ABSTRACT
Many know Xu Guangqi 徐光啟 (1562-1633) as a great Chinese scientist, mathematician, astronomer and agronomist.1 Fewer know him as the Christian convert baptized in 1603 with the name Paulus, who became “la magior colonna”2 (the greatest pillar) of Christianity in late Ming China, as he was defined by Matteo Ricci (1552-1610) and Nicolas Trigault (1577-1628). Even fewer have heard of him as he defined himself at least twice in his writings, namely, “disciple of the Luminous Teaching” ( jingjiao houxue 景教後學). “Luminous Teaching” ( jingjiao 景教) was one of the names of Christianity during the Tang dynasty (618907), as witnessed by the famous “Nestorian” stele (Da Qin jingjiao liuxing Zhongguo bei 大秦景教流行中國碑, lit., “Stele of the Propagation of the Luminous Teaching from Da Qin in China”) that was fortuitously unearthed in Xi’an in 1623.
