晚清民国时期耶稣会在华的学术活动及其特点

The Academic Activities and Characteristics of the Jesuits in the Late Qing Dynasty and the Republican China

晚清来华的耶稣会继续以学术传教。19世纪,欧洲理性思潮的发展使宗教逐渐边缘化,耶稣会以传教为目的的学术活动也要回应世俗社会理性化思潮的考量。为此,耶稣会与欧洲学界积极合作,并尽可能地遵从主流学界制定的学术规范。宗教的保守性与理性的内在张力,使耶稣会的学术活动常常在理性和信仰之间左右支绌。

Like their predecessors of the 17^(th) to 18^(th) centuries, the Jesuits of 19^(th) to 20^(th) centuries continued to preach academically in China. However, the development of thoughts of rationalism in Europe had gradually marginalized religion in the 19^(th) century. Thus, the Jesuits' academic activities which aimed at preaching should also respond to the consideration of thoughts of rationalism of secular society. In order to get a better situation, the Jesuits cooperated actively with European scholars in colleges and followed their academic disciplines. Nevertheless, the conservatism of religion and the internal tension of rationality frustrated the Jesuits' academic activities between faith and reason from time to time.