A Study On The Sinicization Of Catholicism In The Late Ming Dynasty Based On The Relationship Between Buddhism And Christianit

Taking Matteo Ricci as an example,this paper investigates the history and characteristics of the Sinicization of Catholicism in the late Ming Dynasty based on the relationship between Buddhism and Christianity.Under the special historical background,the Jesuit missionaries represented by Matteo Ricci gradually shaped the Chinese social identity and theological expression in the interaction and analysis with Buddhism,and influenced the debate between Buddhism and Christianity and the cultural communication between China and West.Because of the great geographical discovery of the West,China was involved in the global trade network in the late Ming Dynasty.The high development of the commodity economy promoted the trend of ideological liberation and the revival of Buddhism.The Jesuit missionaries who represented the Catholic Reform Movement relied on the global trade network to carry out overseas missions.Through the strategy of adapting to Chinese culture,they entered China’s mainland and started the process of Sinicization while encountering with Buddhism.Represented by Matteo Ricci,the missionaries adapted to Chinese culture as a religious identity in the early stage of their mission,which made Catholicism and Buddhism mixed with each other.With the deepening of understanding of Chinese culture,Matteo Ricci began to consciously differentiate himself from Buddhism in external image.In the end,taking the debate with Sanhuai as an opportunity,he gave up his efforts to adapt to Chinese culture in terms of religious identity,and instead adopted a Confucian orthodox standpoint of uniting Confucianism and expelling Buddhism,shaping the social identity of literati rather than monks,reflecting the deepen degree of Sinicization of Catholicism.The theoretical analysis of the differences between Buddhism and Christianity has influenced Matteo Ricci’s Chinese theological expression: in cosmology,God’s creation and God’s transcendence replace Buddhism’s Dependent Origin;in psychology,by emphasizing the difference between soul and body to refute Buddhism’s theory of reincarnation;on the issue of the destination of life,Matteo Ricci explained it with ultimate and God theory on the basis of agreeing with Buddhism’s theory of afterlife retribution and heaven and hell.On the basis of analysis of similarities and differences between Buddhism and Christianity,Matteo Ricci formed a unique theology represented by the theory of God,the theory of soul,and the theory of heaven and hell.The identity and theological expression of Sinicized Catholicism based on the relationship between Buddhism and Christianity caused a counterattack from Buddhism,and an ineffective scolding war between Buddhism and Christianity had a negative impact on Catholicism in the late Ming Dynasty.On the other side,it spread Western scientific knowledge into China,and also introduced Chinese culture to Europe,promoting cultural exchanges between China and the West.