Ricci's The Intricacies Of Accommodation

In his article “The Intricacies of Accommodation: The Proselytizing Strategy of Matteo Ricci,” Yu Liu evaluates the missionary work of Matteo Ricci, an Italian Jesuit, in China during the late sixteenth century. While Liu formulates several well supported claims throughout the article, he lacks a strong thesis that unifies them together. In addition, when judging the effectiveness of Ricci’s work, Liu seems to have a bias towards his effect on China, neglecting to mention the important effect Ricci had on Europe as well. Thus, this article could be more effective if Liu established a clearer focus and thesis sooner in his paper so that the audience has a better understanding of the scope of his argument.
Liu begins his article by introducing …show more content…
Yet, the Chinese were not receptive to this type of European logic. Following, Liu criticizes both Mungello and Gernet’s views as problematic. He claims that comparing European theism with Chinese Confucianism shouldn’t have worked in Ricci’s favor, and only prevailed due to the social and political atmosphere of the Wanil era, where Christianity mostly appealed to the Confucians as an opponent of Buddhism. For instance Ricci’s followers cited that, “I came to understand how [Christianity] can supplement Confucianism and fight against …show more content…
This bias can most clearly noted in the overwhelming amount of resources on Chinese primary and secondary sources and sources on Confucianism, compared to the sparse amount on Ricci’s affect on Europe. While this bias does not inherently make any of Liu’s well-supported arguments invalid, his focus on Ricci’s affect specifically in China should be stated in the article, as not to skew readers’ understanding and perception of Ricci, for his work had a vastly different effect on Europe compared to