This article attempts to analyze the missionary activities of the Chinese Jesuit Wu Li. When speaking of the Inculturation of Christianity in China, the topic in domestic academic circles is limited to attention to Western missionaries who resorted to this strategy. A common example is the missionary work of the Italian Jesuits Matteo Ricci and Michele Ruggieri, founders of the first Jesuit mission and pioneers of cultural accommodation in evangelizing the Chinese people. Therefore, it is interesting to consider the preaching activities of the Chinese Jesuit Wu Li, who inherited the methods of Inculturation of Christianity from the Jesuits who baptized him. Wu Li left a significant mark on the history of the evangelization of his own people. It is not only the figure of Wu Li, but also the method of evangelization that made him unique. As a prominent Chinese artist, poet, and musician, he integrated many local cultural elements to interpret Christianity among the Chinese. Remaining humble, circumspect, and respectful of traditional Chinese customs and culture, mastering the Latin language but using his native language to translate elements of Western theology and doctrine contributed to the success of evangelization not only among scholars and Chinese nobles but also among ordinary people. Wu Li left a prominent mark on the dialogue between Chinese and Western cultures. Wu Li's strategy of Inculturation of Christianity as expressed in the forms of traditional art of the time is depicted in paintings, many of which are now on display in major world galleries such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Shanghai Museum of Ancient Chinese Art, and others.
Key words: Roman Catholic Church, Inculturation of Christianity, intercultural dialogue, interreligious dialogue, evangelization, missionary work, culture, China, Jesuits, Wu Li, painting, art
DOI: 10.22250/20728662_2023_1_52
About the author
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Nikolai V. Chirkov – Religious studies scholar, PhD (Philosophy), Associate Professor at the Institute of St. Tomas Aquinas (Žilina, Slovakia), Department of the Pontifical Salesian University (Turin, Italy). Head of the Laboratory of Frontier Studies, Amur State University (Blagoveshchensk, Russia); 27 Sebastiana Caboto str., Torino, 10129, Italy; сhirkovniko@gmail.com |