Introduction
The German born Giuseppe Castiglione (Jesuit) and Johann Adam Schall von Bell came to Macao in 1619 and settled there while studying mathematics and Chinese until in 1623 when he was given a chance to assist the Chinese military in defending itself from northern invasion. They are considered as the most important Germans. Schall in the mission to China and is the first one to be in charge of the Astronomy tribunal. He opened way to other missionaries after him at the Imperial Court Peking. He had a mission of preaching and teaching Christianity and Mathematics to the Chinese people. Among his significant historic accounts include his role as a Christian preacher thus a man of peace and yet assisted the military against the northern invasion, His service in the Qing court, and finally scientific discoveries as a mathematician and a scientist. The accounts of his works in China are both historically accountable facts and historic fiction.
Jesuit and Schall working for the imperial court necessitated that they walk in the fine lines. On the other hand being servants and representatives of Christianity, engagement into activities that are against their Christian tenets seem to be disobey of Christian faith and atrocious and impossible. The contradiction comes in when the royal person in the land the King makes demands that Schall had to assist the Military placed them in ambiguous situations. Upon the King’s request, Adam Schall Von Bell was forced to abandon his moral duties as a representative and servant of Christianity and assist the military by producing cannons. At this situation, he made a significant historic account to the history of military war and the general history of China. It was the first time in history of China for its Military to use cannons. Cannons were famous with Germans (De et al, 2009). It is historic to China in that the ancient wars form part of history of nations. The first and second world wars for instance are historic events form part of the background information about a nation’s move towards independence.
The historic actions of Jesuit and Schall are historically fictions in that the whole account is an imagination of the authors there are no facts about the actions of the really engagement between the military and the enemies during the assist of Schall. The historic facts are that he assisted military and served in the courts and this is evident in his portraits, which exhibit the Qing attires. This account of the history of the Qing period shows that the Chinese political arena was well organized as it had organized judicial system and organized military. Another emerging idea is the fact that the King was the royal person in the land since he defined all that should be done. This is evident by the King’s command to Schall the military against the northern invasion despite the religious placement of Schall.
Another significant issue about Jesuit and Schall is their service at the Qing court. The most significant of all is the issue of what has gone to history of China judicial under the name “The Chinese Rites Controversy”. The Chinese Rites of controversy was a dispute against the religiosity of Confucianism and the historic Chinese rituals among the Roman Catholic missionaries. At the first time in the Qing court the issue of the Chinese ritual practices of honoring Confucian, imperial rites and family ancestors qualification as ritual right and its compatibility with the Christian values and teachings that was the main duty of Jesuit and Schall. Among this and other series of policies that were revived in the Qing court during this period served to improve the social economy and alleviate the contradiction of class in the Chinese society (Malek, 2008).
The social issues that are attributed to Jesuit and Schall are the fictional issues that the Qing court brought into the Chinese social history. The historic facts are the continuous practice and change of way of living that the Chinese people emulated from the jurisdiction revolution. It is historically recorded that the Qing dynasty was one of the most successful in the history of China. It is recognized as the golden age of three emperors because its feudal economy expanded to the Zenith, spanning the reign of Emperor Qianlog, Emperor Kangxi and Emperor Yongzheng. During this period, science and culture are reported to have been prosperous than ever before (Ishida, 2000). This signifies the important judicial reviews that were proposed and effected by the Schall who served to improve the situation of the living of the people and the whole society.
The scientific is his assistance in improving the calendar, which seemed to be significant to the cultural practices of the Chinese. This helped the Chinese in timing their various human activities including the natural occurrences that seemed important to the culture of the Chinese. An example is his accurate timing of the eclipse that masked the land. This is actually the scientific prediction that landed him into the jurisdiction whereby he was appointed the head of mathematics. Afterwards he was appointed the director of the Board of Astronomers. Since Schall was a man religious faith, Schall was not easy with the position because he knew of the jealousy that might prevail between him and the Chinese scientists who recognized him as a foreigner leading in the land (Rawski, 2010).
The jealousy increased and started to worry Schall so much. His argument on the "inculturate the Faith" landed him to the corridors of the court (Sotheby's, 2012). He argued that it was of great importance for the Chinese people to be sensitive on issues of customs and religion practices. He called for incorporation of that which could be rightly justified only into religion aspects of the Chinese Catholic devotion practice. This controversy worried Schall and his fellow Jesuits and led to his arraignment in court on allegations that he taught a falsified religion and mathematics. This proved the dogmatism that was prevalent during the period, which resulted from scientists jealous of the prosperous work of Schall. After the court ruling, he was sentenced to death but it never happened as during the day of sentencing a thunder occurred. Such massive thunders signified something detrimental as in accordance with the culture of Chinese and thus Schall was pardoned. This was significant to the jurisdiction of the Chinese, as it seemed to be the beginning of judicial appeals and pardons. This is however, the fiction parts of this historic account.
Schall is a historic figure in the Chinese history both in the Qing Court and in the field of science. He assisted in the military and thus though he was a German his achievements are attached to the Chinese community since he spent his entire life in China as a religious hero.
References
De, B. W., Bloom, I., Chan, W., Adler, J., & Lufrano, R. J. (2009). Sources of Chinese tradition. New York: Columbia University Press.
Ishida, M. (2000). A biographical study of Giuseppe Castiglione (Lang Shih-ning), a Jesuit painter in the court of Peking under the Ch'ing dynasty. S.l.?.
Malek, R. (2008). Western learning and Christianity in China: The contribution and impact of Johann Adam Schall von Bell, S.J. (1592-1666). Sankt Augustin: China-Zentrum.
Rawski, E. S. (2010). The last emperors: A social history of Qing imperial institutions. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Sotheby's (Firm) (2012). Treasures of the Qing Court: A personal perspective. London: Sotheby's.
