Der Ursprüngliche Sinn der Himmelslehre (Tianxue Benyi)

The author focuses on one of the most fascinating texts of the 17th and 18th century China mission – the Tianxue benyi 天學本義 (The Original Meaning of the Heavenly Teachings) and the more elaborate Gujin jingtian jian 古今敬天鑒 (Mirror on the Worship of Heaven in Ancient Times and Nowadays), both written and compiled by the Jesuit Joachim Bouvet (1656–1730) with the assistance of Chinese converts. The two works were even translated into Latin in order to support the Jesuit position in the Chinese Rites Controversy in the Roman Curia. Through them, Bouvet presented the Jesuit missionary strategy of accommodation in a nutshell: He aimed at introducing Christianity in the terms of Chinese traditional culture. Thus, Bouvet’s approach can be characterised as an early attempt at a contextualized theology which is meaningful even for contemporary discussions. The present study offers an introduction to Bouvet’s thoughts and works and their respective historical and theological context, a transcription of the Latin texts – the Cœlestis Disciplinæ vera notitia and the De cultu cœlesti Sinarum veterum & modernorum – with an annotated German translation.