Pagans in East Asia in early modern Dutch sources

Abstract

he contacts between paganism and Christianity have, since antiquity constituted by far one of the main pivots in intercultural relations. The discussion on pagans and foreign peoples introduced into European culture by Aristotle has served as a basis for the discourse developed in the following centuries. According to the Greek philosopher, the human soul is a form struggling with the limits of matter to realise its potential. Thus he proved that the souls of white people have fully achieved their goal, while in the case of black people and Indians their souls had to face greater obstacles. His thoughts have been fundamental for the Medieval scholastic such as represented by Thomas Aquinas and later on developed by the Renaissance humanists. These issues became even more important in the era of great geographical discoveries and the discussion on the problem whether the Indians actually have a soul or not, being a basis for the way of treating the natives encountered in the New World.1) Therefore the development of colonialism and foreign trade in the early modern period was always associated with the contemporary religious debate, providing arguments and bringing intercultural relations to a new level. The aim of this paper is to present the attitude of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) towards the various groups and nations in East Asia commonly referred to as “pagans”, expressed in the 16t and 17t c. A special reference will be made to the written sources and artistic depictions created at that time which convey the most significant notions concerning foreign peoples.