[천진암성지] > History of the Foundation of the Korean Catholic Church





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Chon Jin Am, the birthplace of the Catholic Church in Korea is the holy place where the Yi Byok(1754~1785) was staying in hermitage about 15 years, from 1770 to 1784, studying christian doctrine, so called at that time,the science of heaven. And he was teaching the catholicism to his young disciples,and practising catholic religion, finally sending one of his friends to the Peking , Yi Seung Hoon Jin-Sa(like a Doctor of today)to be baptized. And, The young first christian community moved into Seoul in spring of 1784 after Yi Seung Hoon Peter came back to Corea from Peking. One year after they had to be persecuted by the official authority of the government so that the principal main Foundinf Father John Baptist Yi Byok was in family's imprisonment, then his father ordered to starve him for 10 days, but he was not to die yet. Therefore, finally,he was envelopped in heavy coverlet with many folds and, at last finally, he was suffocated to die in the Spring of 1785. He was the first martyr of the Church in Korea.

韓國天主敎發祥地天眞菴聖地는 韓國天主敎會의 뿌리요 얼굴 입니다.
우리 모두 정성을 다하여 자손만대에 지키고 아끼고 가꿉시다 !

천진암 성지가 하루가 다르게 단풍옷으로 갈아입은 든 광경(성역로와 앵자봉 08.10.20, 날씨가 계속해서 안개가 낌)정약용 선생이 감탄하고 격찬하며,「천진암 단풍은 상을 주어야 할 최고의 풍경」이라고 시를 읊으던 단풍(天眞菴賞楓)! 서해바다와 한강에서 불어오는 습기가 경기도 광주산맥 주봉 능선에 부딪혀 내려, 단풍잎이 두껍고 싱싱하며 은은하게 붉어서, 바위 악산의 얇은 색종이 같은 단풍과는 질이 다르다

韓國天主敎發祥地 天眞菴聖地와

韓民族100年計劃天眞菴大聖堂은 우리나라의 자랑이요 ,

우리겨레의 精神 이고, 우리 國民의 精誠 입니다.

천진암 성지의 한국천주교회200주년기념비(08.08.21. 촬영)

天眞菴은, 古朝鮮 시대 祭政一致의 관습으로, 本來檀君影幀天眞을 모시고 山祭祀, 堂山祭, 山神祭 등을 올리던 天眞閣 혹은 天眞堂이라는 작은 草家堂집이 오랜 세월 있었던 자리로 추정되며, 훗날 天眞菴이 되어, 1779년을 전후하여 廢刹이 되었었으니, 丁若鏞 선생의 글에, \"天眞菴은 다 허물어져 옛 모습이 하나도 없다,,,요사체는 반이나 무너져 빈 터가 되었네(寺破無舊觀,樓前僚舍半虛舊)\" 하였고, 1797년 丁巳年 당시 洪敬謨의 南漢志에서는, \"天眞菴은 오래된 헌 절인데, 종이를 만드는 곳으로 쓰이다가 이제는 司饔院에서 관리하고 있다(天眞菴爲古寺造紙物今屬司饔院)\"고 함으로써, 사찰로서의 기능을 言及하지 않고 있으며, 聖 Daveluy 主敎는 1850년 경의 기록 문헌에서, 젊은 선비들과 함께 李檗聖祖께서 講學을 하던 곳은, 당시 잘 쓰이지 않는 한적한 居處(廢刹)이었다(L'edifice isole et perdu)고 하였다.

1779년 당시 李檗聖祖 25세, 丁若鏞 17세, 丁若鍾 19세, 丁若銓 21세, 李承薰 22세, 李寵億 14세, 權哲身 44세, 등 주로 10代와 20代 젊은이들이 모여서 그 당시 아주 생소하고 이상한 天主敎 책을 읽고 토론하는 내용을 일반 儒敎書堂에서나 正常的인 사찰에서, 또는 일반 가정에서는 실천하기 어려우므로, 다블뤼 주교의 기록대로, 폐허가 된 天眞菴에서는 여럿이 모여 함께 아무런 방해를 받지 않고(pour s\'y livrer ensemble a des etudes profondes), 天主敎眞理를 탐구하고 실천할 수 있었으니, 天眞菴은 바로 韓民族의 유교 선비들이 불교 암자에서 천주교를 연구하고 실천하기 시작한, 儒·佛·天이 사람과 장소와 사상을 合流한 곳이고, 朝鮮天主敎會가 태동된 韓國天主敎發祥地이다.
그런데 丁若鏞 선생은 종종 [天眞菴]에서 [菴] 字를 빼고 그냥 \"天眞\"이라고만 부르기도 하였으니, \"共詣天眞\" 또는 \"天眞之游\" 등이 그 예다. 또 일반적으로 庵子는 늘 [庵]이라는 글자를 쓰는데, 유독히 정약용 선생만이, 특히 天眞菴에 대해서만 종종 [菴]이라는 \"풀로 가리울 암\"이라는 글자를 쓰는 것도, 南人계 자기네 젊은 선비들 학자 호가 모두 稷菴 권일신, 鹿菴 권철신, 曠菴 이벽, 巽菴 정약전, 俟菴丁若鏞, 伏菴李基讓, 順菴安鼎福, 등에서처럼. 또한 은연 중에 이곳 天眞菴은 자기네 南人學者들의 隱居地요, 本據地임을 암시하고 있다.

한국천주교회 창립자이신 曠菴李檗聖祖께서 천진암을 根據地로 활동하신 바가, 丁若鏞 선생의 글에 적잖이 보이고 있으니, \"己亥年(1779년)에 天眞菴에서 講學을 할 때(己亥冬講學于天眞菴), 李檗이 밤중에 와서 여럿이 촛불들을 밝히고 經書를 談論하였으며(雪中李檗夜至張燭談經)\", 그후 \"丁巳年(1797) 端午날에 2분 형님들(丁若銓)과 天眞菴에 와보니, 李檗의 讀書處, 곧 이벽의 修學道場 건물이 아직도 그저 있구나 !(端午日陪二兄游天眞庵李檗讀書猶有處)\"하고 詩를 읊어 밝히고 있다.

丁學術의 李檗傳에서는, \"戊戌(1778) 己亥(1779) 년에 李檗曠菴 선생이 廣州鴛鴦山寺 곧 天眞菴에 隱居하시며 丁氏李氏네들과 어진 벗들(賢友)과 학문에 열중하였으며(勉學), 그 당시, 道友가 衆徒를 이루어,학문을 연구하고 덕을 닦는 공동체가 되기에 이르니(其門下如叢林),저들에게 聖敎要旨를 下筆하시었다.\"고 밝히고 있다. 즉 천진암을 본거지로 하는 [天學叢林]이 젊은 선비들 중심으로 형성되었었다는 것이다.

1827년에 65세의 노인이 된 정약용 선생은 옛날의 동료들과 함께 마지막으로 천진암을 찾아와 현장에서 지은 시에서, \"이 곳 천진암에 오르는 바윗돌 사이사이로 난 실같은 오솔길은 내가 어린 아이 적에 오르내리며 놀던 길인데(昔我童時遊), 여기서 우리는 중용, 대학, 서전, 주역, 즉 상서를 다 외운 후 불에 태워 물에 타서 마시는 소련을 하였었지(尙書此燒鍊)! 더우기 저명한 호걸들과 선비들이 모여 강학을 하고, 독서를 하던 곳이 바로 여기였지(豪士昔講讀) !\" 하며, 옛 추억을 회고하였다.

1836년에 조선에 들어온 최초의 프랑스 선교사 聖 Maubant신부는 1838년에 프랑스 파리 외방선교회 본부로 보낸 보고서에서,\"李檗은 천주교에 푹빠져서,몇몇 改宗者들과 힘을 합쳐(de concert avec quelques proselites),1783년에 북경으로 李라는 姓을 가진 사람을 자기들 공동체의 대표자로 파견하여(il envoya un autre delegue) 이듬해 즉 1784년 2월에 영세하고 돌아왔다.\"하였으니, 이승훈 성현을 파견하던 이벽 曠菴公을 중심으로 한 젊은이들의 단체가 있던 본거지가 바로 天眞菴으로 이 젊은 작은 공동체가 한국교회의 출발이 된 叢林이었다.

“眞正한 意味의 朝鮮天主敎會의 歷史는 李檗의 저 偉大한 講學에서 시작되었다”
“조선왕국에 처음으로 천주교를 시작하기 위하여 天主께서 간택하여 쓰신 道具는 李檗이라는 사람인데, 이름을 德祖라고 부르고, 호는 曠菴이었으며, 경주이씨 가문이었다.”
“이벽은 조선에 천주교회를 창립하기 위하여 주초로 삼고자 대학자 암브로시오 권철신을 선택하였다.(Mgr. A. Daveluy, Notes pour l\'histoire de martyrs en Corée. Vol IV. manuscript copies, 1-2면 :“ L\'histoire proprement dite commence aux conférences de Ni Pieki. Les grandes conférences de Ni Pieki”)

1925년 교황 비오11세께서는 79위 조선순교자 諡福式 강론 첫머리에서, 이벽의 업적과 이승훈의 활동을 擧名하며 조선천주교회가 선교사들이 조선에 들어가기 전에 성직자없이 조선 평신도들이 세웠음을 격찬하셨다.

1968년 교황 바오로6세께서도 한국순교자 24위 시복식 강론 첫 머리에서 같은 내용으로 한국천주교회의 기묘한 창립을 말씀하시며, 전 세계 교회사에 없는 기묘한 위업을 밝히시며 한국교회를 들어 높혀 말씀하셨다.

1984년 교황 요한바오로2세께는 103위 諡聖을 계기로 하시는 강론에서 다음과 같은 보다 구체적인 강론으로 한국천주교회의 신비롭고 자랑스러운 한민족의 자발적인 교회창립활동을 강론 첫머리에서 강조하셨다.

즉, 우리가 알고 있듯이, 사실상 진리 탐구에 충실한 한국의 저 평신도들- 즉, 한국의 \"철학자\"들과 학자들의 모임인 한 단체는- 중대한 위험을 무릅쓰면서, 당시 북경천주교회와의 접촉을 과감히 시도하였고, 특히 새로운 교리서적들을 읽고 그들 스스로가 알기 시작한 생호한 신앙에 관하여, 자기들을 밝혀줄 수 있을 천주교 신자들을 찾아나섰습니다.
남녀 이 평신도들은 마땅히 [한국천주교회 창립자들]이라고 해야 하며, 1779년부터 1835년까지 56년간이나 저들은 사제들의 도움이 없이-비록 2명의 중국인 사제들이 잠시 있었던 짧은 기간을 제외하고는- 자기들의 조국에 복음의 씨를 뿌렸으며, 1836년에 프랑스 선교사들이 처음으로 한국에 도착할 때까지 성직자 없이 자기들끼리 교회를 세우고 발전시켰으며, 그리스도에 대한 신앙을 위하여 목숨까지 바쳤습니다(L\'Osservatore Romano).

1993년 동 교황 요한바오로2세께서는 韓民族100년계획천진암대성당 머릿돌에 친히 작성하셔서 친필 서명하여 주신 교황강복문에서 좀더 명확히 또 우리민족의 현재와 미래를 위한 한반도 평화통일 사목시책을 밝혀주셨슴니다.

즉, \"한국천주교 발상지 천진암 성지에 건립되는 새 성전 머릿돌에 교황강복을 베푸노니, 하느님이 보우하사 온 겨레가 영원히 화목하기를 비노라\".

天眞菴聖地는 韓國天主敎會創立先祖들께서 선교사 없이 성직자없이 自發的으로 眞理를 探究하고 福音을 전파하며 교회를 세우신, 세계에서 유일무이한 韓國天主敎發祥地일뿐더러, 陰曆主日 제정과 실천으로 국내에서는 최초로 근로자들의 정기적인 휴식을 겸한 敬神禮節과 社會階級打破, 男女平等實踐 등이 敎會創立과 더불어 시작되어, 훗날 民族開化와 祖國近代化 및 조선 社會改革運動의 싹이 트기 시작한, 온 겨레의 精神文化聖地이기도 하다.

이 聖地에 한국의 民族宗敎들과 儒敎, 佛敎, 天主敎 등의 建築美 일부씩을 참고하면서 韓民族 100年計劃天眞菴大聖堂을 세우고 있다. 千年歲月을 두고 한겨레의 精神的 기둥이 될 이 대성당 건립에 政權을 超越하여 各界各層에서, 온 겨레가 子子孫孫이 뜻을 같이하고 힘을 함께 모으며, 다같이 정성을 바쳐야 하겠다. 또한 中央政府를 비롯한 地方自治團體들과 모든 기관들도 行政的으로뿐 아니라 物心兩面으로 이 거룩한 사업에 한 몫을 해야 할 것이다.

한국천주교 발상지 천진암 터에 모셔진, 한국천주교회 창립선조 묘 오른쪽부터 ;

권철신 암브로시오 (1736~1801),

권일신 프란치스꼬 사베리오 (1742~1792),

이벽 세자 요한( 1754~1785).

이승훈 베드로 (1756~1801).

정약종 아우구스띠노 (1760~1801).

한국천주교 발상지 천진암 성지의 한민족100년계획천진암대성당 건립 현장에서

매년 거행되는 매년 6월 24일의 한국천주교회창립기념행사 !

천진암 성지의 성역로 십자가와 태극기와 교황기 주변만을 구름이 잔뜩 낀 낮은 하늘 아래에서 해가 진 후 저녁노을을 신기하게 둥굴게 황금색으로 비추는 광경(09.07.25 저녁7시30분, 광암성당 마당에서 고옥자,허관순 촬영. 23)

천진암 성지의 성역로 십자가와 태극기와 교황기 주변만을 구름이 잔뜩 낀 낮은 하늘 아래에서 해가 진 후 저녁노을을 신기하게 둥굴게 황금색으로 비추는 광경(09.07.25 저녁7시30분, 광암성당 마당에서 고옥자,허관순 촬영. 22)

천진암 성지의 일몰 후 저녁노을(고옥자 촬영. 09.07.25. 저녁7시30분. 20)

천진암 성지의 성역로 십자가와 태극기와 교황기 주변만을 구름이 잔뜩 낀 낮은 하늘 아래에서 해가 진 후 저녁노을을 신기하게 둥굴게 황금색으로 비추는 광경(09.07.25 저녁7시30분, 광암성당 마당에서 고옥자,허관순 촬영.저녁식사 후 묵주의 기도 직전 직원일동 목격 약 5분간)

천진암 성지의 저녁노을(고옥자 촬영. 09.07.25.저녁7시 30분., 묵주의 기도 전 직원 일동 목격)

천진암 성지에 구름이 잔뜩 낀 낮은 하늘아래 해가 진 후 저녁노을이 성역로의 십자가와 태극기와 교황기 주변만 황금빛으로 둥글게 비추는 광경(09.07.25. 저녁7시30분, 고옥자 ,허관순 촬영, 광암성당 마당에서.직원 일동 목격)

***The name of the great Teacher Yi byok was written some times as Lee Byok or as Ni-Pieki according to the writers or missionaries and it is necessary for us today to pay attention for it !

The Great Teacher
john Baptist Yi BYOK
Founder of the Catholic Church in korea.

Birth and Childhood
Our holy ancestor, Yi Byok was born in 1754(the 39th year of the reign of King Young Jo) at Kwang Ju, which is now located in Kyong Gi Province, as the second son of Lee Bu Man of the Kyong Ju Lee family. His mother was of the Cheong Ju Han family. His family descended from the famous Koryo scholar, Lee Jae Hyun, who was an important civil official. From the time of his great-grandfather his family changed its pro-fession to military service. Therefore, Lee Byok\\\'s grand-father, father and brothers held high positions as generals.
When Yi Byok was born, the village was suffused with auspicious signs so the villagers regarded him as an extraordinary child. The baby\\\'s eyes were clear and shone brightly. People could feel some nobility from him. Moreover, his face was beautiful and handsome. He stood out above other children because he was clever, calm and prudent from his childhood. Lee Ik, who was an elder scholar, foretold that Lee Byok would become a great man.
At five, he was already able to discriminate like an adult and at seven he had already mastered Chinese classics. One day, when he was young, he told scholars about the \\\"Summary of God\\\'s Teaching\\\". At that time the scholars were amazed at his clear and reasonable explanation which none of them could refute and they completely surrendered to his theory and explanation.

Study and Research of God\\\'s Teaching and Friendship
Generation after generation of the Lee family served as government officials. Lee Byok\\\'s father, Lee bu Man, expected him to succeed in the Civil Service Examination and to bring honor to his family. When he became older, he studied under the guidance of An Jong Bok, a pro-minent scholar of that day.
At that time in Korea, there were many Chinese books about Roman Catholicism which came with came by way of China,but most of the scholars studied the books with curiosity just as a new and noble theory. However, Lee Byok, in spite of his young age, felt the deep meaning of the books and faith began to develop within him. When he was nineteen, he edited a literary collection of Kwon Sang Bok\\\'s works and wrote the epilogue of the collection which was called \\\"Meditation on Heavenly Teaching\\\". Moreover, he read, found the meaning and meditated on the works of Matteo Ricci who had published many books in China. When his friends visited him, he avoided drinking and idle chattering and used the opportunities to explain the deep meaning of and reasons for the universe. At that time, he composed a brief essay called \\\"The Way to Heaven\\\" and contributed to a shrine in Bong Seun Temple in order to hang his essay on the wall.
When he was twenty-five, he discussed various theories with the young students who wanted to carry on the scholar, Lee Ik\\\'s srudy. Jeong Yak Jeon, Kwon Sang Moon and Lee Seung Hoon belonged to the group. At this time, Lee Byok already recognized God\\\'s teaching, believed in it and put it into practice. In this respect, even though he was not baptized, he was a faithful man who knew, believed in and respected God.
The Catholic books which he had studied day and night had been delivered to him in two ways; one of them was from his great-grandfather, Lee Kyung Sang, who was a teacher for So Hyeon, the son of king In Jo, as he accompanied the King\\\'s son for 8 years in China(1637-1645), where they met Rev. Adam Schall and were taught by him about Catholicism. They brought many Catholic books and 5 Catholic Servants. And the other way to get religious books to him was by sending them in a wooden box from China through his father by the hand of Hong Dae Yong.
Up until this time, there was no prohibition of reading those kinds of books either in court or privately.
Whenever he found new books about Catholicism, he studied them deeply and meditated on them. Once he found nothing to doubt in the teaching, he couldn\\\'t participate in any worldly affairs and began to wander in the mountains and along the rivers longing for God and praying to heaven. If while he was travelling and enjoy-ing meditation and prayer, he came across scholars, he found his sole comfort in discussing God and explaining the Heavenly Teaching to them. Let\\\'s see what Charles Dallet, the Church historian, has to say about Lee Byok:
\\\"Lee Byok was the tool which in His Providence God used to send the Gospel to Korea. He was born into the Kyong Ju Lee family. Among his forefathers, there were many celebrated man and people in high positions in Court. From his great-grandfather, the family converted from civil officials. Lee Byok was well qualified both mentally and physically so his father intended to train him from childhood in archery and horseriding, skills which would him to rise rapidly in the world. But the boy, Lee Byok, obstinately rejected his father\\\'s wishes and told him he would not do such things even if he had to die.
\\\"As he grew older, he became taller and stronger. His strong body, his outstanding qualities and talents and fluent speech distinguished him from other young men. He dug into every problem and he tended to study the mysterious meaning between the lines when he studied the Classics. However, he was not satisfied with only studying books. Beyond that, he had a wide friendship with other scholars who might help him to learn new theories. He enjoyed joking and wasn\\\'t overly concerned with delicate and complicated Korea manners. Even though he did not assume a dignified air which char-acterized the professional scholars of the time, his bear-ing in itself was graceful and commanded respect.\\\"

The Seminar on God\\\'s Teaching and Retreat at Cheon Jin Am and the Kang Hak Hoe
In January of 1780, a scholar, Kwon Cheol Shin, held a seminar at Cheon Jin Am. When Lee Byok heard about the seminar, he walked through the snow on a cold night from Seoul to Chu Eo Temple where he thought he would find Kwon Cheol Shin. However, when he arrived there he found that seminar was being held at Cheon Jin Am. So he started out again to Cheon Jin Am in the dark despite the danger of crossing a high mountain at night. He arrived at Cheon Jin Am in the middle of the night and immediately began to discuss Classics with the scholars under the candlelight. During the seminar which continued for several days, the scholars examind the theories in the Classics and compared them one by one with the teachings of Buddhism, Confuci-anism and Taoism. Then through the lectures and persua-sion of Lee Byok, the scholars realized the truth of the existence of the Creator of the universe, the immortal soul, heaven and hell and other Catholic teachings. They not only believed them, but they put them into practice.
At this time, Lee Byok composed the \\\"Essence of Holy Church\\\" and the hymn, \\\"Praise of God\\\". Jeong Yak Jong composed the \\\"Song of the Ten Commandments\\\".
Kwon Cheol Shin made up some rules and a daily schedule which the participants of the Kang Hak Hoe followed diligently and strictly. Everyone got up at dawn and since it was winter, they washed their faces with the water from the fountain Bing Cheon which never freezes. They recited proverbs for self-discipline called Sook Ya Zam at dawn, Gyeong Jae Zam at sunrise, Sa Mool Zam at noon and Seo Myeong at sunset. In this way, they practiced the doctrine of God diligently and prayed fervently.

Lee Byok and the other scholars disciplined their minds and bodies with great seriousness, discretion and enthusiasm. No one broke the rules and they carefully adhered to the daily program. Lee Seung Hoon, who was the first Korean baptized as a Catholic, was especially fervent during this training period. Jeong Yak Yong. a Kang Hak Hoe scholar, later described and compared Lee Seung Hoon\\\'s training to a knife being gradually sharpen-ed exquisitely to a fine point.
Moreover, even though at the time they didn\\\'t use the solar calendar nor the days of the week, the scholars observed the Lord\\\'s Day every seven days by the lunar calendar (that is, every 7th, 14th, 21th, 28th of the month by the calendar) with fasting and abstinence and spent the whole day in prayer, reading and medita-tion. The Kang Hak Hoe, which was first begun at the temple Cheon Jin Am, continued for several years and Lee Byok taught the science of God in its lectures and conferences. In other words, he built up the science of God that began on the level of simple knowledge of doctrine into a belief on the level of holy religion. He organized a community of holy scholars and at that time he erected the Catholic Church in Korea. Let\\\'s see what Charles Dallet reported about the Kang Hak Hoe:
\\\"In 1779 several famous scholars such as Kwon Cheol Shin and Jeong Yak Jeon went to a remote temple in order to do research and study without interruptions. Having heard of this, Lee Byok was very pleased and decided to join this group. Since it was winter, every road in the long distance he had to walk was covered with snow, but this difficulty could not stop him. He started out at once. He walked bravely even through impassable roads. Although it became dark before he reached his destination, he kept going on to a certain temple, but he found on his arrival that he had gone to the wrong place and that he still had to cross another mountain. He was very disappointed but decided to continue his journey. He woke the monks in the temple from their sleep and asked them to accompany him. He carried a stick to defend himself against possible attacks by wild beasts. Finally he arrived at his destination.
\\\"The arrival of the group of travellers in the middle of the night frightened the scholars at Cheon Jin Am temple. They could not imagine why so many people suddenly came to the temple at night. But later on, when they heard their reasons they were very pleased. All night long they exchanged their ideas joyfully.
\\\"The seminar continued for ten days. The scholars searched for solutions of important problems such as heaven, the world and human nature. They recalled and discussed the opinions of ancient scholars and they studied the dthics of wise men. Finally they examined the philosophy, mathematics and religious books which were written in Chinese by Western missionaries. They con-centrated on interpreting their true meaning. In fact, many Korean scholars of that time knew about those books because when the ambassadors went yearly to China, they were accompanied by some Korea scholars who discussed Western science and religion with Chinese scholars. Among the books, there were several books of introduction to religion which dealt with the existence and providence of God, the holiness and immortality of the soul, the seven mortifications and the way to over-come those sins by way of virtues.
\\\"The scholars, who were familiar with the illogical and contradictory theory of Chinese classics, were anxious to find the truth so they responded to what was beautiful and reasonable in Catholicism. Even though the explana-tion in the books was not sufficient to give the scholars complete knowledge of Catholicism, what they read was enough to move their minds and enlighten their spirits. Immediately they began to put the teachings into prac-tice and to pray every morning and evening. After they read that they should devote one dey a week to God, on every 7th, 14th, 21st, and 28th day of the lunar month, they applied themselves to meditation, did no work and abstained from meat. They did this secretly without informing others about their practices.
\\\"A precious seed had fallen into Lee Byok\\\'s heart but he realized he still needed more knowledge of this religion so his mind turned toward Peking where there were many books about Catholicism. However, he found that getting the books was very difficult and he failed in his first attempts to get them. He wasn\\\'t too discourag-ed with his failures and whenever he found a chance, he continued to study the doctrine deeply and to discuss Catholicism with others. According to the report written by the early Catholics, Lee Byok, after having stayed until the first anniversary of his older sister\\\'s death, start-ed out by boat to Seoul together with the Jeong bro-thers. They talked about philosophy and discussed one by one the existence and the oneness of God, the creation of the world, the holiness and immortality of the soul and reward and punishment after life. The other passengers were amazed and enchanted by the beautiful and consol-ing truths which were discussed. It is probable that there were many such seminars.\\\"

Sending Lee Seung Hoon to the Western Church in Peking
Finally, Lee Byok, who had been striving in vain to contact the Catholic Church in Peking, ordered Lee Seung Hoon to meet the Western Missionaries of the Catholic Church in Peking, to receive Baptism, and to obtain more books and religious articles. Lee Seung Hoon, after carrying out the orders, returned to Korea. That event became a great milestone in the rapid develop-ment in Korean Church history. Let\\\'s see again the report of Charles Dallet concerning this:
\\\"At last God allowed the sincere wishes of these honest souls who sought after truth to come about. In the winter of 1783, Lee Tong Ook was appointed Envoy to Peking and his son, Lee Soung Hoon, got an opportunity to accompany him to the court of Peking. Having heard that his close friend, Lee Seung Hoon, would accompany his father to peking, Lee Byok became excited and immediately called on him, According to some docu-ments of that time, Lee Byok said the following words, \\\'Your journey to Peking is a marvelous God-given opportunity for us to learn the true religious doctrine. This doctrine of the true saints, as well as the true way to serve the All-Highest Creator of all, is developed to the highest degree among the Europeans. Without this doctrine, we can do nothing. Without it, we can neither improve in spirit nor in character. Without is, how can we know the various laws of the kings and their people? Without it, there can be no basic rule in life. Without it, we can not understand the creation of the world, the laws of the celestial and terrestrial poles, the regular move-ment of the universe, the distinction between good and evil. We cannot know the origin and the purpose of the world, the union of soul and body, the problem of good and evil, the Incarnation of Christ to atone for sins, nor eternal reward and punishment.\\\' At these words, Lee Seung Hoon, who did not have the knowledge that Lee Byok had, became frightened and asked to see the books which contained such knowledge. After he looked over the books, he joyfully asked what he should do. Lee Byok answered, \\\'Your chance to go to Peking is a divine sign of the salvation of the Korean people. As soon as you arrive in Peking, go immediately to the Catholic Church and ask the priests about the catechism, learn the liturgy of the Mass and bring us the necessary books. This is a matter of life and death. The all-import-ant business of eternity is in your hands: go, and above all, proceed with prudence.
\\\"Lee Byok\\\'s request shows him as thirsting more for-religious than for scientific knowledge. God\\\'s grace pre-pared his mind so that the great mission of saving souls gradually became his main concern. Lee Byok\\\'s world penetrated deeply into the soul of Lee Seung Hoon. And he could not but listen to Lee Byok\\\'s instruction as if they were the words of a great Master.
\\\"He promised Lee Byok that he would do his utmost to accomplish their common wish. At the end of 1783, Lee Seong Hoon started out for Peking. As soon as he got to Peking, he visited Father Louis de Grammont of the North Church and asked for instruction. He studied Christian doctrine zealously. Just before he returned to Korea, he was ready to be baptized. He was given the name of Peter as it was hoped that he would become the foundation stone of the Korean Church.\\\"

Retreat and the First Mission Work
While Lee Seung Hoon was away, Lee Byok waited impatiently for the envoy\\\'s return. In the spring of 1784, Peter Lee Seung Hoon returned to Seoul with many books and religious articles. There was nothing more pressing for him than to send the religious books and articles to Lee Byok. As soon as Lee Byok received the large number of books which Lee Seung Hoon sent, he rented a remote house and remained indoors in order to apply himself to reading the books and meditation. Now he had more proof of religious truth and the ability to refute shamanic ideas in China and in Korea. He had explanations of the Seven Sacraments, catechisms, commentaries on the Scriptures, live of the saints and prayer books. With these books, he could discover what catholicism was in detail. In the course of reading the books, he felt new life coming into his heart and the growing desire to tell all people about Christ and divine grace. After having studied for a while, he came out from the hermitage and visited Lee Seung Hoon, Jeong Yak Jeon, and Jeong Yak Jong and told them, \\\"Catholicism is a very wonderful doctrine and is the true way. The great God pities the Korean people and wants us to participate in the work of saving their souls. This is the Divine Order. We should not be deaf to the divine call. We must tell the people about the Gospel and spread Catholicism throughout this country.\\\"
At that time Peter Lee Seung Hoon baptized Lee Byok and Kwon Il Shin . They did not choose their Chris-tian names at random. Because Lee Byok prepared the way for the coming of Christ in Korea, his Christian name became John the Baptist. Kwon Il Shin took the name of St. Francis Xavier because he decided to devote his life to Christian missionary work. He modeled him-self after the saint and regarded the saint as his patron.
Lee Byok himself began to spread the Gospel. First, he taught some of his learned friends who belonged to the middle class. Many people responded at once to the vital and convincing words of Lee Byok . Among those who responded were Choi Chang Hyun, Choi In Kil and Kim Jong Kyo.

Victory in Debate with Confucian Scholars
Lee Byok spread the Gospel to the literati and con-vinced some of them to enter the Church. He devot-ed to his duties and enthusiastically preached the Gospel while travelling around many places. The success of Lee Byok\\\'s preaching of the Gospel to all levels of society was great enough to disturb other scholars. These scholars felt instinctively that the new religious doctrine would uproot their traditional religion. Many scholars attempted to persuade the Christians to return to Con-fucianism. The first scholar to attempt this was Lee Ka Hwan, who was the son of a noble family which produc-ed several celebrated scholars. Although he was young, he had already made a reputation for himself. At the news of the rapid spread of Catholicism he said, \\\"It is a very serious problem. Though the foreign religious doctrine does not seem to be against reason, it is not Confucianism and if Lee Byok wants to change the world by such means, I cannot remain an idle onlooker. Therefore, I must lead Lee Byok into the right way of thinking.\\\" The date for the debate was set. Friends of the two scholars and many spectators crowded into Lee Byok\\\'s house in order to witness the debate. Lee Ka Hwan began to persuade Lee Byok to turn away from \\\'falsity\\\' to the true way. When he began he was sure of victory in the debate, but his opinions were refuted one by one by Lee Byok. Lee Byok penetrated into the details of Lee Ka Hwan\\\'s assertions and completely destroyed the structure of his arguments. Lee Ka Hwan did his best to rebuild his argument, but in vain. Lee Byok\\\'s rebuttals always hit the mark. Lee Byok\\\'s logic was so sound that he made no assertion without proving its truth. According to the Korean biography, Lee Byok clearly articulated his ideas, and his arguments were as brilliant as the sun; they struck like a hurricane and they cut like a sword.

Many people witnessed the wonderful debate. The scene could be compared to a fight between an old, hopeless warrior fighting for the old Chinese theory and a young, bright warrior fighting for the new angelic enlightenment. While the defender of the Gospel perfect-ly withstood any attack on the basis of the truth, the opponent, in spite of his flexibility, collapsed and re-covery seemed impossible. At this stage, the Catholic faith triumphed and captured the attention of the upright and honest people who were present at the debate and strengthened its hold on the mindes of the new believers. However, one day was not enough for Lee Byok\\\'s op-ponent to abandon his weapons. So the dabate continued for three days, but it continued to bring out the sound-ness and beauty of the new doctrine. Finally, Lee Ka Hwan, completely defeated, had no more excuses to continue the debate. He said the following memorable words: \\\"Christianity is magnificent and true. But Christi-anity brings pain and misfortune to its believers. What is to be done?\\\" Lee Ka Hwan returned home and from that time on, he kept silent about Catholicism and did not meddle with it.
Lee Byok, using the fame which resulted from the debate, wanted to gain new believers, but soon there ap-peared another opponent who had heard about the rapid spread of Catholicism as a result of the debate. The op-ponent was Lee Ki Yang who was the learned son of a noble family. Because Lee Byok had confidence in the truth of the new religion, he didn\\\'t avoid a second debate. He illustrated the origin and the order of the universe and the signs of Divine Providence. He explained the nature of the human soul, its function, and eternal reward and punishment. Finally, he proved that Catholi-cism stood on the base of principles which were not able to be attacked. Lee Ki Yang could not carry the debate so he had no choice but to keep silence. He seemed to believe the new religion deep inside his mind, but he had no courage to confess it. After he left, Lee Byok said about the two scholars with whom he had debates, \\\"The two Lees have no answers, but there is no hope for them because they do not have the will to believe in God.\\\"

The foundation of the Catholic in Korea
Lee Byok desired to have learned scholars as the pillars of the Church in order to have a strong foundation and to spread the Gospel rapidly throughout the country. He turned his eyes from the two Lees toward the famous Kwon family of Yang Kun which had already shown some favorable response to the now teaching. The family had connections with the new king when the dynasty changed so that it had great power. Kwon Cheol Shin, who was the leader of the Kang Hak Hoe seminar which was mentioned earlier, was a famous scholar of that time. He was the first of five sons all of whom were famous for their knowledge and reputation. Among them, the third son, Kwon Il Shin, was especially outstanding. These five brothers of the Kwon family had a large following of disciples from all over the country. Therefore, Lee Byok thought that it would be fruitful to bring them into the Church and make them pillars of the Church.
In September, 1784, he visited the Kwon family. As soon as he arrived at the house, he began to lecture on the new religion. Soon the light of truth prevailed in all its brilliance. The first son, Cheol Shin, who was about fifty, hesitated at first because he had devoted most of his life to the study of Confucian classics and philosophy. Although he did not resist the light of the Gospel, he could not in one moment give up the fruit of his long years of study that had made his reputation. Later on, however, he entered the Church and was baptized Am-brose. His devout and holy life prepared him to receive the laurel of glory as we shall see later on. The third son, Kwon Il Shin was converted at once his enthusiasm and enlightened zeal proved that Lee Byok\\\'s hopes were not in vain. Kwon Il Shin, not satisfied with practicing the religion himself, instructed all his family members and began to preach the faith to his friends with all the success which the authorith of his name, his knowledge and his virtue assured. God blessed his efforts so greatly that the native town of the Kwon family is now regarded as the cradle of the Church in Korea.
The three scholars, Peter Lee Seung Hoon, John Baptist Lee Byok and Francis Xavier Kwon Il Shin, used every method to enlighten their fellow countrymen to the light of Faith. Up to this time propagating the Gospel could go on without great difficulty.

The First Persecution of the Christians and Glorious Death of Lee Byok
The first persecution of the early Catholics began in the early spring of 1785. Meetings of Lee Byok\\\'s most able students took place at the house of Kim Beum Woo. Lee Byok dressed in blue attire to perform he liturgy and the scholars knelt down together to listen to his preaching and to pray together. Among the scholars were Lee Seung Hoon, who had been sent to Peking one year earlier, Kwon Il Shin, who was one of the greatest schol-ars of the time, his son, Kwon Sang Moon, Jeong Yak Yong, a brilliant and erudite scholar, and his brothers, Jeong Yak Jeon and Jeong Yak Jong. Besides these, were Choi Chang Hyun, Kim Jong Kyo, Chi Hwang, Kim Beum Woo and Lee Cheong Euk who were persons of high standing and who set an admirable example to society and the Church.
Police suddenly attacked the house while a meeting was being held and confiscated the religious articles and Bible. They arrested Kim Beum Woo, who was the owner of the house and a member of the middle class. Because of their high position in society, the police ordered the members of the nobility to return to their houses. At that time, the police couldn\\\'t recklessly punish the nobility, because the noble families were in high positions in govern-ment and it was prohibited to punish them without per-mission. However, the nobility including Kwon Il Shin, went to Kim Hwa Jin, the Minister of Justice, and asked him to punish them also because they too believed in the same doctrine.
The Minister of Justice persuaded the nobility to re-turn to their house, but he put Kim Beum Woo into jail and had him beat mercilessly. There was a way, however, to punish the nobility, through the power of the family and clan. Ever family concerned had a clan meeting . Those families that did not have a clan meeting were sent circular letters(used to report news and gather opinions like today\\\'s newspaper) ostracizing God\\\'s teaching and the meetings of the Christians. A new position even appeared for the ones who prepared and sent the letters to the families. The contents of the letters and the names of the people in charge of conveying the letters still exist in the books written by the early Catholics and clearly show how serious the situation was, especially for the families in Seoul.
At the clan meeting of the Pyeong Chang Lee Family, Lee Seung Hoon\\\'s father, Lee Dong Ok, was brought before the elders of the Lee family and was put to shame in front of them. Jeong Jae Won. the father of the Jeong brothers, was called to the clan meeting of the Jeong family and was severely reprimanded. It was the same for the An Dong Kwon family and the Kyong Ju Lee family. Having been reprimanded by their fathers, Lee Seung Hoong and Jeong Yak Yong visited each of their uncles and apologized to their families. This was not apostasy, but a simple apology for having caused trouble. At that time, there was no concept of apostasy in any-one\\\'s mind. Their apology was nothing but the usual courtesy for causing trouble for the family.
The Kyong Ju Lee clan meeting was full of violent hostility and jealousy. The reasons were that the brothers of Lee Byok passed the civil service examination and held high positions as generals and Lee Byok\\\'s outstand-ing personality, appearance and knowledge were respect-ed by many scholars. The relatives of Lee Byok were very jealous of the fame which resulted from his debate with the famous scholars in Seoul. The conservative members of the Lee family claimed that they could not hold their heads up in Soeul because Lee Byok taught the new doctrine. They claimed that anyone who taught a doct-rine which prohibited ancestor worship, allowed men and women to sit in the same room and which would remove the distinction between commoners and nobility should be expelled from their family. Lee Byok\\\'s father, Lee Bu Man, was often called to the clan meeting where he was severely reprimanded. The elders of the family threatened to remove all of Lee Byok\\\'s family from the family register unless the father prohibited Lee Byok from teaching the doctrine to the people. At that time, to be stricken from the family register meant to ruin both for oneself and for one\\\'s family. Lee Byok\\\'s father like other nobility of the time, highly respected the honor of his family. He called his son and through entreaties, reprimands and even threats, attempted to persuade him not to teach the new doctrine and to apologize to the elders of the family for having caused such trouble, but it was useless.
Having heard that Lee Seung Hoon and Jeong Yak Yong had apologized to their family elders, the elders of the Lee family became even more enraged at Lee Byok\\\'s obstinate attitude. Lee Bu Man, who was easily angered, threatened to hang himself because he did not want to see his family\\\'s name removed from the family register and their family ruined. When he actually tied the rope around his neck, his whole family became very angry and asked Lee Byok what kind of religion would let him stand by while their father hanged himself and who could believe such a religion? His mother cried, \\\"Even if your father hangs himself, are you going to go out to teach the new doctrine to people?\\\" Lee Byok was also very upset by the scene. At that time, to be a filial son was the highest ethical principle in Korea. In fact, if Catholicism became known as a religion which would allow a believer to watch his father hang himself, nobody would believer in it. Lee Byok\\\'s brothers, mother, and relatives begged and cried, \\\"Now even when your father is hanging him-self, will you still go out to teach the doctrine?\\\" In order to save his father\\\'s life, he said, \\\"No, I will not go out.\\\" Charles Dallet reported that this meant two things. Until that time, Lee Byok used to teach at Kim Beum Woo\\\'s house, Yang Kun Kwon Cheol Shin\\\'s house and other places. It was travelling around teaching the doctrine which caused the clan meetings, the family discord and even his father\\\'s attempt to hang himself. In this situa-tion he realized he could not continue to go out to teach the doctrine. Even if he did go out to teach, his activities would be curtailed because of the ostracism among the noble families and the arrest of Kim Beum Woo. There-fore, he thought it would be better to stay at home until the elder\\\'s anger calmed down.
Therefore, the mother persuaded Lee Bu Man to loosen the noose around his neck by telling him that Lee Byok promised not to go out to teach. His brothers and rela-tives told him that he had made the correct decision because it saved his father and maintained the prestige of the family. Peace was restored to the family for a while. Lee Bu Man sent representatives to the clan meeting and asked the elders not to strike his family\\\'s name from the family register since his son, Lee Byok, had promis-ed that he would not go out to teach the doctrine.
Howeverm the unyielding elders of the meeting did not trust the father\\\'s message. They knew Lee Byok\\\'s firm-ness of character and so they refused to believe the message. They asked if the message were true, why did not Lee Byok come to the meeting himself and explain his situation. Lee Bu Man called for Lee Byok and told him to attend the clan meeting, apologize to the family elders and to make his position clear. Lee Bu Man intend-ed to dissuade the elders from removing the names of his family members from the family register by having Lee Byok promise the elders that he would discontinue teaching the doctrine. Lee Byok, however, told his father that although he would present himself at the clan meeting, he would never make such a promise. Rather, he would tell all the Kyong Ju Lee family members to follow the teaching of the new doctrine. In fact, there was no one in the clan or even in the whole academic world of Korea who could contend against Lee Byok who had already convinced such great scholars as Lee Ka Hwan, Lee Ki Yang, and Kwon Cheol Shin with his pro-found learning and firm logic. The true reasons for the Kyong Ju Lee family\\\'s anger were that Lee Byok had hurt the family\\\'s honor and the men of the family were jealous of Lee Byok\\\'s reputation and of his family\\\'s success in the world. In fact, the Lee family clan meet-ing had no interest in the doctrine itself. They persecut-ed Lee Byok only because the teaching was against their traditional customs.
Since Lee Bu Man had already notified the whole clan that his son had decided not to teach the doctrine again, if his son Lee Byok now insisted at the clan meeting that everyone, including the Kyong Ju Lee family, should follow the Catholic doctrine, Lee Bu Man would be con-sidered a liar who tried to deceive the elders of his family. Although the logical argument of Lee Byok could have persuaded the family members to acknowledge the truth of the doctrine, it was clear that his attitude would only have intensified their anger and consequently the elders ensified their anger and consequently the elders would would take Lee Byok\\\'s family off the family register. Under those circumstances, Lee Bu Man sent a represen-tative to the clan meeting with the message that his son suddenly got sick and could not attend the meeting. Lee Bu Man sought the elders\\\' understanding about his son\\\'s absence and asked them to believe that his son had quit teaching the doctrine.
The conservative party of the clan, however, did not believe the message and demanded that if Lee Byok\\\'s illness were so serious, he should make his position clear by announcing in his own handwriting that he would discontinue teaching the doctrine. So, his father ordered him to write that, but instead, Lee Byok com-posed an essay about the worship of God. After reading it, Lee Bu Man became enraged and went so far as to say that Lee Byok was no longer his son. Even so, he could not report this to the clan meeting. He again sent a re-presentative to the meeting with the massage that his son\\\'s illness had become so serious that he could not even write, and asked the elders not to doubt his messages any longer. But no one in the clan believed it and their anger became more intense. Replying that they could not believe that such a strong man as Lee Byok would be struck by sudden illness, the elders notified the father that they would send a representative to Lee Byok in order to get an answer which Lee Byok could give by merely nodding his head.
Lee Bu Man was at a loss again. Finally, he decided to confine his son to a room, nail the door shut, and to keep people from approaching, had servants guard the room. He even spread the false rumor that his son was afflicted with typhoid as a punishment from heaven for following the Catholic doctrine. Two hundred years ago, typhoid was known to Koreans as heaven\\\'s punishment and there were few who survived it. There was no medicine to cure the disease and it often happened that all the people in a village afflicted with the disease died together. At that time typhoid was the most dreadful curse to fall victim to.
When the clan heard that Lee Byok had been seized with typhoid as heaven\\\'s punishment for teaching a doctrine against traditional customs, they said in one voice that the dreadful disease itself was the greatest proof of Lee Byok\\\'s being punished by heaven and that they did not need to question him any longer. The clan meeting, therefore, came to an end.
At that time, even Catholics were not allowed to see Lee Byok since his father had his servants keep people from contacting him under the pretext of typhoid. Lee Byok\\\'s ardent students, such as the three brothers of Kim Beum Woo, Choi In Kil, Choi Chang Hyun, Kim Jong Kyo, Lee Jeon Chang, and Kwon Sang Moon enterated Lee Bu Man to allow them to see Lee Byok, saying that it did not matter if they were affected with typhoid. But Lee Bu Man prohibited their even coming to the house and announced that Lee Byok had ceased believing in the doctrine. This violent reaction could be regarded as a natural outcome of Lee Bu Man\\\'s fury caused by the three-month long clan meeting and the various threats by a government office. For this reason, even today, there are rumors that Lee Byok died suddenly of typhoid and that his father hanged himself. These, however, are not the facts.
Whenever Lee Byok tried to go out to see other Catholics or discuss the doctrine, he was stopped by the strong and furious objections of his parents. They told Lee Byok that they would hang themselves before permitting him to teach the doctrine. Lee Byok, there-fore, realized that the time had come for his final protest. He took a bath, put on new clothes and applied himself to prayer and meditation in his room without eating, changing clothes or sleeping. At that time, in Korea, a child, whether a son or daughter, could neither eat nor sleep, when its parents were angry or very sick, or if there was some trouble in the family. It is believed that the three volumes of the Secret Adventure to God were written during his three-month confinement, or during this last stage of the confinement. Finally, Lee Byok began a complete fast and applied himself to prayer. Fifteen days later, at the age of thirty-one, he became utterly exhausted and died at midnight on the 14th of June in 1785 according to the lunar calendar. In this way, the first sacrificial lamb, Lee Byok, was offered to God during the first persecution of the Church in Korea.
The story of Lee Byok who raised doctrinal know-ledge to the level of religion and faith and who was used by God to establish the Catholic Church in Korea, was presented in writing by Hwang Sa Yeong in 1801, in the words engraved on Jeong Yak Yong\\\'s memorial stone, in Jeong Yak Yong\\\'s Commentary on the Classics in 1818, in The Introduction of Church History in Korea by seminarian Kim Dae Gun in 1840, in the Biography of Lee Byok written by Jeong Hak Sul in 1846 and final-ly, in The History of the Catholic Church in Korea written by Charles Dallet in 1872. In each of these works he is presented as the founder of the Catholic Church in Korea.
The grave of Lee Byok had been lost to scholars and churchmen and even to his family members for many years and there seemed to be no way to find it. However, just before the gravesite was to be destroyed by city officials, it was miraculously found by Father Byun Ki Yung in the middle of a public cemetery located in Kyong Gi province, one hundred ninety five years after his death. It was recognized as Lee Byok\\\'s grave by the memorial stone. His remains were moved to Cheon Jin Am where they were reinterred along with the remains of Kwon Cheol Shin, Kwon Il Shin, Lee Seung Hoon and Jeong Yak Jong who were members of the Kang Hak Hoe seminar at Cheon Jin Am two hundred years ago.

Finally, let\\\'s look at the Elegy of Lee Byok written by John Jeong Yak Yong:

A crane from fairland,
Came down to us common men.
It showed us the bearing of an immortal being,
Its feathers and wings were white as snow.
Cocks and ducks were jealous of its graceful features,
The crane\\\'s cry was strong enough to make
the Nine Heavens tremble
Its clear song stood out among the troubles of life,
In autumn, when the time to return came, suddenly
it flew away,
What use is it to moan its leaving?

History of the Foundation
of the Korean Catholic Church
Short History of the Catholic Church of Korea
Founded by the Korean People
Msgr. Byun Ki-Yung
Translated from the French by Anna Boekstegen
Sanctuary of Chon-jin-am
Birthplace of the Korean Catholic Church

Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1: God’s Providence towards the Korean People and distant Preparation

1. Origin of the Korean Han people: from the Cheon-san Mountain chain to a
territory of approximately 3,000 Km2
2. Religion at the time of ‘Cheon-jé-kyo’ – Folkloric aspect of their faith expression

3. Welcoming religious culture arriving from other countries

Chapter 2: The Korean People’s tireless Search for God and the Beginning of
Christianity

4. The books ‘De Deo Verax Disputatio’ and ‘Ji-bon-you-seol’ presented by Yi Sou-
Kwang made known the Science of Heaven and gave birth to the spiritual
movement of practical science
5. The book ‘The 12 Catholic Prayers’ that Heo Kyun used and his book: ‘The Life
of Hong Kil-Dong’
6. The five Chinese Catholics brought to Korea by the hereditary prince So-Hyun
and Moukam Yi Kyung-Sang
7. The Catholics of the Western Sea coast in the Hwang-hai-do Province around the
Dou-man River
8. The Chinese Bishop of the Nanking diocese, Bishop Gregorio Lopez, was
provisionally put in charge also of the diocese of Koryeo (Korea)
9. Dispersal of the Korean Catholics in space and time

Chapter 3: The Search for the Science of Heaven, the Practice of Yi Byok and the
Activities for the Foundation of the Church

10. The Catholic Church of Korea started with Yi Byok and with his young (about 20
years old) companions
11. ‘The founder of the Korean Church is Kwangam Yi Byok’ – St Daveluy
12. ‘Yi Byok sent Yi Seung-Houn to Peking as a delegate from the Korean
community’ – St Maubant
13. ‘Yi Byok is the one who introduced me to Catholicism’ – Yi Seung-Houn
14. ‘Yi Byok, eminent teacher, specialist in researching the Science of Heaven.
He sent Yi Seung-Houn to Peking’ – Seminarian Kim Dae-Keon
15. ‘Yi Byok is the founder of the Science of Heaven in Korea’ – Chronicles of the Yi
Dynasty
16. ‘Yi Byok is the founder of the Korean Catholic Church’ – Byok-ui-pyun of Yi
Man-Chai
17. ‘When you arrive in Peking, ask for a prayer book and finally for baptism’ –
Letter of Hwang Sa-Yung
18. ‘Yi Seung-Houn, the three brothers of Cheong Yak-Yong and Kwon Il-Shin with
his son were seated around Yi Byok…’ – Byok-eui-pyun of Yi Man-Chai

Chapter 4: Chonjinam and Yi Byok in the documents of Cheong Yak-Yong

19. ‘Yi Byok, endowed with knowledge and virtue and the mind of a sage’ – Cheong
Yak-Yong
20. ‘Like a crane from heaven come down into this world of men, Kwangam Yi
Byok showed divine bearing’ – Cheong Yak-Yong
21. ‘A year ago Kwangam Yi Byok left us, like a crane, he flew in autumn; I went to
see the colorful leaves of autumn at Chon-jin-am’ – Cheong Yak-Yong
22. ‘At Chon-jin-am you still see the house where Yi Byok was reading…’ - Cheong
Yak-Yong
23. Cheong Yak-Yong says that he cries caressing the notebook where he finds
Kwangam Yi Byok’s writings that helped him answer the questions of King
Cheong-Jo

Chapter 5: Foundation of the Catholic Church of Choseon by Yi Byok

24. The many activities of Yi Byok: study and practice of the Science of Heaven
25. The lecture house of Yi Byok and the Conference hall at Chon-jin-am were places
of spiritual formation in the Science of Heaven for young Korean scholars
26. The young precursors used to participate in ten days of study in the midst of
winter at Chon-jin-am
27. ‘When there was a sufficient number of friends interested in the faith, Yi Byok
dictated to them a resume of the catechism Seong-kyo-yo-ji’ - ‘The life of Yi
Byok’ by Cheong Hak-Soul in 1837
28. The fervent participation of Yi Byok in the study sessions of Chon-jin-am, located
in the mountains of Kwang-jou, during a severe winter night – ‘Notes for the
history of the Korean martyrs’ by Bishop Daveluy
29. Yi Byok dedicated himself to the study of the Science of Heaven and its
application from 1770 to 1783
30. The history of Chon-jin-am, birthplace of the Korean Catholic Church
31. You don’t become a Catholic believer through baptism, but you have to be a
Catholic believer to receive baptism
32. ‘The founders of the Korean Catholic Church are lay people’ – Pope John Paul II
33. Japan was evangelized by Francis Xavier, China by Matteo Ricci

Chapter 6: The Korean Catholic Church, founded at Chon-jin-am, took roots in
Seoul

34. The Catholic Church spread to Seoul, Sou-pyo-dong and Myung-rye-bang, to Ma-
hyun and Yang-keun

Chapter 7: The first persecution of the Catholic Church in 1785 and the poems of
the martyrs

35. The first persecution in 1785: Yi Byok’s martyrdom and Kim Beom-Ou’s exile
36. ‘Like the piece of a candle that burns your flesh and bones in order to give you
light and to give yourself as a sacrifice to God’ – Yi Seung-Houn
37. The martyrdom of Kwon Il-Shin and of Kwon Cheol-Shin
38. The martyrdom of Yi Seung-Houn and Cheong Yak-Jong
39. Martyrdom of Kwangam Yi Byok
40. Yi Byok’s last poem, composed just before his death
41. The veneration poem by Yi Byok
42. The funeral hymn of Cheong Yak-Yong dedicated to Yi Byok at his burial in
1785
43. Personal notes on Yi Byok

Chapter 8: Foundation of the Korean Catholic Church

44. Sacramental activities of the impromptu clergy organized by the lay founders of
the Korean Catholic Church

Chapter 9: The formation of priests by Korean lay people

45. Organization of the impromptu clergy and their sacramental activities as lay
people initiated the formation of priests
46. Other seminarians were sent by the Korean Church to Macao and to Yo-dong
before the three seminarians, Kim Dae-Keon, Choi Yang-Eob and Choi Kwa-
Choul there were
47. The grand son of Yi Seung-Houn, Yi Jae-Eui, and the son of Cheong Yak-Jong,
Cheong Ha-Sang, were seminarians on the point of being ordained deacons in the
Korean major seminary before the seminarians Kim Dae-Keon and Choi Yang-
Eob

Conclusion

48. The innate religious spirit of the Korean people searching for Truth and their
work for the protection of and the witness to Truth

******************************************************************************
Introduction

Before establishing the Han Mountains
Before spreading out the Milky Way
The spirit of God gazed lovingly over the Han-ga-ui people and
At the morning star, a child of heaven was born in this territory.
The angels of heaven welcomed him, envious,
The great master of the Han people, Kwangam Yi Byok,
The great master of the Han people, Kwangam Yi Byok.

Going back to the distant past, we will see the road traveled by the Korean people in worshiping God. The object of our next book will be to gather all kinds of documents and objects in order to find the traces of our ancestors in our lives today. These documents will need to be compared, elucidated with more precision and finally gathered in a synthesis. The title of this book will be “The history of faith in God as lived by the Korean people”.
In the present edition you will read a brief history of the foundation of the Korean Catholic Church, which was started, two centuries ago, in the Chon-jin-am area, without priests or missionaries, by Yi Byok, together with young scholars, hardly 20 years old.
The history of the foundation of our Church, as far as we know it today, is based on the ‘Notes on the Church of the Korean Martyrs’, written by a French missionary, Bishop Daveluy, and compared with the notes of the judgments written by the Korean persecutors.
In this book, you will find not only old documents on this history, but also other small fragments of documents discovered here and there at the homes of the descendants of the first Christians. They enable us to feel the physical presence of these ancestors still today. A good amount of the content of this book was thus elaborated through comparative, analytic and synthetic studies.
Therefore, another book will follow shortly with more content, greater details and well ordered. I don’t doubt that this book in turn will be followed by many other more detailed and still more complete books written by others. The history of the Korean Church will thus become clearer.

About 200 years ago, the Catholic Church started. At that time the name of our country was Choseon, but since then it was called ‘Dae-Han Empire’, after that, during the occupation and annexation by Japan, it had no name. At present, our country’s name is ‘Dae-han-min-kouk’ and in the North, Choseon-Inmin-konghwa-kouk. However, most of the ancient powerful countries, such as Ko-gou-ryeo, Bal-hae and Ko-choseon are now a part of China, of which certain parts are still called ‘the autonomous territories of the Choseon race’. We don’t know what these ancient countries are called presently. Moreover, given all the discussions with China on the ancient history of Ko-gou-ryeo, it seems to me important to know this history.
I decided to write my next book: “The History of Faith in God as lived by the Korean People” for all those who belong to this Bae-dal people so that they may easily and comfortably read a book of their history. I am writing this especially so that they may pay greater attention, not only to the accomplishments of these people in the present, but also to the spiritual qualities manifested during their long history.
In this first book you will read a short history of the foundation of the Catholic Church in Korea which will demonstrate how Korean lay people became the founders of the Church and worked in a special and miraculous way.

Chon-Jin-am, October 14, 2004
Canon Byun Ki-Yun

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter I
God’s Providence towards the Korean People
and their distant preparation

God has given the spiritual quality of faith in God to the Bae-Dal people.
Our people are the people of God.
Ever since the distant past, our people have lived adoring and serving God,
And God was always with them and protected them.
Thus we are for ever the people of God.

1. The Origin of the Korean Han People: from the Cheon-san
Mountain Chain to a Territory of about 3,000 km2

The Korean Bae-dal people migrated for some ten thousand years, starting from the Cheon-san Mountain chain (mountain of heaven) towards the East, towards the country of the rising sun. The reason for this migration was not simply economic: the search for hunting grounds, or political: conquering the territory of others, but it was the search for a country of light, a country of sun, because while watching the rising and setting of the sun, the people believed in the Sun-God, they adored and served him. Thus this people continued to march, for years, towards the sun, towards the East where the sun rises.
The Bae-dal people adored clarity and light. Indeed, the Korean people left Mount Cheon-san, their first homeland, a mountain covered with eternal snow. In remembrance of this snow, they used to wear white when going out on important days and feast days. They honored the mountains as sacred places. Mountains were for them like a ladder linking heaven and earth. That’s why they buried their dead on high mountains so that their souls might rise more easily to heaven.
The pioneers of Korean science, especially those researching the history of the Bae-dal people such as Youkdang Choi Nam-Seon, wrote a book “Asi-chosun”. These pioneers left us beautiful historical accounts of the Korean people, considered a holy people.
The Bae-dal people thus arrived on this territory ten thousand years ago and settled in the present country. These people liked to give names to their villages that evoke light and the color white. For instance, Kwang-jou which means “village of light”, Seong-jou “village of star”, Yang-jou “village of sun light”, Myung-jou “village of clarity”, Baik-seong “white village”, Cheong-jou “limpid village”, Hwa-seong “luminous village”, etc…
In pre-historic times, a certain tribe of our people venerated animals like tigers, bears and eagles, but in general they felt deeper veneration, mixed with respectful fear, for mountains, large trees, the sea, the stars, the sun and moon. Among these venerations, the veneration of sun and heaven was by far superior to the veneration of large trees, animals, mountains or rivers.

2. Religion at the Period of Cheon-jé-Kyo Folkloric Aspect of Faith

Our People got settled on this earth serving God.
Their spirit, adoring God, got more orderly and developed more beautifully and holy into a simple, true, modest and humble way of life.

About five thousand years ago, around the period of Dankun-Choseon, the veneration of heaven and the respect for adults, the chief of the tribe or the chief of the state got organized in systems and customs. People made offerings to heaven almost everywhere; these offerings were different from one region to another. Finally the custom of making offerings to heaven had become common to all the people and remained such in a long tradition. Briefly stated, we might say that the faith of the Korean people derives from this faith in heaven, a pure and natural, simple and modest faith. The spirit of God remains forever in the heart of this people as we still find it today in the national anthem “May Korea live under the protection of God!”
The Korean people accept different religious beliefs. Their broadmindedness enables them to welcome other paths to truth. That’s why they often integrated other religions as their own. They created a new religion by adapting it to their own mentality in order to transmit it to their descendants.

3. Welcoming religious Cultures arriving from other Countries

Our ancestors generously welcomed religions of other origins. For instance, they welcomed Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism. They integrated them into the Korean culture.
Buddhism, the teaching of Gautama Siddhartha Buddha (540-480 B.C., born in Lumbia, Nepal) was introduced already in 372, at the time of the Three Kingdoms of ancient Korea (from the 4th to the 7th century). It was well implanted and continued to grow in the Korean culture for centuries until the time of the kingdom of Koryo (918-1392). Confucianism, centered on the teachings of Confucius and Mincius, was introduced quite early. It had a profound influence on Korean culture, down to etiquette, the savoir vivre from the three principles, the five moral precepts of Confucius and the custom of offerings to the ancestors.
Christianity was introduced into Korea only in the 18th century. It was well received by these people who adored heaven. It too is deeply rooted today despite all the difficulties of faith that we encounter everywhere in the world. It bears beautiful, abundant fruit.

Chapter II
The tireless Search for God among the Korean People
and the Beginning of Christianity

4. The books “De Deo Verax Disputatio” and “Ji-bong-you-seol” presented by Yi Sou-Kwang made known the Science of Heaven
and gave birth to the spiritual Movement of Practical Science

Christianity, spread today in most of the countries, was usually introduced by foreign missionaries, but in Korea, it was introduced by Koreans themselves before the arrival of foreign missionaries. They read books on Christianity brought in from China.

At the time of the Japanese invasion in 1592, a Spanish missionary, Father Sespedes, had come to Korea, with a Japanese member of a religious order, as chaplain for the Japanese soldiers in the South Sea coast region, at Gom-nae of Jin-hae. He remained there about six months. Obviously, he celebrated Mass, administered the sacraments to the sick. In the military camp of the Japanese, he taught catechism to the few Korean prisoners and baptized them. But when the war ended and the Japanese soldiers left, the baptized Koreans also left with them. Thus there remained no more Catholics in the country.

However, during that war with Japan, Jibong Yi Sou-Kwang (1563-1628) had gone three times to Myung. He brought books on Catholicism in Chinese, for instance the book “Cheon-jou-shil-rok-jeong-moun”. Young Korean scholars began to study these books. They thus started to know Catholicism for the first time. They discovered ideas coming from the West especially through the book of Yi Sou-Kwang “Ji-bon-you-seol”. This introduced the seeds of a spirit of Practical Science in Korea. It is inevitable and reasonable to conclude that this movement of Practical Science was born around the 16th-17th century. Most research on this subject agrees on that time period.

5. The book “The 12 Catholic Prayers” that Heo Kyun had used an his book “The life of Hong Kil-Dong”

Heo-Kyun (1569 – 1618) had been formed by Confucianism. He was very interested in religions such as Buddhism and Taoism. One day, when returning from China, he had brought along the book: “The 12 Catholic prayers”. He practiced according to the prayers in that book. He thus became the first Korean to pray with these texts. He also published the first novel written in Korean: “The Life of Hong-Kil-Dong” that sensitized people to radical changes in the Korean social structures. Later on, he initiated studies in Practical Science. In the Confucian world, this novel was a literary work influenced by Buddhism, Taoism and Christianity. This novel presents the unified fruit of thought characteristic of the Korean people: humanism.

6. The five Chinese Catholics brought to Korea by the heir to the throne, prince So-Hyun and Moukam Yi Kyung-Sang

In 1636, war broke out between Korea and Cheong. The heir, prince So-Hyun and his secretary Moukam Yi Kyung-Sang (ancestor of Yi Byok five generations removed) were taken as hostages to Cheong. There they lived in the house Dong-hwa-kwan near the Dong-hwa gate in Peking and they had contact with Fr. Adam Shall, a German missionary, pastor of the Namdang parish. They thus received some rudimentary knowledge of Catholicism. When they returned to Korea in 1645 they brought along Catholic books, a map of the world Keun-sang-gon-yeo-do and souvenirs. They also returned with five Chinese eunuchs who were all Catholic and stayed sometime in the royal palace in Seoul. However, we know nothing about what went on in the royal palace. For instance, would the hereditary prince or one of his household have embraced the Catholic faith and been baptized? Everything had taken place in deep secret, and moreover, prince So-Hyun was poisoned shortly after his return and the five Chinese had been sent back to their country. Indeed prince So-Hyun and his entourage returned with five lay Catholics, the first foreign missionaries to Korea whose goal was to make Catholicism known in this country, but the royal court was not ready to receive them in such a situation of struggle between different mentalities.
7. The Catholics at the coast of the Western Sea of the Hwang-hai-do Province and around the Dou-man River

Before the first Catholic group around Yi Byok was formed, there were already some isolated Catholics: according to the notes of the books “Il-seong-rok”, “Bi-byun-sa-deung-rok” and the Chronicles of the Yi dynasty. Notably, as Yi Neung-Hwa summarized briefly in his book, there were already some Catholics in the Ham-kyung-buk-do province, around the Dou-man River and along the coast of the Western Sea of Hwang-hai-do during the time of the Kings In-Jo, Hyo-Jong, Souk-Jong and Yeon-Jo (1650-1750).
However, The Chinese word Cheon-jou (天主) meaning “Master of Heaven” was often written like a Chinese word with the same pronunciation, but having a different meaning such as “pillar of heaven”. When we see this word in this context we notice right away that it is a simple copying mistake in Chinese to say the same thing designating Catholicism.
In short, we can now say that at various times there were some isolated Christians in this country, in the camp of the Japanese soldiers or in the group around prince So-Hyun, but they were not able to ensure continuity or form a community or a church.

8. The Chinese Bishop of the Nanking diocese, Bishop Gregorio Lopez, was provisionally put in charge of the Ko-ryeo diocese in Korea

In January 1674, Pope Clement X appointed the first Chinese priest Gregorio Lopez as bishop of the Nanjing diocese and at the same time provisionally also of the Kor-yeo diocese in Korea. This shows that the Vatican had already shown a certain preoccupation with the mission to Korea. We might say that this was a distant preparation for the evangelization of Korea from the end of the 16th to the middle of the 17th century. Bishop G. Lopez was very interested in this mission; he sent a report to the Vatican. Thanks to the efforts and the interest of Korean diplomats and scholars the church of Nanjing made itself known in Rome. Yi Sou-Kwang, Heo Kyun and the entourage of prince So-Hyun tried to make contact with the European missionaries: Germans, French and Portuguese, especially when making several trips to Peking. The bishop of Nanjing was unable to do anything for the establishment of a local church despite his position, his function and all his efforts for the mission. Therefore, the project was stopped. Despite everything, there was an interest on the part of the Church of Rome. This interest was in response to all the efforts of the Korean people.

9. The Catholic Koreans dispersed in Time and Space

During the Japanese invasion of 1592, a Spanish and a Japanese missionary had come to Korea for missionary work. During the invasion of Cheong in 1636, Prince So-Hyun and Mr.Yi Kyung-Sang left as hostages and returned with five Chinese Catholics. They remained for a while in the royal palace. Bishop Gregorio Lopez, bishop of Nanking, and provisionally bishop of the Koryeo diocese, attempted to set up a mission in Korea.
In short, we may suppose that certain Koreans along the coast of the Western Sea of Hwang-hai-do and around the Dou-man River would have had knowledge of Catholicism through their contacts with Chinese Orthodox or Catholic Christians. They would have been baptized. All of this might be considered an event.
Their faith remained on a personal level, isolated in time and space. That’s why it was not passed on; the faith disappeared when the situation or the living conditions changed.
For example, when the Japanese soldiers withdrew, the royal court ordered interdiction of Catholicism to the provincial governors at Hai-Jou of Hwang-hai-do and at Heui-ryung of Ham-kyung-do, and these isolated Christians stopped their personal practice of faith and disappeared immediately. Moreover, at the death of Bishop G. Lopez, the whole project of mission to Korea stopped. Thus we conclude that some Koreans had become Catholic through the encounter with European, Chinese or Japanese missionaries. However, they had not had the opportunity to regroup or to live in a Christian community to be able to continue and transmit their faith to other generations.

Chapter III
The Search for the Science of Heaven, the Practice of Yi Byok and the Activities for the Foundation of the Church

10. The Catholic Church of Korea started with Yi Byok and his young 20 year old companions

The whole work of Kwangam Yi Byok and of his young Korean scholars is at the origin of the Korean Catholic Church. Their study of the Science of Heaven, their practice and the transmission of their faith made the evangelization of the Korean people possible, despite all kinds of difficulties, despite bloody persecutions. This movement and these Catholic activities have had equally a great influence on the reform of the Korean society and the modernization of the country.
Many historians think that the main founders of the Church such as Yi Byok (1754-1785), Yi Seung-Houn (1756-1801), Cheong Yak-Jeon (1758-1816), Cheong Yak-Jong (1760-1801), Cheong Yak-Yong (1762-1836), Kwon Chul-Shin (1736-1801) and Kwon Il-Shin (1742-1792) were scholars of the political party Nam-in. They also say that they were connected with Seongho Yi Ik (1681-1763), Sounam Ahn Jeon-Bok (1712-1791). These scholars of Practical Science are said to have founded the Catholic Church. But those who started the movement of the Catholic faith through the study of the Science of Heaven were young people, about 20 years old, in other words, they were a little too young for us to say that they were part of Practical Science.
Therefore, we can say with certainty that the scholars of Practical Science did not found the Catholic Church. On the other hand, we can affirm that the Practical Science of Choseon (Korea) was founded by scholars, because through their interest in Catholicism, they collected Catholic books, studied them and made them known among scholars that they might almost be considered Catholic catechumens in spirit. All these books, the diffusion of Catholic books, the study and research of these books made the Western world known in this country. The practice of Catholicism by Jibon Yi Sou-Kwang, Heo Kyun, prince So-Hyun and Mr. Yi Kyung-Sang did not only make the Western world known but at the same time encouraged a spirit of reform in Chosun society. After that Cheong-Dou-Won or Yi Shin-Myung brought back books of the Science of Heaven and studied them, while Shin-Hou-Dam remained critical. Later on Seongho Yi Ik, Sounam Ahn Jeong-Bok, Kwon Chul-Shin, Kwon Il-Shin, Yi Byok, Yi Seung-Houn, Cheong Yak-Jeon, Cheong Yak-Jong, Cheong Yak-Yong …, based all their research and their activities on the Catholic books, studying their pro and con. This enlarged their horizon. Once again, we may conclude that it is not Practical Science that gave birth to Catholicism in Korea, but on the contrary, it is Catholicism that founded Practical Science in Korea. If the Science of Heaven had a great influence on the thought of Practical Science it was thanks to Kwangam Yi Byok who had started to search for truth and had practiced it.
Around 1770, Kwangam Yi Byok is the main person. He played a key role in the study of the Science of Heaven, its practice and even its diffusion. When we look carefully at the situation of this period, founding the Catholic Church was more difficult than starting a new religion, as it is more difficult to translate a book than to write it. It was very difficult to find books or religious objects. It was equally very difficult to contact specialists, missionaries, since they could not easily leave the country. These believers were not allowed to do what they wanted in their religious practices as they had done already among themselves: celebrate Mass, administer the sacrament of reconciliation. These sacramental activities were stopped immediately when “they understood” that they were forbidden to lay people. Despite all these unfavorable conditions for living their faith in God: lack of knowledge, rejection of the Science of Heaven and constant persecutions, nevertheless, they dared to build a Catholic Church that was completely new in this country.

11. “Kwangam Yi Byok is the Founder of the Korean Catholic
Church.” Saint Daveluy

Msgr. Daveluy (1818-1866), a French missionary of the Foreign Missions of Paris, arrived in Korea in 1845 with the Korean priest Kim Dae-Keon (1821-1846). Later on he became the 5th bishop of the diocese of Choseon; he was canonized in 1984 with the Koreans, among them Kim Dae-Keon. During the 21 years of his mission in Korea, he studied the situation and history of the Church in Korea and left several documents, important for the Church, notably the “Notes on the history of the Korean martyrs”. In these notes he emphasizes that the history of the Korean Church started with the great conferences of Yi Byok (1754-1785):
· “The real history of the Korean Church starts with the conferences given by Ni Pieki (=Yi Byok).
· “The instrument, used by God to give the first impetus to the religion in this Korean kingdom was Ni Pieki, called Deok-Jo, nicknamed by himself Koang-Am. Pieki descended from the Ni de Kieng Tsiou family.”
· “Kouen Ambroise, T’siel Sini was the oldest of the Kueon family, whom Ni Pieki chose to become the founder of the religion in this country.”

In his notes Bishop Daveluy reports the words Yi Byok addressed to Yi Seung-Houn when sending him to the Church of Peking in 1783 to meet the local Church there. These words are especially important. Here they are: “Pieki (Yi Byok) continues saying: ‘Since you are going to Peking, this is a sign that the Supreme God has pity on our country and wants to save it. Upon arrival, go immediately to the temple of the Master of Heaven, speak with the European scholars, question them about everything, deepen your knowledge of the doctrine with them, inform yourself in detail of the practices of this religion and bring us all the necessary books. Go, the great matter of life and death, of eternity is in your hands. Go, and especially don’t act lightly.’ Seung Houni listened submissively to Pieki’s words that touched him deeply. He received them as words from the Master, and promised to make every effort to bring their common desires to fruition.”

What we should note as important here is Yi Seung-Houn’s attitude when he received Yi Byok’s words as “words from the Master”. Writing the word Master with a capital ‘M’, indicates in French or Italian, that one considers him a Great Master such as Confucius or Buddha, Jesus or Mohammed. This makes us realize how great the knowledge, virtue, competence and authority of Yi Byok was. He was for Yi Seung-Houn more than a simple wise man, more than a saint.
All of this proves that the foundation of the Church in Korea did not start with the baptism of Yi Seung-Houn in 1784, but that it had already begun with the great conferences of Yi Byok in 1777 at Chon-jin-am. Bishop Daveluy never talked about the “conferences of Kwon Cheol-Shin”. Indeed Kwon Cheol-Shin was certainly a scholar for whom he had much esteem and respect, but he was not someone capable of reforming and spreading a foreign religion.

12. “Yi Byok is the one who sent Yi Seung-Houn to Peking as delegate of the Korean community.” - Saint Maubant

Saint Maubant (1803-1839) was the first French missionary in Korea. He it is who wrote and signed the history of the 15 year old Koreans: Kim Dae-Keon (1821-1846), Choi Yang-Eob and Choi Kwa-Choul in the seminary of Macao. There are important passages in his letter and in the documents concerning the history of the foundation of the Korean Catholic Church that he sent to Paris about two years after his arrival: “… We were able this year to procure secretly handwritten notes on the establishment of the Christian religion in Korea. They differ little from those I had received through oral tradition… In 1720, the 58th year of the famous Kanghi, another Korean ambassador named Y had an interview with the missionaries in Peking and received from them Christian books that he brought to Korea. Someone named Koang who received the name John, after having read these books experienced the happiness of feeling and tasting the truths they contained. He embraced the Christian religion and in agreement with some other converts in 1783 he sent another delegate to Peking whose name was also Y, but of another family, to get more ample information on this holy religion. Y contacted the French missionaries and was baptized in February 1784 under the name Peter (…).”

13. “It’s Yi Byok who instructed me in Catholicism.”
- Yi Seung-Houn

After he was sent to Peking in 1784 by Yi Byok, Yi Seung-Houn wrote a letter to a missionary of Peking in 1789:
“I met a scholar who had found a book on our religion that he had practiced for several years. His work had not been useless: he had knowledge of the most difficult points in understanding this religion; his faith and his fervor surpassed even his knowledge. He is the one who instructed me and supported me. We helped each other to serve God.”

14. “Yi Byok, great teacher, specialist in the study of the Science of Heaven sent Yi Seung-Houn to Peking”.
- Kim Dae-Keon, seminarian

Before being ordained, the seminarian Kim Dae-keon started his summary on the history of Catholicism in Korea with a note on Kwangam Yi Byok:
“In Korea there are many philosophers who discovered the existence of the true God, creator and mover of the universe. One among them, the most famous, is named Yi Byok who wanted to serve this true God. He heard that this faith is lived very actively in Peking. He looked for an opportunity to get Christian books to Korea. Finally, Doctor Yi Byok learned that Yi Seung-Houn was supposed to accompany his father Yi Dong-Ouk on a trip to Peking. Yi Byok asked him to try to meet missionaries in Peking to ask them for Christian books and to bring them to him.”

In 1845, around sixty years after the death of Kwangam Yi Byok, Kim Dae-Keon, 23 years old, a seminarian in Macao, wrote a passage in which he says that Yi Byok was born in Solmeui, Chung-nam. At the age of seven, Kim Dae-Keon took refuge with his parents in a mountainous region of Yong-In for ten years. At the end of 1836, at the age of 15, he left for the seminary of Macao. During this time of persecution, there were no history books or organized Christians. It was not easy to meet Christians and yet he knew already the history of the Church. This shows that he learned it from someone of his entourage, probably his master Cheong Ha-Sang (1795-1839) or from his father Kim Jai-Joun, who was a year younger than Cheong Ha-Sang. This shows that sixty years after the death of Yi Byok, even 15 year old young Christians knew that the Korean Church had started with this great scholar.

15. “Yi Byok, Founder of Catholicism in Choseon”
Notes of the “Chronicles of the Yi Dynasty”

The fact that the Korean Church was founded by Yi Byok is found not only in Catholic documents, but also in the notes of the Chronicles of the Yi Dynasty.

“According to the interrogation at Cheong Yak-Jong it is Yi Byok who was the first to discover Western science and deepened it and then asked Yi Seung-Houn to go to Peking”.

Especially when we see the report made by the persecutors on the two brothers, Yi Byok and Yi Kyok we can say that this report officially proves that the Church was founded by Yi Byok:
“Thus Yi Byok is the head of this vicious gang. Is it normal that his brother Yi Kyok occupies still a superior rank? He must immediately be removed from his function and dismissed”.
“The top leader of this vicious gang is Yi Byok. Therefore, it is impossible for his brother Yi Kyok to still keep a public office”.

16. “Yi Byok is the Founder of the Korean Catholic Church.”
- “Byok-ui-pyun” of Yi Man-Chai

“Yi Byok, perfidious brother of Yi Seok, former provincial official, is the leader who first started this vicious Catholic religion. Thus everybody knows him to be the founder of Catholicism.”

17. “When arriving in Peking, you will ask for a prayer book and finally for baptism”. - Letter of Hwang Sa-Yung

We read the different notes that prove that Yi Byok sent Yi Seung-Houn to Peking to receive baptism. The notes of Bishop Daveluy, the witness of Cheong Yak-Jong and the letter of Kim Dae-Keon demonstrate the same thing.
Here is yet another witness by Hwang Sa-Yung (1777-1801) on the same topic. It was written on silk:
“Yi Seung-Houn was the preferred scholar of Yi Byok. When he was going to accompany his father to Peking in 1783, Yi Byok told him: “When you arrive in Peking, find a Catholic Church and a Western missionary scholar. Ask him for a prayer book and finally for baptism. I am sure that the Western scholar will love you very much. You will have to bring back many religious objects. Do not return empty-handed.” Following Yi Byok’s advice, Yi Seung-Houn introduced himself to the Catholic Church of Peking and asked for baptism.”

18. “Yi Seung-Houn, the three brothers of Cheong Yak-Yong, and Kwon Il-Shin with his son were seated around Yi Byok…”
“Byok-ui-pyun” of Yi Man-Chai

One year after Yi Seung-Houn’s return from Peking, where he had received baptism in 1784, persecution started (1785). The notes of the judgment of Byok-ui-pyun on the Catholic martyrs show the relationship of Kwangam Yi Byok to the other scholars in his circle.
“In the spring of 1785, a man named Yi Byok was preaching at the house of Kim Beom-Ou which was in front of Dang-rye-won. He was seated against the wall, his head and shoulders covered with a blue cloth. In front of him were Yi Seung-Houn, the three brothers Cheong Yak-Jeon, Yak-Jong and Yak-Yong, the father and son Kwon Il-Shin. All were seated around Yi Byok who was holding a book in his hand, and they were listening to his teaching. They all called themselves disciples of Yi Byok. Yi Byok was very demanding and severe in his teaching. He was more severe than the Confucian teachers with their disciples.”

Chapter IV
Chon-jin-am and Kwangam Yi Byok
in the documents of Cheong Yak-Yong

19. “Yi Byok, full of knowledge and virtue and the spirit of a sage”- -- Cheong Yak-Yong

Among the notes on the beginning of the Church in Korea there are more detailed notes mentioned several times, not only on Yi Byok but also on the topic of the conferences in Chon-ji-nam and the sayings of Dasan Cheong Yak-Yong. In 1777, at the age of 15, Yak-Yong said this about his teacher Kwangam Yi Byok who was 23 years old: “He is gifted with knowledge and virtue and a spirit full of vigor and valor”, “a great personality who has been training himself in virtue since his childhood”. Cheong Yak-Yong took him as his model and respected him. Here is a poem he dedicated to his master Yi Byok:

Shadow and light cannot be corrected or changed
The seven days of the week run their course day after day
Good trees grow stronger in spring
They grow with thick ever changing foliage
When Yi Byok is persecuted by the fool hardy
He does not oppose them, because of his compassion
He never looks at things with partiality
He has no desire for riches and glory
He is gifted with knowledge and virtue, full of vigor and valor
He looks at everything around him with sympathy and kindness
He has been training himself in virtue since his childhood
Justice and fraternity show themselves always on his face.

20. “Like a crane come down from heaven into the world of humans, we saw a divine bearing in the person of Kwangam Kong”
- Cheong Yak-Yong

The funeral hymn for his friend Yi Deok-Jo is one of the poems that Cheong Yak-Yong composed for the funeral of Yi Byok. In this poem, he showed Yi Byok’s personality: “Like a crane come down from heaven into the world of humans, where hens and ducks malign it out of jealousy “, “we saw in him a divine attitude”. In this funeral hymn dedicated to Cheong Yak-Yong, 23 years old, we can perceive Yi Byok’s degree of knowledge and virtue which was not only superior to that of a simple scholar, but was also on a supernatural and divine level.

21. A year ago, Yi Byok left us, like a crane he flew away in autumn.
I went to see the colorful autumn leaves at Chon-jin-am”.
- Cheong Yak-Yong

Cheong Yak-Yong often went to Chon-jin-am, where the great conferences had been organized, in order to write poems. At the beginning of autumn in 1786, one year after the death of Yi Byok, he went to Chon-jin-am remembering his old school and to see the colorful autumn leaves. That’s where he composed his poems. He could well have seen colorful leaves elsewhere, for instance on the Keom-da-san hills of his Ma-jai region or on the Yong-mun-san mountains, closer to home. Why then did he go to Chon-jin-am? Couldn’t we say that it was in order to remember Yi Byok, to console his heart, empty because of Yi Byok’s absence. Cheong Yak-Yong was still very busy because of his role at the royal court, but he often went to Chon-jin-am, which he sometimes simply called ‘Chon-jin’ without the word ‘am’ which means ‘Buddhist hermitage’. Here is the poem:

Colorful leaves of Chon-jin-am

With wine bought in the village of Hwa-rang-bang
I made the carriage stop in the shade of Aing-ja-bong mountain
Under fine rain drops at night
On both sides, the mountains became redder,
Freshly colored.

Most of Cheong Yak-Yong’s poems that were written at Chon-jin-am are a precious help in writing the history of the Church in Korea. He left poems that describe his activities at that location. He must have participated in the conferences organized by Yi Byok on the Science of Heaven and the Christian way of living.

22. At Chon-jin-am we still see the House where Yi Byok was reading…” - Cheong Yak-Yong

In 1797, at the age of 35, Cheong Yak-Yong occupied the post of secretary and belonged to the second retinue of King Cheong-Jo. At that time he went to Chon-jin-am with his brothers on the traditional feast day of Dano. He spent two nights there writing about 20 poems. Among his poems is one that is very important for us.
Here it is:
“Coming to Chon-jin-am with two brothers on the day of Dano
We still see Yi Byok’s house.
But it is difficult to find the far- away traces of this ‘Nokong’ (Yi Byok).
The poetic tastes and the figures of speech would have to be the same on the spiritual
state.
In memory of this period, I drink wine half a day and the other half day
I write poems.”

This poem was written in1797, twelve years after the martyrdom of Yi Byok (1785) and twenty years after the first year of the Chon-jin-am conferences in 1777. This poem implies that Dasan Cheong Yak-Yong had come several times to Chon-jin-am or that he had stayed there some time to read books. The most important word of this poem is the word ‘reading’. During the Choseon period there were reading houses , some kind of specialized schools for high functionaries and the word ‘reading’ does not mean a simple reading here. But comparing it to a post-university research institute of our time, the house of Yi Byok takes on an important significance for the history of the Church.
The word ‘Nokong’ indicates a great personality resembling a strong whirlwind that left after turning the world upside down.

23. Cheong Yak-Yong says that he is crying while caressing the notebook with the writings of Kwangam Yi Byok that helped him do his studies for King Cheong-Jo

Cheong Yak-Yong was full of admiration for Yi Byok. We see this clearly written in his notebook ‘Course notes on the Joung-Yong book’ (Chinese philosophical thoughts on the virtue of moderation). This notebook is a collection of notes on the 70 questions asked by King Cheong-Jo on the Joung-Yong of the students, who were candidates for high state offices in 1784 when Cheong Yak-Yong was a student at the royal court. And during his life in exile in 1814, at the age of 54, he reworked and completed these notes. While caressing these old notes, and remembering the past, he expressed his feeling in the preface:
“In 1784, when I was writing the answers to the questions for King Cheong-Jo, I had asked for help from Yi Kong, but now when he has left this world, to whom could I ask questions? Even if he were still alive, how could I compare myself to his knowledge and virtue? I am still alive and he has left us a long time ago. Ah! caressing these old notes I can’t stop my tears when I think of him.”

When we read these ‘Course notes on the Joung-Yong’ which he touched up and completed almost 30 years after the death of Yi Byok (1785), we find almost on every page: “This sentence was not mine, but Yi Byok’s”, “This word is not mine, but this was the doctrine of Kwangam”, or still “This explanation is not mine, but it was Yi Byok who wanted it this way”, When you read carefully the Joung-Yong book you will find many phrases from Yi Byok.” It was in this climate that he reworked and completed these difficult notes.

We can still feel how much he venerated Yi Byok in the text of the epitaph on the tomb of Nokam Kwon Il-Shin which he wrote himself:
“I (Cheong Yak-Yong) was a disciple of Yi Byok and my older brother Yak-Heon was also one already before me. When Yi Byok became the first leader and was traveling through the country to spread Catholicism, Kwon Il-Shin was following Yi Byok with much fervor.”

In the same way we can read another text of Sounam Ahn Jeong-Bok. He sent several letters to Kwon Cheol-Shin and Kwon Il-Shin. Among these letters is one that gives witness to the activities of Kwangam Yi Byok as leader of the Church. For the first time he praises Catholicism. Here is an extract of his letter written in 1784 to Kwon Kai-Myung (Kwon Cheol-Shin):
“You had always refused Buddhism and now that you converted to Catholicism you don’t want to leave it. It seems clear to me that there is something special in this Catholicism. Nothing can touch the heart of man more strongly. That’s why I asked you in my last letter to bring me books. In the meantime I learned that Yi Deok-Jo had recently passed by at your house with some of these Catholic books, therefore I don’t understand why he did not stop at my house when he passed through this region…”

In this letter Ahn Jeog-Bok was calling Kwon Cheol-Shin: ‘Kwon Kai-Myung’, Kwon Il-Shin: ‘Kwon Seong-Oh’, Yi Byok: ‘Yi Deok-Jo’. He and Cheong Yak-Yong liked to call Yi Byok: ‘Deok-Jo’ (which emphasizes his character as a virtuous man, volunteering to continue his religious formation as one keeps firmly one’s virginity) instead of calling him by his real name, he called him ‘Deok-Jo’ ( , a virtuous man). It is said that Yi Byok got married at the age of 15 according to the custom of that time, but in order to plunge himself more deeply into the study of the Science of Heaven, into spiritual formation and to practice more the commandments of Catholicism, at the age of 17 he spent most of his time at Chon-jin-am, far from his family. Thus he will see his only son Yi Hyun-Mo only at thirty, in 1784. Moreover, Cheong Yak-Yong says that Yi Byok was formed very young in virtue, which means around the age of ten at that time. In other words he was not trained in the bosom of his family, but elsewhere in a special way. We should read this poem with the idea that it was composed by Cheong Yak-Yong at the age of 15, the year of his marriage, to offer it to Yi Byok who was 23 years old. On the other hand, Yi Byok’s wife, Ryou-han-dang Kwon was from a noble family. Her father, Kwon Eom, was minister of the armies. According to him she died young because her husband, Yi Byok, had become crazy because of the Science of Heaven, Catholicism. He left his young wife, not taking care of her and made her suffer as ‘a wife who lives separated from her husband’. This is one of the reasons which impelled Kwon Eom to throw himself fully into the persecution of Catholics in 1785. We might say that he felt resentment towards his son-in-law Yi Byok when thinking of his daughter.

Chapter V
Foundation of the Catholic Church of Choseon
by Kwangam Yi Byok

24. The numerous activities of Yi Byok: study and practice of the Science of Heaven.

All the references we have seen thus far show that Yi Byok is the founder of the Catholic Church of Choseon (Korea). Now we are going to look more closely at the activities that lead to this foundation, but first I am going to present the essential points:

1. He brought together the three doctrines, Confucianism, Buddhism, and Catholicism and welcomed them at the study center of Chon-jin-am, a place of spiritual formation.
2. He developed the teaching of the doctrine through spiritual formation sessions and the practice of the faith. He made it endure.
3. He assembled young scholars and with them formed a community of the faithful.
4. He sent Yi Seung-Houn to Peking as a delegate of the Catholic faithful of Choseon.
5. He converted nobles such as Kwon-Il-Shin, Yi Seung-Houn and Cheong Yak-Jong to the Catholic faith.
6. He moved the Conference Center of Chon-jin-am to Sou-pyo-dong in Seoul. He took the initiative to organize prayers and dogma classes.
7. He had brilliant success in a public debate with great Confucian scholars such as Yi Ka-Hwan and Yi Ki-Yang.
8. He moved the meeting room to Myung-rye-bang and organized prayers and dogma classes there.
9. He made the faith of ‘Cheon-hak’ (Catholic) of Chon-jin am known in Seoul; Sou-pyo-dong and Myung-rye-bang, in Ma-hyun and Yang-keun.
10. By converting persons such as Kim Beom-Ou, Choi Chang-Hyun of the middle class, he facilitated the link of this social class with the Church.
11. During the persecution of 1785 he was martyred by his own family. Imprisoned in his house he was poisoned and died of hunger.
12. For 60 years (1785-1845) Confucian leaders, persecutors of Catholics, officials of the country and Catholic faithful, all recognized Yi Byok officially as the founder and the first guide of the Korean Catholic Church.

25. Yi Byok’s study house and the Conference Center at Chon-jin-am were a place of spiritual formation in the Science of Heaven for young scholars

Cheong Yak-Yong noted that in 1770, Kwangam Yi Byok settled in the study house at Chon-jin-am to study and to practice the Science of Heaven Cheon-hak. Family members linked through marriage, such as Cheong Yak-Jeon, Cheong Yak-Jong and Cheong Yak-Yong went there often despite their young age. They highly esteemed Yi Byok who conducted their spiritual formation “They took courses according to the system of the solar calendar: mathematics, geometry, etc. They studied them in depth.” At that time Cheong Yak-Jeon was 12 years old, Cheong Yak-Jong , 10, and Cheong Yak-Yong, 8. For ten years they often frequented this study house in Chon-jin-am and they wrote poems in which they tell us what they did in this place of formation.

Later in 1827, Cheong Yak-Yong at the age of 65 returned to Cheon-jin-am with his friends, co-disciples of the Conferences such as Hyun-Ou, Yung-gong, Seok-Cheon Ong, Seong-Kou, Kyou-Baek and the children of the three families. The Buddhist monks had left the place a long time ago, thus there was no one there. They then went to sleep in a village, led by Yi-po, a Buddhist. For three days they wrote about forty poems. Here is an extract:

This straight path like a thread between rocks
Is the same on which we used to trod and play in days of old.
There we wrote poems on a given topic: “colored leaves”.
Now returning as a guest, my heart is sad.
Heroes and prominent persons used to study and read here together.
We memorized the book Sang-Seo ( ). We burned it and drank its ashes mixed with water.
The monastery in ruins is covered all over with wild herbs.
Those who practiced meditation have disappeared, no light anymore in the recollection room which is firmly closed.
We no longer dare to memorize the points of virtue starting in the morning as before.
But we can read books in the mountain shade.
We were worried about this night, but Yi-Po invited us, we will go and sleep, trusting him.
Even if the sun’s shade makes everything somber, we hope that nothing will happen.
(…)
My heart is torn because I no longer can live as before
In the past, the orioles used to sing in the shadow of the trees, but they stopped singing.
The water pipes are broken, water runs everywhere.
Pieces of tile are piled high, perhaps we are going to cultivate the terrain of the house.
The friends of meditation are all dead, we cannot find them anywhere.
Our former study lodgings are in ruins, halfway fallen down.
I find myself 30 years later a poor guest
I am nothing but an isolated boat in the sea of suffering.”

26. The young for-runners had 10 days of study meetings in the midst of a severe winter in Chon-jin-am

In 1777, 1778, 1779 young scholars had been following study sessions in Chon-jin-am for ten years in the midst of winter. At that time they didn’t even use the word “religion” yet, they called Catholicism “Cheon-hak”, which means Science of Heaven. Notes on the first winter study session in Chon-jin-am are different depending on the author. For instance, Bishop Daveluy wrote that the first study session had started in the winter of 1777, while Dasan Cheong Yak-Yong noted it as 1779. Cheong Hak-Soul, in his “Life of Yi Byok” noted that they had been organized during the winters of 1778 and 1779. In short, it is clear that winter study sessions in Chon-jin-am were organized several times. In 1777, Cheong Yak-Yong would have been 15 years old, Cheong Yak-Jong 17, Cheong Yak-Jeon 19, Yi Byok 23 and Yi Seung-Houn 21. The great scholar Kwon Cheol-Shin who at the time was 41 years old and lived on the other side of the mountain participated, reading books and discussing them all day long, from early in the morning to the evening. They even memorized classical books of Confucianism such as Kyung-jé-jam ( ), Sa-moul-jam ( ) contained in the 76 books on the study of human nature of Jou-Ja ( ) for formation. This kind of study session had the character of a spiritual formation session.
“When there was a study session, in the winter of 1779 in Chon-jin-am, Yi Byok arrived in the temple Jou-eo-sa during the night under heavy snow, he lit a fire and then discussed the classical books of the Kyung-seo ( ) Confucianism. Seven years later (1785), voices were raised against this system; they were no longer able to continue this kind of session and celebrate the great feast.”

“Seven years later” signifies here that it was “during the first persecution of the Catholics” through the discovery of Myung-rye-bang, and the affair “Chou-jo” in 1785.

27. “When enough friends were interested in the faith, Yi Byok dictated a summary of the “Seong-kyo-yo-ji” catechism to them”. - “The Life of Yi Byok” by Cheong Hak-Soul in 1837

In the book “The Life of Yi Byok” we find notes on the conferences of Chon-jin-am.

“In 1778, Yi Byok, at the age of 25, was studying ardently with the disciples of Master Seongho Yi Yik, his friends and scholars, a certain Cheong and Yi. Yi Byok received a box of books on ‘Cheon-hak’, the Science of Heaven, from M. Hong, a military official; he read them patiently day and night, reflecting and pondering obscure points. He walked everywhere in beautiful mountain areas. Finally, one day he arrived in the temple Won-ang-sa and stayed there. When there were many Christians, he formed a religious community and wrote down a summary of Catholicism ‘Seong-kyo-yo-ji’ ( ) for them as a catechism. He dictated it to them.”

When the author speaks of friends who were learning the doctrine, it means that they were following the classes of Yi Byok on Catholicism and that they became Christian. Today’s word ‘religion’ was indicated at that time by the Chinese word ‘Do’ ( ), which means ‘the way’. Thus from this word came the expression ‘friends of the way’ (do-ou, companions), and in the same way, ‘friends of religion’ (kyo-ou, companions). The typically Catholic words, such as ‘religious’, ‘brothers’ or ‘community’ were not yet used, but they could be heard in Chon-jin-am: ‘friends of religion’, ‘religious’, ‘community’. As a matter of fact, in Chon-jin-am, a Catholic community had already been formed as the first disciples of Jesus or the disciples of Choi Jai-Wou at the beginning of Dong-hak. According to saint Mauban’s document, it is this main nucleus, together with the proselytes, that sent the delegate Yi Seung-Houn to Peking.

“In 1779, when Yi Byok was 26 years old, his scholar friends and his disciples took him as their master and others arrived ever more numerous. At that moment, Yi Byok had already a great knowledge of science, astronomy, geography, medicine, the art of divination, destiny and human nature. When he was asked questions, he answered freely and easily without hesitation in a very correct and intelligent way. When he was director, young scholars arrived in droves and he became more and more famous in the country.”

In that way a group of young scholars was formed.

28. Yi Byok’s active participation in the Conferences of Chon-jin-am, located in the Kwang-jou Mountains, during a severe winter night.
- “Notes for the history of the Korean Martyrs” by Bishop Daveluy

There is another historical note on the Conferences at Chon-jin-am: the “Notes for the history of the Korean Martyrs” by Bishop Daveluy. Here is an excerpt:
“The year was 1777. The famous doctor Kouen T’siel Sini, accompanied by Tieng Jak Tsieni and several other nobles, students and lovers of science, went to a pagoda to devote themselves to advanced studies. When Ni Pieki heard about this he was filled with joy. He was happy to be able to profit from the lessons of these remarkable men. He immediately decided to go and find them. It was winter. Snow covered the roads everywhere and the distance was about 25km, but such obstacles were far from being able to stop this ardent heart so eager for science and wisdom. He left right away to travel over these difficult and arduous roads. He felt no fatigue. The end of the day could not prevent him from realizing his desires. He continued on his way at night and finally reached the pagoda towards midnight. How great was his disappointment when he learned that he went to the wrong pagoda and that he had to go to the other side of the mountain! Without being discouraged he left again. The mountain he had to cross at night was huge. It was covered with snow and many tigers were defending its approaches. Whatever! Pieki asked all the bonzes to get up and to accompany him. He took an iron stick in his hand to defend himself against wild animals and pursued his journey through the darkness. Finally he reached the desired place.
Such a strange arrival spread fear among the residents of this isolated building, lost in the mountains.
People could not figure out which motive, at such an unseemly hour, could lead so many guests to them, but soon after, everything was clarified. Happiness followed fear, and in the outpourings provoked by such a happy encounter, people hardly noticed that day had already dawned. During the ten days of this meeting they studied in depth all the questions on heaven, the world, human nature, etc…, all the doubts and opinions of the old ones were closely examined. Then they studied the books of morals of great men; after that they examined some philosophical and mathematical books, written in Chinese by Europeans, and they took all possible care to study them carefully.

These notes speak of an ‘isolated and lost building’, that means an uninhabited house, completely out of the way. Later on, in the poems that Cheong Yak-Yong composed at Chon-jin-am, he said: “There is still a temple Chon-jin-am, but it is difficult to imagine what it was like once upon a time!” Likewise Hong Kyung-Mo (1774-1851) writes in his book ‘Nam-han-ji’ “Chon-jin-am is an old ruined temple at Aing-ja-san, where a paper factory, managed by ‘sa-jam-won’ had been built. Almost at the same time, Cheong Yak-Yong, Bishop Daveluy and Hong Kyung-Mo wrote that Chon-jin-am was a deconsecrated and uninhabited temple. When the meeting took place, Chon-jin-am was a building in ruins and alone in the central valley of the North-West of the Aing-ja-san mountain.

When we read that Yi Byok had to cross - with great difficulty - the snow-covered Aing-ja-san mountain in the midst of winter, to participate in a study session mentioned by Cheong Yak-Yong (1779) and by Bishop Daveluy (1777), we think that the meetings must have started before the snow fell and that they were prolonged because there was so much snow. We can suppose that the participants went first to Chon-jin-am thinking of Kwangam Yi Byok who normally resided there, but when in fact he was not there. Once they were there, they decided to hold a study session right there. On the other hand, when Yi Byok heard that Cheong Yak-Jeon and Yi Seung-Houn had gone to Kwon Cheol-Shin’s house to teach and study, he went, in vain, to the Jou-eo-sa temple where Kwon Cheol-Shin normally resided. From there he left to go to Chon-jin-am, located at the other side of Aing-ja-san. Thus because of his fervor for the study of the Science of Heaven and of his Catholic faith, Yi Byok often crossed the Kwang-Jou mountain chain in the midst of winter. We can only admire him.

29. Yi Byok dedicated himself to the study of the Science of Heaven and its application in a quiet place on the mountain from 1777 to 1783.

Notes taken at the study session in Chon-jin-am were published not only within the country but also abroad. They were published in “The history course of the Theology Department of the Catholic University” by Pullo-Pinang in 1885 and in the book “The Story of Korea”, written and published by the English professor Longford in 1911. According to a note in the course of Pullo-Pinang on the study of heaven and on the organization of the study session around Yi Bok, the research on the Science of Heaven lasted 10 years, from 1770 to 1780.

“At that time some Korean scholars retired to the calm of the mountains to study philosophy. Among these were Yi Byok, called Yi Deok-Jo, Kwon Cheol-Shin, the brothers of the Cheong family: Cheong Yak-Jeon and Cheong Yak-Yong. They deliberated on human nature, heaven and earth and they began to study books on Christianity in depth. They found that the Catholic doctrine of the soul, virtue, (…), God’s providence was admirable; therefore they decided to practice it and to live according to the Ten Commandments of God starting at around 1770.”

Professor Longford wrote that this study of the Science of Heaven and its practice in Chon-jin-am lasted 13 years from 1770 to 1783.

“In 1720, a Korean envoy had come to Peking. He talked and discussed at length with the missionaries (…) and he bought books to bring them back to Korea. For about 50 years scholars among the nobility read them, studied and discussed them. Some wanted to live according to this doctrine. Among them was a young man from a noble, well known family that had enjoyed high positions for generations, it was Yi Byok, whose nick name was ‘wall of stone’. For 13 years, until Yi Seung-Houn was sent to Peking, Yi Byok had dedicated himself fully to the study of Catholicism and its practice.”

We read in Bishop Daveluy’s and Saint Mauban’s notes that a practicing community had formed around Kwangam Yi Byok in Chon-jin-am and that this community sent Yi Seung-Houn to Peking to be baptized. This was not the first time that a delegate had been sent. Bishop Daveluy noted that Yi Byok had tried for several years, but without success; “the efforts he had made to reach his goal did not succeed, but this time with Yi Seung-Houn he was successful”. Saint Mauban also noted: “they sent Yi Seung-Houn as another delegate…” He noted three times “another”. This shows that several people left as delegates. The fact that they did not send ‘a representative’, but a ‘delegate’ is prove that there was already a community of Catholic faithful who gave the role of spokesman to this delegate . We can only say “this is an admirable and unique history in the history of the Church.”.

30. The History of Chon-jin-am, birthplace of the Korean Catholic Church

Now we are going to talk about Chon-jin-am where Yi Byok’s lecture house was located. Young scholars gathered there often during a ten year period to study and listen to talks.

Chon-jin-am was the place of an old temple, called ‘Chon-jin-gak’ or ‘Chon-jin-dang’ where in the pa