The Case of Adam Schall: Between Accommodation, Superstition, and Accusation. The European Controversy about the Chinese Calendar Office

PD Dr. Claudia von Collani
Universität Münster, Institut für Missionswissenschaften
Research stay: January – June 2011

Reading Sessions:

  • together with Chu Pingyi: Fate, Physiognomy, and Almanac in Seventeen-century China: The Christian Criticism, May 25 and June 15, 2011.

The Case of Adam Schall: Between Accommodation, Superstition, and Accusation. The European Controversy about the Chinese Calendar Office (Der Fall Adam Schall zwischen Akkommodation, Aberglauben und Anklage. Die europäische Kontroverse um das chinesische Kalenderamt)

Von Collani's present research project at the consortium is entitled "The case of Schall between accommodation, superstition, and accusation. The European controversy about the Chinese Calendar Office". This controversy must not be confused with the more famous "Calendar Case" of 1664/65, when the Jesuits were accused by the Chinese scholar Yang Guangxian. The pioneer of the early modern China mission Matteo Ricci (1552–1610), had clearly seen the importance of "modern" European science in spreading the Gospel, and the deficiencies of the Chinese Imperial calendar, which was one of the symbols of the Imperial rule. With the help of Chinese Christian scholars, among them Xu Guangqi, a team consisting of Chinese and Jesuit scholars was finally entrusted with the necessary reform of the calendar. The Cologne Jesuit Johann Adam Schall von Bell (1592–1666), in China since 1619, became the leader of the reform, which was finally started under the rule of the last Ming emperor. However, the new calendar became especially beneficial only for the new Manchu rulers. Under the reign of the new Qing dynasty, Schall became the president of the Astronomical Bureau and was as such not only responsible for the publication of the Imperial calendar, but also for the folk calendar. Because it was forbidden for Jesuits to have an official leading office and because the popular calendar contained "superstitious" things, Schall was accused in Rome by his brethren. The pros and cons of the many letters, apologies, and treatises not only show the different attitudes of the missionaries towards Chinese ideas, but also describe contemporary Chinese astrology and other mantic sciences.

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