Joachim Bouvet
Encyclopedia
Joachim Bouvet (Chinese:白晋 or 白進, courtesy name:明远) was a French
Jesuit who worked in China
, and the leading member of the Figurist
movement.
, Joachim Bouvet became a philosophy student in 1676 at the Collège Royal Henry-Le-Grand in La Flèche
. He came to China
in 1687, as one of six Jesuits, the first group of French missionaries to China, sent by the French King Louis XIV of France
, under Superior Jean de Fontaney
.
Before setting out for their destination, he and his associates were admitted to the French Academie des Sciences and were commissioned by that learned body to carry on astronomical observations, to determine the geographical positions of the various places they were to visit, and to collect various scientific data.
The group, after being provided with all necessary scientific instruments, by order of the King, sailed from Brest
, 3 March 1685, with Father Fontaney as Superior. After spending some time in Siam, they finally arrived in Peking, 7 February 1688. The Jesuits were well received by Emperor Kangxi. Bouvet and Jean-François Gerbillon
stayed at Peking, teaching the emperor mathematics and astronomy.
While engaged in this work, the two Jesuits wrote several mathematical treatises in the Manchu language
which the emperor caused to be translated into Chinese
, adding the prefaces himself. So far did they win his esteem and confidence that he gave a site within the Imperial City enclosure for a church and residence which were finally completed in 1702.
Bouvet later served as the Chinese emperor's envoy to France, and returned to his home country in 1697 with instructions from the emperor to obtain new missionaries. Kangxi made him the bearer of a gift of forty-nine volumes in Chinese for the French king. These were deposited in the Royal Library, and Louis XIV, in turn, commissioned Father Bouvet to present to the emperor a magnificently bound collection of engravings. In 1699 Father Bouvet arrived in China for the second time, accompanied by ten missionaries among them Joseph Henri Marie de Prémare
, Jean-Baptiste Régis
, and Dominique Parrenin
. Kangxi honored Bouvet further with the title of interpreter to his son, the heir-apparent.
In 1700, with four of his fellow missionaries, Bouvet presented a memorial to the emperor, asking for a decision as to the meaning attached to the various ceremonies of the Chinese in honor of Confucius and their ancestors. The emperor, who had taken a keen interest in the controversy regarding the ceremonies
, replied that they were simply civil usages, having no religious significance whatsoever. The memorial, together with the emperors reply, was published in the Peking Gazette but failed to allay the excitement then raging in Europe over the question.In 1706, Kangxi decided to send Bouvet to the Vatican
to settle the Chinese Rites controversy
, but took back his decision later.
From 1708 to 1715, Bouvet and Jean-Baptiste Régis
were engaged in a survey of the country and the preparation of map
s of its various provinces.
As a sinologist, Bouvet focused his research on I Ching
. Trying to find a connection between the Chinese classics and the Bible
, Bouvet came to the conclusion that the Chinese had known the whole truth of the Christian
tradition in ancient times and that this truth could be found in the Chinese classics. Even though he had some of his texts published, none of Bouvet's more extreme Figurist texts were published until the mid-19th century. He died in Peking on October 9, 1730. His gravestone stele is on display at the Stone Carving Museum of Beijing (at the Five Pagoda Temple
) together with the gravestone steles of Father Gerbillon, and Father Regis.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Jesuit who worked in China
Jesuit China missions
The history of the missions of the Jesuits in China is part of the history of relations between China and the Western world. The missionary efforts and other work of the Society of Jesus, or Jesuits, between the 16th and 17th century played a significant role in continuing the transmission of...
, and the leading member of the Figurist
Figurist
Figurism was an intellectual movement of Jesuit missionaries at the end of the 17th and the beginning of the 18th century, whose participants viewed the I Ching as a prophetic book containing the mysteries of Christianity,...
movement.
Biography
Born at Le MansLe Mans
Le Mans is a city in France, located on the Sarthe River. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Mans. Le Mans is a part of the Pays de la Loire region.Its inhabitants are called Manceaux...
, Joachim Bouvet became a philosophy student in 1676 at the Collège Royal Henry-Le-Grand in La Flèche
La Flèche
La Flèche is a municipality located in the French department of Sarthe and the region of Pays de la Loire in the Loire Valley. This is the sub-prefecture of the South-Sarthe, the chief district and the chief city of a canton. This is the second most populous city of the department. The city is part...
. He came to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
in 1687, as one of six Jesuits, the first group of French missionaries to China, sent by the French King Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
, under Superior Jean de Fontaney
Jean de Fontaney
Jean de Fontaney was a French Jesuit who led a mission to China in 1687.Jean de Fontaney had been a teacher of mathematics and astronomy at the College Louis le Grand...
.
Before setting out for their destination, he and his associates were admitted to the French Academie des Sciences and were commissioned by that learned body to carry on astronomical observations, to determine the geographical positions of the various places they were to visit, and to collect various scientific data.
The group, after being provided with all necessary scientific instruments, by order of the King, sailed from Brest
Brest, France
Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...
, 3 March 1685, with Father Fontaney as Superior. After spending some time in Siam, they finally arrived in Peking, 7 February 1688. The Jesuits were well received by Emperor Kangxi. Bouvet and Jean-François Gerbillon
Jean-François Gerbillon
Jean-François Gerbillon was a French missionary, who worked in China.He entered the Society of Jesus, 5 Oct, 1670, and after completing the usual course of study taught grammar and humanities for seven years...
stayed at Peking, teaching the emperor mathematics and astronomy.
While engaged in this work, the two Jesuits wrote several mathematical treatises in the Manchu language
Manchu language
Manchu is a Tungusic endangered language spoken in Northeast China; it used to be the language of the Manchu, though now most Manchus speak Mandarin Chinese and there are fewer than 70 native speakers of Manchu out of a total of nearly 10 million ethnic Manchus...
which the emperor caused to be translated into Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
, adding the prefaces himself. So far did they win his esteem and confidence that he gave a site within the Imperial City enclosure for a church and residence which were finally completed in 1702.
Bouvet later served as the Chinese emperor's envoy to France, and returned to his home country in 1697 with instructions from the emperor to obtain new missionaries. Kangxi made him the bearer of a gift of forty-nine volumes in Chinese for the French king. These were deposited in the Royal Library, and Louis XIV, in turn, commissioned Father Bouvet to present to the emperor a magnificently bound collection of engravings. In 1699 Father Bouvet arrived in China for the second time, accompanied by ten missionaries among them Joseph Henri Marie de Prémare
Joseph Henri Marie de Prémare
Joseph Henri Marie de Prémare was a Jesuit missionary to China. Born in Cherbourg, he departed for China in 1698, and worked as a missionary in the Guangxi region. In 1724, after the Chinese Rite Controversy, he was confined with his colleagues in Canton, and later banished to Macau, where he died...
, Jean-Baptiste Régis
Jean-Baptiste Régis
Jean-Baptiste Régis was a French Jesuit missionary in imperial China.-Biography and works:He was born at Istres in Provence on 11 June 1663, or 29 January 1664; died at Peking on 24 November 1738...
, and Dominique Parrenin
Dominique Parrenin
Dominique Parrenin was a French Jesuit missionary to China.-Life:...
. Kangxi honored Bouvet further with the title of interpreter to his son, the heir-apparent.
In 1700, with four of his fellow missionaries, Bouvet presented a memorial to the emperor, asking for a decision as to the meaning attached to the various ceremonies of the Chinese in honor of Confucius and their ancestors. The emperor, who had taken a keen interest in the controversy regarding the ceremonies
Chinese Rites controversy
The Chinese Rites controversy was a dispute within the Catholic Church from the 1630s to the early 18th century about whether Chinese folk religion rites and offerings to the emperor constituted idolatry...
, replied that they were simply civil usages, having no religious significance whatsoever. The memorial, together with the emperors reply, was published in the Peking Gazette but failed to allay the excitement then raging in Europe over the question.In 1706, Kangxi decided to send Bouvet to the Vatican
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
to settle the Chinese Rites controversy
Chinese Rites controversy
The Chinese Rites controversy was a dispute within the Catholic Church from the 1630s to the early 18th century about whether Chinese folk religion rites and offerings to the emperor constituted idolatry...
, but took back his decision later.
From 1708 to 1715, Bouvet and Jean-Baptiste Régis
Jean-Baptiste Régis
Jean-Baptiste Régis was a French Jesuit missionary in imperial China.-Biography and works:He was born at Istres in Provence on 11 June 1663, or 29 January 1664; died at Peking on 24 November 1738...
were engaged in a survey of the country and the preparation of map
Cartography
Cartography is the study and practice of making maps. Combining science, aesthetics, and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality can be modeled in ways that communicate spatial information effectively.The fundamental problems of traditional cartography are to:*Set the map's...
s of its various provinces.
As a sinologist, Bouvet focused his research on I Ching
I Ching
The I Ching or "Yì Jīng" , also known as the Classic of Changes, Book of Changes and Zhouyi, is one of the oldest of the Chinese classic texts...
. Trying to find a connection between the Chinese classics and the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
, Bouvet came to the conclusion that the Chinese had known the whole truth of the Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
tradition in ancient times and that this truth could be found in the Chinese classics. Even though he had some of his texts published, none of Bouvet's more extreme Figurist texts were published until the mid-19th century. He died in Peking on October 9, 1730. His gravestone stele is on display at the Stone Carving Museum of Beijing (at the Five Pagoda Temple
Five Pagoda Temple
The name Five Pagoda Temple refers to several temples in China that were constructed following the architectural design of a "diamond throne pagoda" inspired by the Indian Mahabodhi Temple...
) together with the gravestone steles of Father Gerbillon, and Father Regis.
Major works
- Etat présent de la Chine, en figures gravées par P. Giffart sur les dessins apportés au roi par le P. J. Bouvet (Paris, 1697)
- Portrait histoique de l'empereur de la Chine (Paris, 1697)
See also
- France-China relationsFrance-China relationsChina-France relations, also known as Sino-French relations or Franco-Chinese relations, refers to the interstate relations between China and France ....
- Religion in ChinaReligion in ChinaReligion in China has been characterized by pluralism since the beginning of Chinese history. The Chinese religions are family-oriented and do not demand the exclusive adherence of members. Some scholars doubt the use of the term "religion" in reference to Buddhism and Taoism, and suggest "cultural...
- List of Roman Catholic missionaries in China
- Jesuit China missionsJesuit China missionsThe history of the missions of the Jesuits in China is part of the history of relations between China and the Western world. The missionary efforts and other work of the Society of Jesus, or Jesuits, between the 16th and 17th century played a significant role in continuing the transmission of...
- Christianity in ChinaChristianity in ChinaChristianity in China is a growing minority religion that comprises Protestants , Catholics , and a small number of Orthodox Christians. Although its lineage in China is not as ancient as the institutional religions of Taoism and Mahayana Buddhism, and the social system and ideology of...
- List of Roman Catholic scientist-clerics