明末奉教天文學家鄔明著事迹鈎沉

鄔明著是徐光啓所組建之曆局中的骨幹成員,對修成《崇禎曆書》發揮了重要作用。領洗入教後,信仰虔誠,並將天主教傳入其家鄉武昌,促成湖廣開教。然因相關文獻甚少,致其事迹不顯。本文通過現存中文及葡萄牙文文獻,勾勒鄔明著修曆與奉教事迹,進而凸顯曆局成員所構成的天主教人脈網絡及其對天主教在華傳播的作用。

A Study on Christian Astronomer Jacobe Wu Mingzhu in Late Ming

Wu Mingzhu was a crucial member of the Astronomy Bureau founded by Paulo Xu Guangqi in Chongzhen Reign, and did great contributions to Chongzhen Lishu. He was baptized by one of the Jesuits in Beijing, and became a devotional Christian. Later he resigned from the Bureau in order to bring missionary to his hometown Wuchang to establish a Jesuit residence there. Due to the absence of sources, his career as both astronomer and Christian had not been known before. Using Chinese and Portuguese sources, this article discusses Wu’s contributions to the reform of calendar and his belief of Christianity, showing the existing of a Christian group in the Astronomy Bureau and their roles in spreading Christianity in China.