Compendium Doctrinae Christianae (Sloane 2746)

Bibliographic Data

Item details
Full Title Compendium Doctrinae Christianae
Year 1628
End Year (multi-year Work) 1713
Translator(s)/Commentators(s) Heurnius, Justus
Masson, Philippe
Book Type Manuscript
Language(s) Latin
Chinese Text Characters and transliteration
Place Of Preparation Batavia
Archive British Library
Shelfmark Sloane 2746
Physical Description

The manuscript consists of 213 folia, with an additional 16 folia appended by Philippe Masson. It is bound together with Heurnius' Sino-Dutch dictionary. The foliation employs two distinct numbering systems: one follows the traditional Chinese order, while the second is a continuous Western-style pagination that includes the dictionary.  In addition to the content found in the Oxford Bodleian copy, this London manuscript also presents a transcription in Chinese characters of Malay translations of the Lord's Prayer and the Creed.

Later Editions/Reprints Dissertation critique sur la Langue Chinoise
Summary

This manuscript is a copy of Justus Heurnius’ Compendium Doctrinae Christianae. The original document exclusively featured Heurnius’ Chinese transcription, which included the Analects up to section 4.15. The volume was subsequently acquired by Philippe Masson at the beginning of eighteenth century. Masson expanded the work by adding his own character-by-character Latin translation and romanisation of the Analects, though both additions remain incomplete.

Sources

Item details
Classical Source(s) Analects (论语)
Intermediate Source(s) Compendium Doctrinae Christianae (Marsh 456)

Bibliography

Item details
Secondary Sources

V. Bottanelli, A.  Giazzon, 'Chinese and the Enlightenment’s Linguistic Studies: Philippe Masson, Justus Heurnius, and the Hebrew Origin of Chinese', in Enlightened by China, Representations and myths in 18th century Europe, M. Catto ed., Roma: Viella, 2025, pp. 101-116

J. J. L. Duyvendak, “Early Chinese Studies in Holland”, T’oung Pao, 32/5 (1936), pp. 293-344.

K. Kuiper, ‘The earliest monument of Dutch sinological studies. Justus Heurnius’s manuscript Dutch-Chinese dictionary and Chinese-Latin Compendium Doctrinae Christianae (Batavia 1628)’, in Quaerendo, 35 (2005), p. 95-186.

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