"Between Confucianism And Christianity": A Study Of Wang Zheng's Ideological And Belief Characteristics

1610 after Matteo Ricci’s death,Niccololongobardi changed the strategy of the mission of Jesuits in China from "indirect missionary" to a more direct way to spread the doctrine and Wang Zheng was baptized in 1616 in that way,but he violated the Catholic precepts and rules twice after he has converted his belief.The first time,he chose to marry a concubine in 1623 after he became a JinShi,and the second was in 1644,he committed suicide because of"Jiashenzhiluan".Although the two apostasy acts seem to express the irreconcilableconflicts and contradictions between Catholicism and Confucian,but for Wang Zheng,the two movements are seem to like a kind of tension.Just as in the study of self-cultivation,Wang Zheng uses the theory of Gongfulun as the core,and communicates his belief in the two religions,so that he can consciously point to a goal,that is the sanctification of personal cultivation;In the way of spirituality,Wang Zheng calmly adjusts his belief in these conflicting concepts that is life and death,good and evil,benevolence and agape.Regardlessof his marriage or suicide case,Wang Zheng can find a theoretical basis between Catholicism and Confucian.In the between of the two thoughts,Wang Zheng not only accepts catholic thoughts in the context of his Confucian tradition,but also reinterprets Confucianism in his catholic faith.This is different from the methods and positions of Confucianist Christians who used Catholicism to support Confucianism or Confucian Christians who used Confucianism to complement Catholicism.Wang Zheng’s thought was established in the between of Confucianism and Catholicism,and he’s belief has also settled in this space.It can be seen from the characteristics of Wang Zheng’s thoughts and beliefs that whether it is his marriage or his death,it reflects the ideology and belief characteristics of Wang Zheng,which a kind of Chinese Christian that settles his belief between Confucianism and Catholicism,and also we can re-reflect the way and angle of interaction between China and the West in the context of "Western Learning" in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties.