1580–1700, late Ming to Early Qing Dynasty
| Year / Author(s) | Work(s) | Language(s) | Notes on editorial / translation status | Link(s) / Digital Editions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1615 — Matteo Ricci / Nicolas Trigault | De Christiana expeditione apud Sinas | Latin (edited) | Edition prepared by Nicolas Trigault from Ricci’s notes and letters; not a verbatim Ricci manuscript in Latin. Modern translations and critical editions exist. | 1615 Trigault edition (facsimile) |
| Early 1600s — Matteo Ricci | Tianzhu shiyi (“True Meaning of the Lord of Heaven”) | Chinese (original); modern translations exist | Composed in Chinese. Modern bilingual editions and English translations exist. | Modern bilingual edition (Archive copy) |
| c.1604 — João Rodrigues, SJ | Arte da Lingoa de Iapam | Portuguese | Portuguese grammar printed in Nagasaki. Facsimiles and reprints exist. A full modern-English critical translation is not universally available. | Facsimile / reprint (Archive) |
| Early 1600s — Sabatino de Ursis (Xióng Sānbá) | Hydraulic, calendrical, technical writings | Chinese prints, Latin correspondence | Many writings survive in Chinese print or manuscript. Several excerpts have been edited or studied. | BDCC biography / bibliography |
| Early to mid-1600s — Diego de Pantoja, SJ | Letters; musical instruction; technical notes | Chinese, Spanish; partial translations | Pantoja’s letters and musical activity are documented. But translations or the exact localization are uncertain. | Biographical overview and bibliography |
| 1623 (compiled) — Jesuit collaborators | Zhifang Waiji | Chinese | Jesuit compilation/atlas printed in Chinese. Modern editions and scholarly commentary exist. | Zhifang Waiji — CTEXT summary / entry |
| c.1620s–1630s — Giulio Aleni, SJ | Wanwu zhenyuan; contributions to *Zhifang waiji* | Chinese | A recent full English translation of Wanwu zhenyuan has been published (2024). Earlier scholarship also provides editions/commentary of Zhifang waiji. | Recent English translation / scholarly edition (Springer page) |
| Mid-1600s — Johann Adam Schall von Bell, SJ | Astronomical reports; calendar work | Latin, Chinese | Schall’s reports and calendars survive in Jesuit archives and Chinese print. Some have been edited/translated; many remain in manuscript or untranslated form. | Schall von Bell — overview and bibliography |
| Late 1600s — Ferdinand Verbiest, SJ | Astronomical writings; calendar texts; *Astronomia Europaea* | Latin, Chinese | Verbiest’s technical writings and letters are partially edited and translated; many remain accessible only in Jesuit archives or Chinese sources. | Verbiest preview / sample (Vatican Observatory) |
| 1655 / Martino Martini, SJ | Novus Atlas Sinensis | Latin (maps & descriptions) | Maps and Latin descriptions published in Blaeu’s Atlas (1655). Facsimiles and scholarly discussion exist. | Novus Atlas Sinensis — facsimile info |
| 1687 — Philippe Couplet, SJ, et al. | Confucius Sinarum Philosophus | Latin | Major Latin edition translating Confucian texts. It is an edited compilation by Jesuits (Intorcetta, Couplet, etc.). Digitized copies exist. | Confucius Sinarum Philosophus (facsimile) |
| 17th–18th c. — various Jesuit authors | Lettres édifiantes et curieuses (selected letters) | French (original) — many translations of excerpts | Multi-volume collection of Jesuit missionary letters. Many volumes are digitized (Gallica / Archive). Not every letter has a full modern translation. | Lettres édifiantes — digitized volumes (Archive search) |
Incomplete or Lost Works
The following works are attested in letters, mission reports, or bibliographies but survive only in fragments, references, or later compilations. They are listed here for contextual purposes; few exist as independent Latin editions.
| Author / Origin | Description and Notes |
|---|---|
| António de Almeida, SJ (mid-17th c.) |
Reported to have written detailed accounts of Chinese court protocol and geography while active in Beijing.
No complete works survive; his letters are quoted in later compilations such as the Lettres édifiantes et curieuses.
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| Lettres édifiantes et curieuses (1702 – 1776) |
Multi-volume collection of Jesuit correspondence from missions worldwide, including Beijing, Macau, and Japan.
Not all volumes have been translated. Editions exist in French, Italian, and Latin.
Digitized early-modern editions available via Gallica and Archive.org.
Archive.org edition |
| Chinese-language Catechisms & Treatises (16th–17th c.) |
Many shorter works by Jesuits (Matteo Ricci, Giulio Aleni,Ferdinand Verbiest) survive only in Chinese.
Many are uncatalogued/untranslated.
Some extant prints are at the National Library of China and in European sinological collections.
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| Unattributed or Anonymous Texts | Several treatises on astronomy, theology, and ethics produced during the Ming–Qing transition were collaboratively written by Jesuits and Chinese literati. Attribution is often uncertain due to imperial publication practices (e.g., Chongzhen Lishu, imperial calendars). These works circulated under imperial or collective authorship. |
| Lost Works (17th–18th c.) | Several texts mentioned in Jesuit letters and early bibliographies appear to be lost. Diego de Pantoja reportedly composed a Chinese treatise on Western ethics (Xiru Ermu Lun refers to Ricci; Pantoja’s separate work is untraced). Other manuscripts listed in early mission inventories (e.g., in Goa or Macau) have not yet been located. |
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