MANILA: 13th October 2012
-- Michele Ferrero, who has worked at the Beijing Foreign
University for the past four years, has now had his most
recent work, Spiritual
Sinology.
published in English by Don Bosco Press, Makati,
Philippines. The work
is a fascinating overview of the Christian mission in China
going back
to the Middle Ages - many Jesuits but not only, and embracing
Catholic
and Protestant missionaries, the book is a collection of
imaginary
final letters of men and women who gave their lives to
missionary
endeavour. It is well worth a read.
The author (hopefully not writing his 'last' letter' !) knows
what he
is writing about since he has been closely involved in
deciphering
texts belonging to missionary sinologists, as he calls them:
"Here at Beijing Foreign Studies University the new school
year has
been under way for almost two months. In cooperation with the
Centre
for Latin in China (Latinitas
Sinica)
I have various classes of Latin, about 80 students over all in
the
university and about 30 in the national seminary, plus other
part-time
classes on request. At the same time I work with the Sinology
Centre
for ongoing historical research on Latin texts of missionary
sinologists. We also continue the students' exchange program
with UPS
and some joint publication of Latin-Chinese.
Little things, drops in the ocean, seeds in the ground".