When the Cross Met the Lotus

Chapter 1 considers the Catholic presence in Tonkin and its interaction with Vietnamese religions. It begins by describing the sociopolitical situation of Tonkin as a land of two kings. The chapter then narrates the development of Vietnamese Christianity from its beginning in the Jesuit, Augustinian, and Dominican missions to the eighteenth century. The chapter charts the varied reception of Christianity by the ruling class of Tonkin, and Christianity’s relationship with Confucianism. It ends with a narrative of the protracted Chinese Rites Controversy, describing the attempts to reconcile Catholic dogma with Vietnamese cultural and religious practices, especially regarding those pertaining to filial piety, and a description of the Controversy’s long-lasting effects in Vietnam.