How the Catholic Church Infiltrated China Using Science | The Jesuit Mission to China

From King Ming Lam

In the midst of the Protestant Reformation, a group of devout Catholics gathered, and they formed the Society of Jesus, known as the Jesuits, in 1540. Their aim? To revive Catholicism in Europe and spread Christianity around the world. China was one of their targets. They wanted to spread Christianity to this ancient Empire. But there was a problem – China did not welcome foreigners, and the Chinese authorities restricted the movement of foreigners into the country. After many years of failures, they finally found a strategy to solve this. In 1613, the head of the Jesuit China mission, Niccolò Longobardo, sent his confrère Nicolas Trigault to Europe to recruit new Jesuits skilled in astronomy and mathematics. When Trigault returned to China, he brought with him a number of outstanding mathematicians and scientists, including the German Johann Adam Schall von Bell, the Bohemian Wenceslaus Pantaleon Kirwitzer and the Swiss Johannes Schreck. Schreck in particular was a friend of Galileo, and would later have correspondence with Kepler. They were tasked to implement a strategy pioneered by their senior Italian confrère Matteo Ricci… What followed might sound like comedy, but it’s 100% real history. Major sources of information: [1] Huff, Toby E. Intellectual Curiosity and the Scientific Revolution. Cambridge University Press. [2] Brockey, Liam Matthew. Journey to the East. Harvard University Press. [3] Standaert, Nicolas. Handbook of Christianity in China: 635 - 1800. Brill Academic Publishers.