Talk by
Dr. Gregor Weimar SVD
Monumenta Serica Institute
3 July 2026, 7 pm
at the Missionary Seminary Sankt Augustin
Arnold-Janssen-Str. 30, 53757 Sankt Augustin, Germany
The title of this talk in German translates as “Louis de Poirot (1735–1813) and His Manchu Bible Translations”.
The abstract of the talk:
In the late 18th century, the first partial translations of the Bible into the Manchu language were produced in Beijing. The translator, Louis de Poirot—a Jesuit, court painter, and court translator in Beijing—produced these with a view to providing catechetical instruction to the Manchus by Manchus, the people whose tribal chieftain Nurhaci had founded the Qing Dynasty in 1644. Through their editorial treatment, the multitude of content-related annotations, the literary adaptation into Chinese, and visual aids, these Bible translations illustrate how Poirot applied the Jesuit method of adaptation or “accommodation” to bring the Christian message closer to the reality of Manchu life. This was an almost revolutionary approach through which Poirot defied the authority of the Church and the Chinese state and sought to place the Bible into the hands of Manchu converts so that they could continue their faith even without the support of the Catholic clergy.
The talk, with an introduction by Prof. Dr. Zbigniew Wesolowski SVD and a discussion that was moderated by Dr. Barbara Hoster, was attended by over 60 guests. The talk was followed by a reception and a party to celebrate Gregor Weimar’s successful completion of his doctoral studies.