Jezuité v soukolí čínského práva
Jesuits in Gears of Chinese Law

Summary/Abstract: While the first wave of Christianization in China in the 13th and 14th century is associated with the Franciscan order, the Jesuits were the pillars of its second wave from the 16th to 18th century. The activities of the Jesuits in China can be described as the most massive and significant presence of Europeans and European culture until then. The fact that some of them were active long after the ban on Christianity by the Chinese emperor in 1724 and the ban on Jesuit order by the pope in 1773 is undoubtedly an indisputable proof of the importance of the Jesuits in China. The last of them acted in Beijing until 1813. The reasons for the success of the Jesuits in comparison with the failure of other Europeans to establish themselves in China can be summarized in two points. First, they learned the Chinese language and Chinese culture and were able to deal with the Chinese at the appropriate intellectual level. They convinced sceptical officials that Christianity had a long tradition in China and that to respect Christianity is in the spirit of the Confucian principle of reverence for ancestors.

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