통화색론(通貨色論)적 관점에서 본 조선 후기 유교 지식인들의 천주교 비판

Abstract

In the late Joseon dynasty, most Confucian intellectuals interpreted Catholic activities practiced by young Namin (南人) scholars as evidence of sexual and material desires. They fiercely criticised Catholicism as not only heterodox, which is theoretically wrong or causes social problems, but also as evil heresy. They thought that this evil teaching ought to be completely eliminated in terms of theory, practice, and community. The reason for this was a series of shocking events that showed to them that Catholicism totally denied the Confucian social order of the country. These events included the burning of ancestral tablets, martyrdom, and the request of invasion of Joseon by Western ships. Accordingly, the Catholic persecution that led to the martyrdom of many and was marred by extreme physical violence was fueled by antagonism towards the evil heresies. In this article, I analyze the similarities and differences between these evaluations and the government's official policies and the perspectives of the lower class.