Description
Book SynopsisThierry Meynard and Dawei Pan offer a highly detailed annotated translation of one of the major works of Giulio Aleni (1582 Brescia–1649 Yanping), a Jesuit missionary in China. Referred to by his followers as “Confucius from the West”, Aleni made his presence felt in the early modern encounter between China and Europe. The two translators outline the complexity of the intellectual challenges that Aleni faced and the extensive conceptual resources on which he built up a fine-grained framework with the aim of bridging the Chinese and Christian spiritual traditions.
Trade Review“Formatted as facing pages of Chinese (the original language of the work) and English, Meynard and Pan's English translation and annotation of Giulio Aleni's A Brief Introduction to the Study of Human Nature is an impressive rendering of the 17th-century Jesuit missionary/scholar's introduction to China of Aristotelian anthropology [...] In Meynard and Pan's hands, Aleni's testimony to the early modern European encounter with China and the charitable and academic attempt to unite harmoniously two philosophical traditions is made accessible to a new audience. This is yet another impressive addition to the Jesuit Studies series.” J. Sienkiewicz, Benedictine College, in: Choice Connect, July 2021 “This book will be useful for sinologists, missiologists, theologians, historians, and anyone interested in the general subject. It presents a bridge in the exchange of ideas between two different cultures during early modern times. It is written on a high scientific level and may well help form the foundation for a further understanding of the history between East and West.” Claudia von Collani, Universität Würzburg. In: Renaissance Quarterly, Vol. 76, No. 1 (Spring 2023), pp. 294–295.
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments List of Illustrations Foreword: Reading Giulio Aleni’s A Brief Introduction to the Study of Human Nature in Light of the Cursus Conimbricensis-“Urtext” Mário S. de Carvalho Introduction Thierry Meynard, S.J., and Dawei Pan A Brief Introduction to the Study of Human Nature / 性學觕述 A Brief Introduction to the Study of Human Nature Preface to A Brief Introduction to the Study of Human Nature Preface to The Study of Human Nature Foreword to The Study of Human Nature Preface to A Brief Introduction to the Study of Human Nature Appendix: Tables 1–8 Bibliography Index
