Revelation or Reason? Two Opposing Interpretations of the Confucian Classics during the Chinese Rites Controversy

Abstract

The Four Books were a frequent point of reference in publications during the Chinese Rites Controversy. In the Tian Ru Yin (1664), the Franciscan Antonio de Santa María Caballero (1602–69) used an allegorical approach, interpreting the true meaning of the Chinese Classics as Christian revelation while rejecting the traditional reading of the Confucian Classics. On the contrary, the Jesuits in the Confucius Sinarum Philosophus (1687) used a rationalistic approach, harmonizing Western intellectualism with Confucianism. We shall show how these two interpretations are rooted in different theological traditions, leading the two sides to take opposite stances in the Chinese Rites Controversy.

Keywords

Chinese Rites Controversy / Four Books / Tian Ru Yin / Confucius Sinarum Philosophus

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2019 Higher Education Press and Brill