Transforming the East Jesuit Translations of the Confucian Classics Transforming the East Jesuit Translations of the Confucian Classics
Home > Translations > Compendium Doctrinae Christianae (Marsh 456)

Compendium Doctrinae Christianae (Marsh 456)

Bibliographic Data

Thumbnail
Full TitleCompendium Doctrinae Christianae
Year1628
Translator(s)/ Commentators(s)Heurnius, Justus
Book TypeManuscript
Language(s)Latin
Chinese TextCharacters and transliteration
Place Of PreparationBatavia
Holding ArchiveBodleian Library, Oxford
Call NumberMarsh 456
Physical Description

This manuscript is a single volume of 264 folia (page size 33 x 21 cm). The foliation follows traditional Chinese order, numbered from right to left. The majority of the text is arranged in a consistent three-column format per page: Chinese characters in the central column, flanked by a Latin translation on the right and a romanization on the left.

The contents are diverse, encompassing:

  1. Christian texts, such as a Compendium of Doctrine, collections of prayers, and a translation of Chapters 5 and 6 of the Gospel of Matthew.
  2. Non-Christian materials, including commercial and legal documents, alongside extracts from Chinese classics.
  3. Earlier draft versions of several included texts.
Summary

Heurnius' Compendium consists mostly of Christian texts, but also includes an incomplete translation of the Analects, and of the Xiao'er lun 小兒論. The text is based on the Jesuits' writings, and uses a common terminology, especially with regard to Christian texts.

Religious DenominationCalvinist

Sources

Classical Source(s)Analects (论语)
Xiao'er lun (小兒論)

Bibliography

Secondary Sources

V. Bottanelli, ‘La versio latina della Dottrina Morale di Confucio in Heurnius: uno studio linguistico e confessionale', in A. Balbo, E. Della Calce, S. Mollea eds. Classica Serica, Pisa : Pacini Editore, Documenta Orientalia, 2026, pp. 67-92.

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.

Trude Dijkstra, Thijs Weststeijn, “Constructing Confucius in the Low Countries“, in De Zeventiende Eeuw 32 (2016) 2, pp. 137-164.

External Resources

U R LsDigital Bodleian

Confusy Doctrina Morales

TitleConfusy Doctrina Morales
Start Page114r
End Page131r
Translation Of >Analects (论语)
NotesFeatures a synoptic layout for Analects 1.1–4.15, with parallel columns for Chinese characters, romanization, and Latin translation
U R LDigital Bodleian

Confuty Philosophy Sinensis // Primarÿ liber 2

TitleConfuty Philosophy Sinensis // Primarÿ liber 2
Start Page183v
End Page176r
Volume Or ManuscriptBodleian Library, Marsh 456
Translation Of >Analects (论语)
NotesThe manuscript contains a Latin translation of the first five chapters of the Analects, continuing into the sixth chapter as far as passage 6.28. The translation omits passages 5.17, 5.25, and 6.25. Although the manuscript is paginated in the Chinese manner, i.e., from left to right, this section follows the European style, proceeding from right to left: this accounts for the reverse foliation.
U R LDigital Bodleian

Colloquium Confusy cum Puero

TitleColloquium Confusy cum Puero
Start Page131v
End Page136v
Translation Of >Xiao'er lun (小兒論)
NotesLatin translation and romanisation of juan 7 section 45 (incomplete) of the Dunhuang Bianwen
U R LDigital Bodleian