prosperous age

"One copy is for your perusal, and the other is intended to be delivered to His Majesty the Emperor of your country through your perusal."

Wei Guangde shook the two Bibles in his hands, and when he heard Matteo Ricci speak frankly, he chuckled twice and said, "Mr. Ricci, do you think your church's doctrines can be spread in my Great Ming?"

"Lord Wei, your country does not restrict the spread of religion."

To the best of my knowledge, it seems that only Taoism is an indigenous religion in your country, while Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism appear to have been introduced from abroad.

Matteo Ricci began by explaining the origins of the major religions of the Ming Dynasty, before continuing, "I have also studied it in detail; the introduction of Buddhism was fraught with many twists and turns."

Clearly, during his time in Songjiang Prefecture, Matteo Ricci not only learned Chinese but also conducted some research on Chinese history.

Of course, this mainly concerns the development of religion.

The early Buddhist system was not the same as it is now, but rather similar to Catholic doctrine, requiring believers to renounce everything in the secular world.

Naturally, this is very contrary to the Chinese people's beliefs. In addition, in order to make offerings to Buddha statues, believers demand money and have a certain degree of groupism, so there have been many "anti-Buddhist" incidents in history.

Later, Buddhist doctrines were modified to better suit Chinese cultural thought, and only then did they truly take root and develop.

"Our Great Ming Dynasty does not restrict the development of religion, so Mr. Li is free to accept many believers. The only thing to be careful about is not to ask believers for money, otherwise he will be violating the laws of the court."

Of course, the imperial court will not interfere with the donations made voluntarily by believers, the donations you mentioned, nor can it force them to do anything.”

After saying this, Wei Guangde put down the Bible and picked up several other books to read one by one.

"Euclid's Elements, Books I and II, with the same text on mathematical principles and measurement methods."

As the name suggests, Euclid's Elements focuses on geometry, while Tongwen Suanzhi mentions it less. It mainly covers the method of pen and paper calculation, the four arithmetic operations for integers and fractions, and equation solving. It is more detailed and comprehensive than the Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art, which was popular in the Ming Dynasty at the same time.

Of course, the Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art is not limited to arithmetic. It also includes many other applicable things, such as the multiplication table that everyone in later generations knows.

The Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art is actually a book for introductory mathematics, which also covers commercial mathematical applications, such as problems on "taxation based on goods" and profit distribution in partnerships. It fully records the tax rate calculation method of the taxation system in the Ming Dynasty, rather than a purely academic work from the West.

Of course, the West also has similar books. For example, "The Method of Measurement" is a work on geometric applications. In the field of practical operation, it explains the construction principle of the measuring instrument and details the measurement methods for height, depth, distance and other measurements.

In the West, they separate academic and applied research, allowing each to be explored independently.

In the West, those who mastered science and technology actually came from the church in the earliest days, as they had the system for passing on knowledge.

Of course, in the end, as technology advanced, they also became the lever that pushed the church.

Seeing these books, Wei Guangde suddenly remembered that he wondered how the translation of the Western books brought back by the mission was going at the Siyiguan (Foreigners' Bureau).

These books seem to be something that could be copied and sent to the Hanlin Academy.

The people in the Hanlin Academy are relatively free, so let them take a look and compare it with the books that have been passed down in China since ancient times, so as to learn from their strengths and make up for their weaknesses.

Simple knowledge can be incorporated into school textbooks, which seems to be the main reason why I sent them west in the first place.

"I really like Mr. Li's gift."

Wei Guangde smiled and continued, "As long as Mr. Li follows what I just said and preaches within the rules of the court, the government will not interfere with Mr. Li's missionary work."

As for this book, I will send it to the palace for Your Majesty to review.

In addition, while Mr. Li is preaching in the capital, he might as well use his knowledge. Since Mr. Li is already proficient in Western languages ​​and Chinese, he might as well help the court translate Western books.

In this way, Mr. Li can also earn a commission.

Living in the capital is not easy. Although Mr. Li can stay at the Xu family's house temporarily, there is still a need to raise funds to build a church, and the construction cost of a church is very high.

"Yes, it would be very difficult to complete the construction of the church without the support of your country's nobles."

Matteo Ricci agreed.

Although many Western cities have church ruins, they are all small churches. Even so, they required strong support from the local lords and took several years to complete.

Many of the large churches in the capital were built over several decades or even centuries, making them some of the earliest "cross-century projects".

The manpower and resources required could not have been sustained by donations from believers alone. In addition to secular taxes, the support came entirely from the large noble families, including the king, who provided funding and donations.

In the Ming Dynasty, the church did not have such great power, so Matteo Ricci planned to raise funds to buy a piece of land near the capital and build a slightly smaller church.

"I heard that you built the first Western-style building in your country's capital. I saw it during my visit today, and it is indeed very magnificent and grand."

Matteo Ricci continued, "I just don't know who the ambassador for the construction is. I hope to meet him."

"You want him to design the church and prepare a budget for you?"

Wei Guangde could tell what Matteo Ricci was up to just by looking at him. It was not a good thing for missionaries to live in the homes of believers; they would inevitably be thinking about buying land and building churches all the time.

The problem facing Matteo Ricci now was how to build the church: should it be built according to the architectural style of the Ming Dynasty or in the style of Western churches?

"He's been very busy lately, but I'll have him contact you when he's free."

He's a believer too; once the church in the outer city is built, he'll definitely go there to pray.

Wei Guangde smiled and said something.

Building a church is not a short-term task, so Matteo Ricci borrowed a warehouse in a decent location in the outer city from the Xu family, intending to convert it into a temporary church for use as a place for church ceremonies.

Regardless of whether it can attract believers or how many believers it can attract, the church must be large in area.

The warehouse undoubtedly meets this need, except that the dome is a little low.

Just make do with it.

After seeing Matteo Ricci off, Wei Guangde summoned Zhang Ji and said, "Arrange for a letter to be sent to Guangdong, asking them to investigate this so-called Jesuit order."

Oh, by the way, this is a branch of Catholicism. Let's see what their doctrines are.

When Matteo Ricci introduced himself, he claimed to be a member of the Society of Jesus, and Wei Guangde was very curious about this Society of Jesus.

He only knew that Christianity had split into Catholicism, Protestantism, and Eastern Orthodoxy, and he was completely unaware of the Jesuits. In reality, at that time, the three religions had not yet split, and Protestantism and Eastern Orthodoxy had not actually formed; their formation was largely a product of political struggle.

No king would want his country's followers to adopt a foreign religion. Rather than a conflict of doctrines, it was more a clash between secular power and religious rights.

Matteo Ricci left the Wei residence with great satisfaction. He had already gained the approval of the Ming Prime Minister and could spread his doctrines in the Ming capital, which was enough for him.

Several years ago, these missionaries set out from Europe, first arriving in the Americas with a Spanish fleet, then crossing the Pacific Ocean to the Philippines, and finally entering the Gulf Coast.

There, they were strictly restricted from entering the country by the Guangdong government and could only stay in Haojing to preach.

He certainly couldn't accept such restrictions.

Therefore, they repeatedly requested permission from Xiangshan County and Guangzhou Prefecture, but were refused each time.

In fact, the first missionary to arrive in China was Francis Xavier. After arriving in Guangdong, he was restricted from entering the country by the government and was unable to preach in China throughout his life.

Matteo Ricci and another missionary, Michele Ruggieri, arrived later; they were actually the third group of missionaries to arrive in Ming China.

Seeing that his companions had all been turned away by the Ming government and were forced to work as pastors in the small chapel in Haojing, he decided to try something else: he went to Songjiang Prefecture on a merchant ship.

Even in the open port of Songjiang Prefecture, he was still refused entry by the Ming government and could only stay in the dock area.

Fortunately, he learned to speak fairly fluent Chinese and established friendships with the Ming Dynasty merchants there, especially the children of the Xu family merchants, who were curious about Western learning and eventually became his students.

It was through the Xu family's connections that he obtained the long-awaited entry permit.

It was just an entry permit, but today he received a promise from the most powerful person in the Ming Dynasty, allowing him to preach.

Matteo Ricci wanted to return to Macau to inform his companions of his significant progress and strengthen their ties through correspondence, hoping to persuade the Ming government to allow more missionaries to enter the country to spread Christianity.

In fact, the missionary work of the Ming Dynasty was carried out in the Far East in the most difficult place.

Whether it's India, Japan, or the Islamic-controlled areas in Southeast Asia, they have all made progress to varying degrees.

However, they were directly turned away in the Ming Dynasty.

Now, Matteo Ricci is the one who broke the door; he has finally opened the door to the Ming Dynasty and naturally hopes to achieve even greater success.

As Wei Guangde had previously requested, he had keenly realized that the Ming Dynasty was wary of them, regardless of whether they were merely missionaries spreading their doctrines.

"Perhaps the Ming people already know what those idiots in the Philippines are thinking."

Matteo Ricci had stayed in the Philippines and had naturally heard that the Spanish had once planned to use one or two thousand men to attack the Ming Dynasty.

However, the Ming army, which now lives next to them, numbers several thousand and is well-equipped, which has completely extinguished their hopes.

On the carriage, Matteo Ricci began to devise how to carry out reforms, unlike what they had done in Japan, where they made Japanese believers wear Western clothes, take Western names, and follow Western customs.

Yes, missionaries of this era, in their missionary work outside of China, demanded that believers live according to Western models, from clothing and surnames to customs, completely Westernizing them.

There was no such requirement in China, mainly because Matteo Ricci was the first to realize that the Chinese had their own ideas and would not accept their demands.

If we want to spread Catholicism in China, we can only adapt to local customs and try not to change the Chinese people's lifestyles. We can simply let them listen to the doctrines and convert to Catholicism from the heart.

“Go back and write a letter, and come to visit Lord Wei again next week. After contacting Luo Mingjian and the others in Haojing, we will determine the new missionary methods, and then he will ask Lord Wei to allow Luo Mingjian and the other missionaries to enter the Ming Dynasty.”

Matteo Ricci thought to himself, and his mood became cheerful.

He had been worried that the Ming Dynasty would only accept them into the country but not allow them to preach, which would mean that all their efforts over the years would be in vain.

Wei Guangde was of course unaware of this kind of niche knowledge, but that didn't stop him from actually walking into the cabinet the next day with a copy of the Bible.

Actually, after Matteo Ricci left last night, Wei Guangde opened the book and flipped through it. He planned to finish reading it in his spare time, and if there were no problems with the content, he could send it to His Majesty.

Emperor Wanli actually enjoyed reading. With the development of navigation technology in the future, the Chinese people could not remain stagnant; they could only bravely open their arms and accept foreign ideas, which would be more beneficial to the country's development.

The emperor, as the supreme decision-maker who governs the empire, also needs to have sufficiently advanced ideas to lead the country forward.

It is often said that the Ming emperor's power was greatly restricted by the emergence of the cabinet, but this is actually a very one-sided view. It only explains the situation from the perspective of governance, because the emperor's decisions were largely influenced by the cabinet's opinions.

However, the final decision-making power ultimately rested with the emperor.

Some people in later generations believe that in feudal China, only the three emperors Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong had the greatest power and could be said to have completely controlled the government. In fact, these views are very one-sided.

The emperor was the most powerful person in ancient China. Except for emperors during periods of dynastic change, imperial power was firmly in the hands of the emperor.

Take Wei Guangde, for example, who dares to say that the emperor could not control the court during the three reigns he served?

The cabinet has the right to participate in and discuss politics, but the composition of the cabinet is entirely up to the emperor.

Don't think that Emperor Jiajing's power was weakened just because Yan Song was in power. It was just that Yan Song didn't want to meddle in other people's business and interfere with his cultivation of immortality.

The same was true during the Longqing reign. Emperor Longqing voluntarily delegated power to the outer courts, allowing them to manage things. Since no mistakes were made, he was happy to have some free time.

As for the Wanli Emperor, it's more accurate to say that Zhang Juzheng and Feng Bao joined forces to suppress the young emperor, or that the Wanli Emperor was suppressed by Empress Dowager Li and had no way to fight against the two.

He didn't even have the thought of it, because Empress Dowager Li was too powerful for Emperor Wanli to afford to offend.

As for what happened after that, Empress Dowager Li was getting old and the emperor had come of age, so she no longer wanted to get involved.

Of course, Wei Guangde didn't know that the book he thought was the Bible was actually a simplified version, and was actually called "The True Record of God".

What's really interesting is that even now, there isn't a single, completely identical Bible in the West; instead, there are multiple different versions circulating simultaneously.

Perhaps this is also the root cause of the eventual split within the sect.

The Bible that has been passed down to later generations was actually the first edition of the King James Bible, compiled in 1611 by more than fifty scholars after seven years of hard work, combining multiple versions of the Bible. This was the first authoritative version to begin circulating.

Although subsequent language versions were influenced by the official version, many differences still exist.

Another legend has it that during the Tang Dynasty in China there was a religion called "Nestorianism," which may have been an early form of Christianity. (End of Chapter)