a booming voice, and a curly beard, which he used to assure the Chinese of his sagacity. The Chinese called him Li Matou. He also impressed the Chinese with his extraordinary knowledge of current Western accomplishments as well as his command of classical Chinese learning. Furthermore, he had an extraordinary, almost photographic, memory and used a variety of mnemonic devices to improve it. This method was a wonderful assistance to an intellectual, particularly for studying the difficult Chinese language. At that time some scholars, who desired to do well in the national examinations or see their sons succeed in the tests, sought out Ricci’s assistance, since he got along well with the Chinese. For this reason he was accepted by the Confucian scholars, as he had been at Macao after separating himself totally from the Portuguese dealers. In 1595 he and his missionary fellows were allowed to move north to the Yangzi valley and in 1601 founded their permanent base in Beijing.

Court. By the end of the sixteenth century the Emperor Wanli had become useless and was interested only in chasing pleasures; the government was corrupt and crammed with devious groups. The emperor’s fancy was caught ultimately by Ricci’s gifts—two clocks, a clavichord, and a pre-cursor of the piano. Before performing on these instruments, Ricci composed some enlightening songs for the ruler to sing. Afterward, the emperor employed him at court as an excellent and helpful scholar. Since Ricci was the first Jesuit missionary to enter China and he knew how the hierarchical Chinese society functioned, he focused his attention on the court, avoiding any conversation of Christian theology. To keep from isolating the Chinese and to make it more comprehensible and attractive, he represented Christianity as a scheme of morals comparable to Confucianism. He excluded such potentially offensive elements as the act of crucifixion, the virgin birth, and equal opportunity for all men.

Evaluation. Staying away from sermonizing or obvious efforts at evangelization, Ricci and his fellows won few converts, but they claimed that their efforts had laid the groundwork for later conversions. They knew how to make the Chinese accept the less-controversial aspects of Christianity and to pretend to be Confucian scholars. With his sharp mind and vast education Ricci was the perfect man for such a position. His selective description of Christian theology, however, landed Ricci in trouble with Rome, but he argued that his goal was to interest Chinese in the faith. After he died in 1610, his body was buried in Beijing in a special area awarded by the emperor.