Marian Texts and Mariology in 17th-Century China

Abstract

This paper examines a series of popular Chinese texts on the Virgin Mary produced by Catholic missionaries in China during the 17th-century. These texts include biographies, exegetical works, prayers, and miraculous tales. By way of detailed comparative analysis, I will reveal how certain key components of Roman Catholic Mariology have been modified and re-interpreted in the Chinese context. Different from the longstanding doctrine-based tradition in Europe, early Chinese Mariology introduced by Alfonso Vagnone, Giacomo Rho, Francesco Brancati, and Manuel de San Juan Bautista displayed a practice-over-doctrine pattern that focused on Mary’s model virtues, maternal love, and magic power. The pattern was further reinforced by the leading Chinese converts in their devotional writings on Mary. These exemplary Marian texts, I would argue, allowed much flexibility for missionaries and converts in face of the stereotyped Sinocentric mentality and other Chinese cultural imperatives. The dynamic cross-cultural religious experiences facilitated the formation of a hybrid Chinese Marian culture towards the end of the 17th century.