INTRODUCTORY DECLARATION.

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of men. Finally, leading men, City Governors, and Provincial Governors, and even the Grand Secretaries Colai: Derived from the Chinese Ge-lao, these were the highest-ranking officials in the Ming and Qing dynasties, serving in the Grand Secretariat., whose dignity and authority are second only to the Emperor’s, vied with one another to honor our books with their own prefaces, truly using wonderful praises while pursuing both our people and—as was our one wish—the divine law.

Therefore, since no philosopher among Europeans—indeed, I believe not even the ancient age attributed as much faith or authority to the Oracle of the Delphic Apollo as China attributes to its Confucius original: Confucio, and furthermore, since this philosopher is so little opposed to the light of Gospel doctrine that, on the contrary, we think it not vain to believe there will be those who say he favors it, and in a way leads his countrymen by the hand toward it; for in his books they will observe, not without wonder and pleasure, so many shimmering sparks of right reason. Since, I say, such is the authority of Confucius even among the neighboring kingdoms of the Chinese, who does not see that some extraordinary uses can arise from this for the Preacher of the Gospel? While he is bringing knowledge of the True and Supreme Deity to these nations, he will confirm the truth of his own doctrine—not by the authority of the Poets (as that Teacher of the Gentiles Saint Paul the Apostle, who quoted Greek poets like Aratus and Epimenides to connect with his audience in Athens. did not hesitate to do even among the Athenians), but by the authority of this Philosopher, than whom these nations have known nothing more truthful or wise up to our times. Therefore, who would not hope that, once they are convicted by the testimony of their own Master and happily conquered by their own weapons (with the Divine Power always being propitious), they will eventually surrender to the truth of the Gospel?

Certainly, he had surrendered who was formerly illustrious in Chinese wisdom and the supreme dignity attained through it—second only to the Imperial—but was much more illustrious for his Christian virtues and heavenly wisdom: the pillar of the nascent Church, Paul Xu original: Siu Paulus; referring to Xu Guangqi (1562–1633), one of the "Three Pillars of the Chinese Church," a high official and close collaborator of Matteo Ricci., once a Grand Secretary Colaus: A high minister of the imperial court. of the Chinese Empire. When someone asked him what that new doctrine we Europeans were bringing would achieve, responding with the characteristic brevity of this nation, in both speech and writing, he said: Pu ju original: Pu ju; likely a transcription of the Chinese bu ju (补儒), meaning "to supplement Confucianism."; or as he put it: This supplements and completes what is missing in our Master Confucius and our philosophy of the literati; but it removes and radically extirpates wicked superstitions and the worship of demons.

For these reasons, then, we give this labor of ours to the public light, not to show off Chinese wisdom to Europeans, but so that the candidates of the Oriental Missions might be consulted, and that weapons might be supplied to the soldiers, with which these nations (under the leadership and auspices of Christ) might not only be conquered by you, but might even rejoice in it; so that the fishers of men might have bait ready at hand with which the Chinese, once enticed, might be drawn into the nets; and finally, so that the sacred merchants A metaphor for missionaries who trade intellectual and scientific knowledge for the "spiritual goods" of converted souls. might be equipped with those goods by which a century and more of experience has taught us these nations are strongly captivated and delighted. And indeed, in that Europe where now Socrates, Plato, Seneca, and Plutarch have almost become commonplace—