예수회의 적응주의와 종교간 대화

Abstract

This study focuses on the Jesuit adaptationism that had been put into practice in the East Asian countries of Japan, China and India and also among Latin American Indians in the beginning of their missionary work, and examines the principle of interreligious dialogue shown in the characteristics of Jesuit Adaptationism. Jesuit missionary policies played an important role in the globalization of European Christianity that had started from the early modern times when the revolution of science and geographical discoveries were being achieved. The Jesuit adaptationism was an epoch-making method of dialogue to cultivate mutual negotiations between the East and West civilizations. Especially, the Jesuit adaptation in the cultures of China, India and Japan became an opportunity for the western societies to have great interest in Asian cultures, and many areas of European societies and liberal arts were to be influenced by them. The Jesuit missionaries in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries tried to naturalize the Christianity with a dialogue between religion and culture in Japan, China and India where the civilization was highly advanced, by adapting to the cultures of Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism. In the mean time, they put priorities in raising the cultural level itself of the South American Indians in Latin America as their civilization was not as advanced as that of those three countries in Asia. Therefore, the adaptationism in Latin America developed with different approaches from the adaptationism in Asia. In other words, the starting point of Jesuit missionary work in Asia was ‘adaptation from the top’ centering on the traditional cultures whereas it was ‘adaptation from the bottom’ representing social justice in Latin America. Jesuit adaptationism has become a principle of dialogue not only for the missionary work but also for the communication with other religions and cultures. It has become a principle that includes ‘dialogue from the top’, ‘dialogue from the bottom’, ‘cultural dialogue’, ‘religious dialogue’, ‘cognitive dialogue’and‘ social dialogue’. This thesis investigates, first of all, the precedent examples of Jesuit adaptationism in the early times of their missionary work in Latin America as well as in East Asia such as in Japan, China and India. Secondly, through the analysis of those examples of Jesuit adaptationism, it examines how the Christianity from Europe could adapt and harmonize itself with indigenous cultures and religions in Asia and America. Especially, it studies the interrelationship between Jesuit adaptationism and religious dialogue by centering on methodological, cultural, cognitive, religious and social adaptations. Lastly, this thesis discusses Jesuit adaptationism as a principle of dialogue between religions. Based on those studies, it seeks how Jesuit adaptationism could be applied to today’s world of religious conflicts and disputes. This study is meaningful in that Jesuit adaptationism is put into a rare case of discourse even if there have been many studies on Jesuit adaptationism to date.