The Imperial Astronomical Bureau and the Official Catholics Community during the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties

Abstract

During the late Ming Dynasty, with the establishment of the Calendar Bureau (历局) by Xu Guangqi (1562-1633) and the recommendation of missionaries and Catholics to take part in the revision of the calendar, the Imperial Astronomical Bureau (钦天监) became an important institution for missionaries to stay in China and played an important role in the dissemination and development of Catholicism. Until the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, the Imperial Astronomical Bureau became a government office with the most official Catholics. Missionaries were not only in charge of the calendar revision, but also converted the officials and astrology students into Catholics through active preaching. The missionaries of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau provided protection for missionaries all over the country, and retired officials returned to their homes to continue spreading Catholicism. Even during the prohibition period, missionaries still stayed and worked in the Imperial Astronomical Bureau. The formation of the community of official Catholics in the Imperial Astronomical Bureau could be regarded as the embodiment of the Catholic preaching through sciences during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. There are many studies on Adam von Bell (1591-1666) and Ferdinand Verbiest (1623-1688), but less on the official Catholics in the Imperial Astronomical Bureau. This article tried to illustrate the basic situation of the official Catholics during the late Ming and early Qing, by discussing the relationship between the Bureau and Catholicism, and analyzes the historical influences of preaching through the Bureau and the sciences.