The Chinese Rites Controversy & its Antecedents: The Acta Pekinensia of Kilian Stumpf, S.J. (1655–1720) in its Glocal Context

Thursday 14 Nov 2024, 17:00 → 19:00 Europe/Berlin

Conference Room (Z01) (mpilhlt)

The Chinese Rites Controversy represents one of the greatest disputes in the history of global Christianity. The religious and political controversy reflected different interpretations of whether Chinese cultural norms could legitimately determine Catholic practices. Refusal to conform to Confucian rituals deemed incompatible with Catholic orthodoxy ultimately precipitated a crisis between the Holy See and the Chinese Emperor. The German Jesuit, Kilian Stumpf (1655–1720), who was in Beijing between 1695 and 1720, compiled the "Acta Pekinensia", a monumental eyewitness account, recently published for the first time. The seminar will also explore historical antecedents to the dispute in Early Modern Japan.