Diplomatic treaty between the Byzantine Empire and the Pisan commune, confirming and extending privileges previously granted to the Pisans, including commercial rights, legal protections, and financial provisions. The document also records the texts of earlier agreements of the same nature concluded between Pisa and previous emperors. The original Greek text and the official Latin translation, both issued and validated by the imperial chancellery of Constantinople, are preserved as separate documents.
Book of the Conjunctions of the Moon with the Planets and of the Planets with Each Other, as well as the Conjunctions of the Moon and Planets with Fixed Stars Throughout the Year of Christ 1674, During the Reign of Emperor Kangxi.
Letters Written in Response to Buddhist Texts. The first part consists of two letters. The first, written by Yu Deyuan (虞德園), also known as Yu Chunxi (虞淳熙) (1553–1621), and addressed to Ricci, invites him to study Buddhism before dismissing it without proper understanding. The second letter, written by Ricci in reply to Yu Deyuan, constitutes his response.
The second part comprises a debate in response to a text by the Chan Buddhist monk Lianchi (蓮池) (1535–1615), also known as Shen Zhuhong (沈祩宏). In his work Zhuchuang sanbi (竹窗三筆, Three Notes of the Bamboo Window), he presents four chapters under the title “On Heaven” (Tianshuo 天説), in which he rejects Christian doctrine. The texts have traditionally been attributed to Matteo Ricci, although there is considerable debate regarding their authorship. Apart from the first letter, which is probably by Ricci, the other texts are very likely by Xu Guangqi (徐光啓) (1562–1633) (cf. Silk 2013: 581).
The work follows Aristotle’s theory of the three types of souls—the vegetative soul, the sensitive soul of animals, and the rational soul of humans—while integrating Augustine’s theory of the three functions of the soul. It argues that the study of the soul is the most beneficial and significant discipline in philosophy, with the purpose of knowing oneself and recognizing one’s origin, ultimately leading to the worship of God and the salvation of the soul. The book also incorporates Confucian thought into soul theory, using it to understand worldly affairs and, by extension, to cultivate the family, govern the state, and bring peace to the world.
The first chapter focuses on the source of happiness, found in the observance of the Commandments and the practice of virtues. The second chapter introduces creation, salvation, the sacraments, the precepts of the Church, and the capital sins.
The Trial and Acquittal of Jesuit Missionaries in 1669; inside, the copy of the imperial edict of the Emperor Kangxi recording official tolerance of the Christian religion; astronomical observations and calculations made by the Jesuit fathers at their observatory in Peking. Antonio de Gouvea formally as the editor, the Portuguese vice-provincial, but probably responsible of this edition Andrea Giovanni Lubelli or François de Rougemont.
The Trial and Acquittal of Jesuit Missionaries in 1669; inside, the copy of the imperial edict of the Emperor Kangxi recording official tolerance of the Christian religion; astronomical observations and calculations made by the Jesuit fathers at their observatory in Peking. Antonio de Gouvea formally as the editor, the Portuguese vice-provincial, but probably responsible of this edition Andrea Giovanni Lubelli or François de Rougemont.
