MATTEO RICCI: A CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER IN CHINA (OCT. 6TH)
A Widely Published 17th Century Portrait of Fr. Matteo Ricci, Missionary to China By Bp. Joseph ( Ancient Church of the West ) Introduction Matteo Ricci (AD 1552-1610) or “Li Madou,” was a Jesuit missionary whose approach to spreading Christianity in China was as revolutionary as it was culturally respectful. While educated in the Western tradition of the Roman Catholic Church, Ricci developed an evangelistic method that transcended the limitations of the post-Schism doctrinal innovations of Counter-Reformation Rome, focusing instead on core truths of the ancient Church. His work in China laid the groundwork for a bridge between Christian Orthodoxy and the rich philosophical heritage of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism, offering a model that can still be followed today in the promotion of an indigenous Orthodoxy for East Asia. Ricci’s Encounter with Chinese Culture Arriving in China in AD 1583, Matteo Ricci was struck by the profound wisdom, order, and spiritual dep...
