
Defying Danger
A Novel Based on the Life of Father Matteo Ricci
Nicole Gregory(Author)
Barbera Foundation Inc (Publisher)
Published on 1. December 2019
Book
Paperback/Softback
198 pages
978-1-947431-23-2 (ISBN)
Description
The Forbidden City—home to the opium-addicted Ming Dynasty emperor and protected by thousands of ruthless eunuchs—no European had ever been inside. Would a simple Jesuit priest be the first?
Armed with a homemade clock, a wealth of patience, and an uncompromising drive to share his faith with a new people, Father Matteo Ricci would overcome one barrier only to be met by another: treacherous seas, a complex language, and a culture with an unshakable mistrust of foreigners and rooted in the teachings of Buddha and Confucius.
In sharing European understanding of astronomy, Ricci garnered the respect of the Chinese and despite the urgency he felt to talk about his beliefs, he tread carefully and respectfully, adopting their ways rather than imposing his own. He was one of the first Westerners to speak and read Mandarin and compiled the first Chinese-Western dictionary. By translating Greek mathematics texts into Chinese and Confucian works into Latin, as well as drawing the first world map with Chinese characters, Ricci forged a path for future scholars, explorers, and missionaries.
More details
Language
English
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Dimensions
Height: 203 mm
Width: 133 mm
Thickness: 11 mm
Weight
229 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-947431-23-2 (9781947431232)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Nicole is a writer and editor living in Southern California with her husband and son. She has written for the Boston Globe, Los Angeles magazine, the Los Angeles Times, the Orange County Register, and other publications, and has edited a number of books. She particularly enjoys writing profiles of unknown people. In her free time she likes to travel, cook, and read fiction.