Catholics and Anti-Catholicism in Chosŏn Korea

Don Baker; Franklin Rausch

Don Baker and Franklin Rausch

Catholics and Anti-Catholicism in Chosŏn Korea

In: Hawai'i Studies on Korea

Edited by: Christopher Bae

University of Hawaii Press | 2017

https://doi.org/10.1515/9780824866297

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About this book

Korea’s first significant encounter with the West occurred in the last quarter of the eighteenth century when a Korean Catholic community emerged on the peninsula. Decades of persecution followed, resulting in the deaths of thousands of Korean Catholics. Don Baker provides an invaluable analysis of late-Chosŏn (1392–1897) thought, politics, and society to help readers understand the response of Confucians to Catholicism and of Korean Catholics to years of violent harassment. His analysis is informed by two remarkable documents expertly translated with the assistance of Franklin Rausch and annotated here for the first time: an anti-Catholic essay written in the 1780s by Confucian scholar Ahn Chŏngbok (1712–1791) and a firsthand account of the 1801 anti-Catholic persecution by one of its last victims, the religious leader Hwang Sayŏng (1775–1801).

Confucian assumptions about Catholicism are revealed in Ahn’s essay, Conversation on Catholicism. The work is based on the scholar’s exchanges with his son-in-law, who joined the small group of Catholics in the 1780s. Ahn argues that Catholicism is immoral because it puts more importance on the salvation of one’s soul than on what is best for one’s family or community. Conspicuously absent from his Conversation is the reason behind the conversions of his son-in-law and a few other young Confucian intellectuals. Baker examines numerous Confucian texts of the time to argue that, in the late eighteenth century, Korean Confucians were tormented by a growing concern over human moral frailty. Some among them came to view Catholicism as a way to overcome their moral weakness, become virtuous, and, in the process, gain eternal life. These anxieties are echoed in Hwang’s Silk Letter, in which he details for the bishop in Beijing his persecution and the decade preceding it. He explains why Koreans joined (and some abandoned) the Catholic faith and their devotion to the new religion in the face of torture and execution. Together the two texts reveal much about not only Korean beliefs and values of two centuries ago, but also how Koreans viewed their country and their king as well as China and its culture.

Author information

BakerDon:

Don Baker is professor of Korean civilization in the Department of Asian Studies at the University of British Columbia.RauschFranklin:

Franklin Rausch is assistant professor in the Department of History and Philosophy at Lander University in Greenwood, South Carolina.Don Baker (Author)
Don Baker is professor of Korean civilization in the Department of Asian Studies at the University of British Columbia.

Franklin Rausch (Author)
Franklin Rausch is assistant professor in the Department of History and Philosophy at Lander University in Greenwood, South Carolina.

Reviews

In this meticulously researched, annotated, and refreshingly clear work, Baker reveals the perspectives of both sides in an easy to understand fashion, making this book suitable both for scholars and for a text in undergraduate or graduate classes.

Frontmatter Free access PDF PDF	i
Contents Free access PDF PDF	v
Acknowledgments Free access PDF PDF	vii
Preface Free access PDF PDF	ix
Notes on the Translated Texts and Romanization Free access PDF PDF	xiii
Part I. The Road to Persecution
Chapter 1. Korea at the End of the Eighteenth Century Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	3
Chapter 2. Confucian Criticisms of Catholicism Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	30
Chapter 3. The Birth of the Korean Catholic Church Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	59
Chapter 4. A Decade of Hopes and Fears Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	83
Chapter 5. Nationalism and Evaluations of Hwang Sayŏng and His Silk Letter Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	101
Part II. In Their Own Words
Chapter 6. A Conversation on Catholicism by Sunam Ahn Chŏngbok Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	123
Chapter 7. The Silk Letter of Hwang Sayŏng Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	151
Appendix Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	205
Notes Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	233
Bibliography Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	281
Index Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	301

Catholics and Anti-Catholicism in Chosŏn Korea

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