The Spiritual Journey of an Independent Thinker: The Conversion of Li Zhizao to Catholicism
- Format:
- Journal Article
- Year:
- 2011
- Journal Title:
- Journal of World History
- Volume:
- 22
- Issue:
- 3
- Language:
- Abstract:
Li Zhizao (d. 1630) was one of the most famous early Chinese Roman Catholics intimately associated with Matteo Ricci (1552–1610), the founder of the Jesuit mission in China. In spite of his fame, Li's religious experience has not so far been adequately investigated. To understand this crucially important aspect of his life and the related early modern East-West intellectual interaction, this article looks closely into questions about his conspicuously late formal entry into the Church, the peculiar circumstances of his agreement to receive baptism in 1610, and the complex implications of his logically deduced theistic belief for both Confucianism and Christianity.
- Who (Jesuits):
- What (Subjects):
- Where (Locations):
- When (Centuries):
- Page Range:
- 433–453
- ISSN:
- 1045-6007