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Early Modern Evangelization of China: The Franciscan Mission and its Theory

Project description

Focussing on the Franciscan mission to China

How did Franciscan missionaries try to introduce Christianity to the Chinese civilization (late Ming and early Qing dynasties, 1580–1660), which was particularly alien to the Christian message? The EU-funded MISSION project will answer this question. It will study the early modern theory and methodology of the Franciscan mission to China during this period. Since ecclesiastical authorities could not directly transfer their missiological methodology to the Chinese Apostolate, they designed special strategies. However, several religious orders were operating in China in the first phase of evangelisation, and they all developed different approaches towards the mission. This project will focus on the Franciscan order, and more specifically on the first 80 years of its presence in the empire, crucial for the Chinese Apostolate.

Objective

The project will develop a synthetic and exhaustive study of the Early Modern theory and methodology of Franciscan mission to China (late Ming and early Qing dynasties, cca. 1580-1660). Due to the cultural, historical and spiritual idiosyncrasies of the Middle Kingdom, ecclesiastical authorities could not directly transfer their missiological methodology, employed in the Indies and in other parts of the world, to the Chinese Apostolate. They had to design specific, unique and novel strategies; the problem is that several religious orders were operating in China in the first phase of evangelization, and they all developed fairly different and sometimes directly conflicting approaches towards the mission. Modern scholarship has devoted its attention almost exclusively to the policy of the Jesuit order, failing to recognise the importance of the mendicant orders in the evangelization of China. The project aims at filling in this void: it will focus on the Franciscan order, and more specifically on the first 80 years of its presence in the empire, crucial for the China Apostolate. It will thoroughly examine this Franciscan evangelization project, as developed in a body of theological, missiological and official Church documents, historical accounts and epistles (written mainly in Latin, Spanish, Portuguese, French and Italian). It will then explore not only its basic theological assumptions, but also its ideological, spiritual, and symbolical underpinnings. It will analyse the ways in which the Franciscan missionaries attempted to introduce Christianity to a civilization that was, in many aspects, alien to the Christian message, and in which ways they tried (or resisted) to reconcile Christian spirituality and doctrine to the specific Chinese spiritual and cultural idiom.

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Programme(s)

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Topic(s)

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Funding Scheme

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MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)

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Call for proposal

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(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2019

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Coordinator

UNIVERZITA PALACKEHO V OLOMOUCI
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 144 980,64
Address
KRIZKOVSKEHO 8
771 47 Olomouc
Czechia

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Region
Česko Střední Morava Olomoucký kraj
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 144 980,64
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