Classe 2°E I.C. “G Leopardi”Pesaro

•The Biography•The Works •The importance• Related topics:

• Italy in the XVIth century • China in the XVIth century• The Jesuit order

Biography

1552: he was born in Macerata.

1561-68: he studies at the Jesuit school in Macerata.

1568: he was sent to study law at the University of Rome by his father..

1571: he left the university and asked to be admitted to the Novitiate of the Society of Jesus.

1572-1577: he studied Rhetoric for two years and Philosophy for three years, in the Roman College of Jesuits.

1577: he travelled to Portugal where he had the opportunity to learn the Portuguese language.

1578: at the age of 26 he sets out for Goa, in India, where he studied theology of the second and third year.

1580: he was ordained and he celebrated the first Mass on the 26th of July.

1582: he was ordained and he celebrated the first Mass on the 26th of July.

1584: Ricci produced the first edition of his map of the world Great Map of Ten Thousand Countries and collaborated at the first draft of the catechism in Chinese language as well.

1593: he began writing the catechism in Chinese language.

1597: Ricci was nominated superior of the mission.

1605: Published the Summary of the Christian Doctrine and Twenty-five Moral Sayings .

1610: May 11 died in Beijing after a brief illness .

Father Matteo Ricci

The books

The cultural works The Jesuit missionary Matteo Ricci

introduced Christianity into China during the 16th century. He made significant progress because he was a scholar who learned China’s language and culture. Ricci, known in China as Li Ma-tou, lived there for nearly 30 years and helped build a bridge of understanding between China and the West. Ricci became the first to translate the Confucian classics into a western language. He translated “ Il Manuale di Epitteto” in Chinese language and he wrote “The twenty five words”.

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He made Western developments in mathematics available to the Chinese and in 1584 and 1600 he published the first maps of China ever available to the West. For the first time the Chinese had an idea of the distribution of oceans and land masses. He introduced trigonometric and astronomical instruments, and translated the first six books of Euclid into Chinese. The Chinese geometrical works for which he is remembered were books on the astrolabe, the sphere, measures and isoperimetrics. But especially important was his Chinese version of the first six books of Euclid's Elements, which was written in collaboration with one of his pupils. Entitled A first textbook of geometry, this work assures Ricci an important place in the history of mathematics.

Curiosities

At the end of the seventies of the twentieth century the figure of Matteo Ricci was chosen as subject for the school-leaving examination in China. The magazine Life put Matteo Ricci among the 100 most important personalities of the second millennium. In 1984 the bishop of Macerata has opened its case for beatification .

On the walls of the Imperial City of Beijing today is still the astronomical observatory founded in the time of Ricci, which contains astronomical instruments, some of them drawn by the Jesuit himself. The observatory was given the name of "Matteo Ricci."

Portrait ofFather Matteo Ricci

Father Matteo RicciMarco Polo was not the only one to go far in China. In fact, three centuries later there was Father Matteo Ricci who brought the Catholic religion, and many scientific

knowledge to the Ming Court.

Introduced in China a World Map in which the Chinese knew many other continents, just when China closed all contacts with the outside world and began the Great Wall. China also introduced an automatic watch and up the East with the West. Matteo Ricci was the first Italian buried in China and is still remembered and studied, 400 years after his death.

Ming dynasty pottery

Ming Dynasty: 1368-1644. Dynasty Chinese national Zhu family, founded by Zhu Yuanzhang, called "Hongwu" (1368-1398), made renowned by his son Yongli (1402-1424). Capital during the Ming

dynasty   Nanking (Nanjing - Capital of the South "), then, in 1409, Beijing

(Beijing - capital of the North").

16 kings in 275 years.

         China is home to one of the oldest

civilizations in the world, which reached a high degree of cultural an social

homogeneity many thousands of years before the birth of Western culture. Real

name of China is Zhonq quo.

THE    TERRITORY

Italy in the 16th centuryIn the 16th century Italy is subject to numerous

invasions by many foreign peoples.

The kingdoms of ItalyThe peninsula is divided into many kingdoms: -The Spanish Viceroyalty of Naples (light green below) -The Republic of Venice (red) The state-Pontificio (yellow) "The Duchy of Milan (green top) -The lordship of Florence (brown) and many other smaller kingdoms  

France against Naples

France has tried to conquer Naples for a long time but

without any success.

In 1501 when Ferdinand the Catholic, King of Spain intervened in support of Naples, Pope Julius II decided to promote the League of Cambrai, an alliance between the majority of Italians and France against the continuous expansion of Venice.

The Civil War

From the first to the second half of the sixteenth century does not change the continuous conflict between Catholics and Protestants Europeans causing a real Civil War.

I GesuitiTHE JESUITS

The history

In 1534 Ignatius of Loyola was a student in Paris, in Montmartre he set up a new congregation: the Jesuits. In addition to the traditional vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, he gave two other commitments: the missionary activity and complete obedience to the pope. The rule was approved by Paul III in 1540.

After his founding the society of Jesus grew rapidly, fighting against the ideas of the Reformation was his feature. The Jesuit colleges educated the leaders in Europe. The Jesuits were in France, Germany (especially Bavaria), while involved in political disturbances, were expelled from England in 1605. Their work of preaching was heard especially in the new world (in Paraguay, in particular, had their stronghold) and in Japan and China.

The Jesuit Missionaries

The Society of Jesus has always been and is still a religious order "missionary." the Society has honoured his character, because his missionary work, even with limitations and flaws, is an extraordinary saga that saw the Jesuits engaged in missionary work in all parts of the world, tackling difficult situations. Just think of the missions in Alaska, in French Canada of the seventeenth century, the missions in Peru, in Brazil, Japan and China.

Padre M. Ricci