Bridging Cultures: A Comparative Study of Early Catholic Missionaries’ Chinese Proverb Collections
For early Christian missionaries, Chinese proverbs were an invaluable resource for learning the language, understanding the culture, and carrying out religious evangelization. While existing research has predominantly focused on collections of Chinese proverbs by Protestant missionaries, Catholic mi...
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| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2024-11-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/15/12/1421 |
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| author | Rui Sang Jean-Luc Nardone |
| author_facet | Rui Sang Jean-Luc Nardone |
| author_sort | Rui Sang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | For early Christian missionaries, Chinese proverbs were an invaluable resource for learning the language, understanding the culture, and carrying out religious evangelization. While existing research has predominantly focused on collections of Chinese proverbs by Protestant missionaries, Catholic missionaries’ efforts in gathering Chinese proverbs preceded those of their Protestant counterparts and hold significant linguistic, historical, and cross-cultural value. This study begins by tracing the emergence of Catholic missionaries’ interest in Chinese proverbs and then presents a comparative analysis of three representative collections compiled by Joseph de Prémare (1666–1736), Paul Perny (1818–1907), and Joseph Van Oost (1877–1939): Catholic missionaries from different orders and historical periods. It examines the compilation structures, purposes, Chinese proverbs selected, and interpretive approaches in their works, tracing the evolution of Catholic missionaries’ Chinese proverb collections. The study interprets this evolution in relation to the Catholic Church’s missionary strategies and the personal evangelization philosophies of the missionaries themselves. This research demonstrates the diverse cultural engagement practices of Catholic missionaries in China from the 18th to the early 20th century, offering new insights into the interaction between Catholicism and Chinese culture during this period. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ac70f4c0259d4b9a81c81f575edd7da9 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2077-1444 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Religions |
| spelling | doaj-art-ac70f4c0259d4b9a81c81f575edd7da92024-12-27T14:50:14ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442024-11-011512142110.3390/rel15121421Bridging Cultures: A Comparative Study of Early Catholic Missionaries’ Chinese Proverb CollectionsRui Sang0Jean-Luc Nardone1School of Foreign Languages, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, ChinaEA 4590-Il Laboratorio, UFR Langues, Littératures et Civilisations étrangères, Université Toulouse-Jean Jaurès, 31000 Toulouse, FranceFor early Christian missionaries, Chinese proverbs were an invaluable resource for learning the language, understanding the culture, and carrying out religious evangelization. While existing research has predominantly focused on collections of Chinese proverbs by Protestant missionaries, Catholic missionaries’ efforts in gathering Chinese proverbs preceded those of their Protestant counterparts and hold significant linguistic, historical, and cross-cultural value. This study begins by tracing the emergence of Catholic missionaries’ interest in Chinese proverbs and then presents a comparative analysis of three representative collections compiled by Joseph de Prémare (1666–1736), Paul Perny (1818–1907), and Joseph Van Oost (1877–1939): Catholic missionaries from different orders and historical periods. It examines the compilation structures, purposes, Chinese proverbs selected, and interpretive approaches in their works, tracing the evolution of Catholic missionaries’ Chinese proverb collections. The study interprets this evolution in relation to the Catholic Church’s missionary strategies and the personal evangelization philosophies of the missionaries themselves. This research demonstrates the diverse cultural engagement practices of Catholic missionaries in China from the 18th to the early 20th century, offering new insights into the interaction between Catholicism and Chinese culture during this period.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/15/12/1421Catholic missionariesChinese proverb collectionscultural engagementJoseph de PrémarePaul PernyJoseph Van Oost |
| spellingShingle | Rui Sang Jean-Luc Nardone Bridging Cultures: A Comparative Study of Early Catholic Missionaries’ Chinese Proverb Collections Religions Catholic missionaries Chinese proverb collections cultural engagement Joseph de Prémare Paul Perny Joseph Van Oost |
| title | Bridging Cultures: A Comparative Study of Early Catholic Missionaries’ Chinese Proverb Collections |
| title_full | Bridging Cultures: A Comparative Study of Early Catholic Missionaries’ Chinese Proverb Collections |
| title_fullStr | Bridging Cultures: A Comparative Study of Early Catholic Missionaries’ Chinese Proverb Collections |
| title_full_unstemmed | Bridging Cultures: A Comparative Study of Early Catholic Missionaries’ Chinese Proverb Collections |
| title_short | Bridging Cultures: A Comparative Study of Early Catholic Missionaries’ Chinese Proverb Collections |
| title_sort | bridging cultures a comparative study of early catholic missionaries chinese proverb collections |
| topic | Catholic missionaries Chinese proverb collections cultural engagement Joseph de Prémare Paul Perny Joseph Van Oost |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/15/12/1421 |
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