Giulio Alenio

From the Catholic Encyclopedia

Chinese missionary and scholar, born at Brescia, in Italy, in 1582; died at Fou-Tcheou, China, in August, 1644. He became a member of the Society of Jesus in 1600, and was distinguished for his knowledge of mathematics and theology. He was sent as a missionary to China in 1610 and while waiting at Macao for a favorable opportunity to enter the country he published his "résultat de l'observation sue l'éclipse de lune du 8 Novembre, 1612, faite a Macao" (Mémoires de l'Acad. des Sciences, VII, 706.) After his arrival in China, he preached the Gospel in the provinces of Xan-si and Fi-Kien. He published many works in Chinese on a variety of topics. Among the most important are a controversial treatise on the Catholic Faith, in which are refuted the principal errors of the Chinese; "The True Origin of All Things"; and "The Life of God, the Saviour, from the Four Gospels". There is a complete list of Alenio's works in Sommervogel.

Sommervogel, Bibliotheque de la Compagnie de Jesus, I, 157 sq.; Pfister, S.J., Bibliogr. des Jesuites Chinois miss,; Cordier, Essai d'une bibliogr. des ouvr. publ. en Chine par les Eurpeens (Paris 1883).

JOSEPH M. WOODS