Tianzhu (Chinese name of God)
Tianzhu (Chinese: 天主, Tīanzhǔ), meaning "Heavenly Master" or "Lord of Heaven," was the Chinese word used by the Jesuit China missions to designate God.[1] The word first appeared in Michele Ruggieri's Chinese translation of the Decalogo, or Ten Commandements.[1] In 1584, Ruggieri and Matteo Ricci published their first catechism, Tianzhu shilu (天主實錄, The Veritable Record of the Lord of Heaven).[2]
Matteo Ricci later wrote a catechism entitled Tianzhu Shiyi (天主實義, The True Meaning of the Lord of Heaven).[1][2]
Following the Chinese rites controversy, the term Tianzhu was officially adopted by the Pope in 1715, who rejected alternative terms such as Tian (天, "Heaven") and Shangdi (上帝, "Supreme Emperor").[3]
"Catholicism" is most commonly rendered as Tīanzhǔ jìao (天主教, "Religion of the Lord of Heaven").
See also [edit]
Notes [edit]
- ^ a b c Manufacturing Confucianism: Chinese traditions & universal civilization by Lionel M. Jensen p.73
- ^ a b The Jesuits: cultures, sciences, and the arts, 1540-1773, Volume 1 by John W. O'Malley p.365
- ^ Chinese Christians in America: conversion, assimilation, and adhesive identities by Fenggang Yang p.52
