928J Schall von Bell, Johann Adam (1592–1666); Prosper Intorcetta (1625–1696).
Historica relatio de ortu et progressu fidei orthodoxae in regno Chinensi per missionarios Societatis Jesu ab anno 1581 usque ad annum 1669. Novissimè collecta ex literis eorundem Patrum Societatis Jesu, praecipuè R.P. Joannis Adami Schall… Editio altera, & aucta, Geographica Regni Chinensis descriptione; compendiosa narratione de statu Missionis Chinensis; prodigiis quae in ultima persecutione contigerunt; & indice.
Regensburg: Typis Augusti Sanctivis, 1672. Price $6,300
Octavo (16.5 × 10 cm). Signatures : )(⁸ ()(² +[chi]¹ A–Z⁸ Aa–Cc⁸ Dd⁴. Engraved portrait of Schall in Chinese attire; folding map. Bound in contemporary calf, recently rebacked preserving the original spine; green cloth ties.
After the printed text is bound a five manuscript pages headed Ex litteris Patris Antonii Thomas Pequini datis 12bris 1695, reporting from Beijing on Father Grimaldi, the Emperor’s favor toward the Jesuits, new conversions, and the peaceful flourishing of Christianity in China. The letter—by Father Antoine Thomas, S.J. (1644–1709), court astronomer and successor to Verbiest—appears to be an original or contemporary copy of a litterae annuae from the China mission, written a generation after Schall’s death.
Cf. Streit, Bibliotheca Missionum IV (1929), p. 77 no. 1385: Litterae Annuae ex Aula Sinensi (1695–96). The present manuscript version diverges slightly from the printed text, suggesting an independent provincial copy.
Johann Adam Schall von Bell, born in Cologne in 1592, reached Macao in 1619 and died at Peking in 1666, where he served with the Calendrical Bureau (later Board of Astronomy) from 1630. His Historica Relatio chronicles the expansion of the Jesuit mission in China and his own tenure at the Qing court, recording court ceremonies, astronomical reform, the Manchu conquest, and daily life in Peking under the Shunzhi Emperor.
This 1672 Regensburg edition, edited and enlarged by Prospero Intorcetta, consolidates Jesuit letters from 1581 to 1669 and adds a geographical description of the empire, a summary of the Chinese mission, and reports of miracles during the persecutions following Schall’s imprisonment. It is among the earliest European printed sources to document the Manchu transition and the Jesuit policy of cultural accommodation—central documents for both missionary historiography and early Sinology.
The appended manuscript report (1695)—Ex litteris Patris Antonii Thomae Dequini, S.J., datis in Xbris 1695 (Litterae Annuae ex Aula Sinensi)—extends the printed narrative into the Kangxi era. Written from the Jesuit court mission at Beijing, it recounts the flourishing of Christianity under imperial protection, the conversion of Mandarins, the foundation of schools, and the heroism of Aragonese missionaries Fathers Valerianus and Raymundus. The manuscript matches internal dates and phrasing found in the 1695 Litterae Annuae, but contains unique variants absent from the published Rome copies, suggesting a continental (German or Bohemian) circulation manuscript, possibly inserted by an early Jesuit reader.
References: VD 17 12:114579W · Löwendahl I, 157 · De Backer–Sommervogel III, 877 · Walravens 118–119 · Streit 2407.
Page 1
| Latin (original orthography) | English (with inline notes) |
|---|---|
| In aula versatur, videtur loqui de Patre Grimaldi; magna huius Societatis commendatione, | He dwelleth in the Court and seemeth to speak of Father Grimaldi (Francesco Grimaldi S.J., mathematician and astronomer in China), held in great esteem by the Society. |
| non minus propter virtutem rerumque quam absolutam in mathematicis eruditionem, | No less for virtue and conduct than for his perfect learning in the mathematical arts. |
| cuius notitia Sinas universos maiorem in modum devinxit, | Whose knowledge hath wondrously bound the whole empire of the Chinese in goodwill. |
| vis publicam ritus Christianos amplectendi facilitatem subditis omnibus Imperator concessit, | So that the Emperor (Kangxi, r. 1661–1722) granted to all his subjects public freedom to embrace the Christian rites. |
| quam non sine ingenti animi sui solatio percepit, | Which he received not without singular consolation of spirit. |
| quique quotidianas ab idololatria ad Christianos conversiones, | And who beholdeth daily conversions from idolatry unto the Christians. |
| ut relator Ciceri Halo jam destinato ad Episcopatum Dequini, | As Father Ciceri Halo (probably Aloysius Ciceri), now appointed to the bishopric of Dequini (Zhaoqing 肇庆), reporteth. |
| ubi degat in aula ex privatis partibus licentiam redeundi ac retuleris cum Rdo Patre Halo de promulgando Evangelii. | Where he resideth at Court, having obtained leave to return from private stations, and conferreth with the Reverend Father Halo concerning the promulgation of the Gospel. |
Page 2
| Latin (original orthography) | English (with inline notes) |
|---|---|
| Gratia divisit maxime provinciis, quas Patres qui ultramontes visi ad cultum jam identidem experti sunt; | Grace is now most abundantly distributed through those provinces which the Fathers, having crossed the mountains (Fujian or Sichuan), have already repeatedly brought to divine worship. |
| hoc imperium viris apostolicis tanta prosequitur benevolentia, | This empire showeth such benevolence toward apostolic men. |
| ut spes vana non sit fore ut China tota ad Fidem Catholicam mensis unius spatio traducatur. | That the hope is not vain that all China may be converted to the Catholic faith within the space of a single month (a hyperbolic missionary optimism). |
| Certe duo Mandarini seu principes sacro baptismatis fonte abluti sunt; | Indeed two Mandarins or nobles have been washed in the sacred font of baptism. |
| suntque divina gratia in eorum cordibus tantum erga ritus Christianos amorem excitante, | And divine grace so enflameth their hearts with love for Christian rites. |
| ut non tantum ardenter ipsi ardeant, sed etiam constanter publice Religionis Catholicae defensores exsistant, | That they themselves not only burn with zeal, but also stand forth as constant public defenders of the Catholic religion. |
| ad aras sacerdotii serviant, alias bene multa Europae pietatis ministeria obeant. | Serving at the altars of the priesthood and performing many other offices of European piety. |
| Hae ministeria obeunt Pater Valerianus et Pater Josephus Raymundus in Aragonia nati, | These ministries are undertaken by Father Valerianus and Father Joseph Raymundus, both born in Aragon. |
| strenuos labores suos unius quoque Mandarini baptismo coronavit, | Whose strenuous labors he hath crowned by the baptism of a single Mandarin. |
| quod exemplum ingentem annorum populum ad veram Religionem attraxit. | An example which hath drawn an immense number of people of all ages to the true Religion. |
| Verum mirabitur quis uberrimos labores Rdo Patre Josepho Theolitanensi in tam celebri provincia collectos. | Yet who will not marvel at the abundant labors gathered by the Reverend Father Joseph of Toledo (Theolitanensis) in that renowned province. |
| Perspexit enim ipse non nimia sit ingenii industria, sed sacra Res physica lassitudine brachiorum prope deficiens… | For he perceived that not so much the brilliance of wit as the sacred labor itself—even while his arms were weary unto failing—was pleasing to God. |
| coactis ingentibus coetibus obtinuit. | And having assembled great gatherings, he prevailed in preaching. |
| Ipse Pater Raymundus in Aragonia natus, non minore ardore in salutem animarum incumbit, | The same Father Raymundus, born in Aragon, laboureth with no less ardor for the salvation of souls. |
| et aequo labori gaudio respondente intra spatium non magnum infantes baptizatos se super scribit. | And with joy answering to his labor, he writeth that within a short time he hath baptized no small number of infants. |
I am still working on the rest, which I can supply if you are curious .
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