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Changing Perspectives of Geographical Education in Singapore: Staying Responsive and Relevant
No full text[[issue]]59
清初耶穌會士衛方濟的人罪說與聖治論
No full text[[abstract]]This article explores the questions of sin and repentance as understood by the early Qing Jesuit Fran?ois No?l (1651-1729) and presented in his book Renzui zhizhong (人罪至重, The Extreme Gravity of Human Sin). Unlike the book Dizui zhenggui (滌罪正規, Correct Rules Regarding the Sacrament of Penance, 1627) by Giulio Aleni, which emphasizes the absolution of sin and the practice of rites, No?l's book focuses on the origin or cause of sin. But like two sides of the same coin, Aleni's Dizui zhenggui speaks of "absolution after committing sin," whereas Renzui zhizhong aims at "warning against sin" and "prevention before committing sin." It contends that, "in order to acquire virtues, one must first keep away from sin." No?l's view allows the concept of sin to be linked with the Chineseteaching of xiushen (修身, self-cultivation). It further elaborates on the order of morality as the condition for the fulfillment of saintly governance, viz., the harmony of the triangular relationship between the Lord of Heaven, Others, and Self. The most well-known of No?l's works are his translations of the Chinese classics and his works on Chinese rites and philosophy. This book, which is the sole work written in Chinese under No?l's name, deals instead with the idea of sin. It is evident that the shift from a metaphysical mode of discourse to a moral and pragmatic one, which is obvious in his later translations, is already hinted at in this book. Furthermore, during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the rites of confession practiced by the Catholic community in China had gradually become formalistic and mechanical; at the same time, a change also occurred in the penitential ethos in Chinese society. In this book, No?l stresses that "benevolence" (ren 仁) and "righteousness" (yi 義) are the two poles, and the unity of "heart" (xin 心) and "ceremony" (li 禮) are the condition for the consummation of saintly governance. This can be seen as an act ofreturning to the classics and to origins in times of chaos.