이기경의
벽위편 Yi Gi-gyeong's Byeokwipyeon: A Criticism of
Heterodoxy
Byeokwipyeon is an anti-Catholic book that brings together various documents compiled by descendants of Yi Gi-gyeong in the late Joseon Dynasty.
It was published in 1984 by the 신광문화사 for the 국제고전교육협회 with a modern Korean translation by 김시준 as 天主敎傳敎迫害史: 闢衛編 천주교 전교박해사: 벽위변
Volume 1 explains how Catholicism was introduced to the East, citing official and unofficial Chinese history. In addition, it notes how Lee Ik's Cheonjusiluibal, An Jeong-bok's Cheonhakgo, Lee Heon-gyeong's Cheonhakmundap, and Shin Hu-dam's Seohakbyeon were directly copied and presented as the theoretical basis for rejecting Catholicism.
Volume 2 records the Eulsa Chujojeokbalsa Incident (乙巳秋曹摘發事件) that occurred in 1785, the incident in which Lee Seung-hun (李承薰) and Jeong Yak-yong (丁若鏞) were caught discussing doctrines in Banchon (泮村) near Sungkyunkwan in the winter of 1787, and the execution of Yun Ji-chung (尹持忠) and Kwon Sang-yeon (權尙然) for abolishing ancestral rites in Jinsan, Jeolla Province in 1791.
Volume 3 records the punishment of major Catholic believers such as Lee Seung-hun and Kwon Il-sin after the execution of Yun Ji-chung, and the execution of Yun Yu-il, Ji Hwang, and Choi In-gil in connection with the recruitment of the Chinese priest Zhou Wenmo.
Volume 4 includes the process of suppressing the Catholic movement in 1795 and 1796, and the persecution of Catholic believers in the Hoseo region based on the tracking of Zhou Wenmo from 1798 to the following year.
Volume 5 summarizes the entire story of the Sinyu Persecution and the verdicts of the arrested believers.
Volume 6 points out that believers who escaped the Sinyu Persecution continued their religious life by taking refuge in remote mountain villages such as Yongin and Cheongsong after 1806–1807.
Volume 7 includes the entry of the Chinese priest Liu Bang-je (real name Yeo Hang-deok) in 1833, and the missionary work of Bishop Imbert and priests Maubant and Chastan in 1836 and 1837.
Final Text
Byeokwipyeon
'벽위’는 사학邪學인 천주교를 물리치고 정학正學인 성리학을 지킨다는 벽사위정闢邪衛正의 줄임말이다. 이기경이 간행을 시작하여 후손들이 계속 자료를 보충하고 1931년 5대손인 이만채가 총 7권 2책으로 편찬했다. 1785년(정조 9)부터 1856(철종 7)년까지 72년 동안 천주교를 배척과 관련한 여러 문헌과 상소 등을 모은 대표적 척사서斥邪書다.
The term “byeogwi” is a condensed form of “byeoksa wijeong,” signifying the rejection of the heterodoxy of Catholicism and the defense of the righteous knowledge of neo-Confucianism. Initiated by Yi Gi-gyeong and further expanded upon by his descendants, the publication evolved over time. In 1931, the fifth-generation descendent, Yi Man-chae, compiled it into two books totaling seven volumes. This compilation stands as a prominent work in rejecting heterodoxy, gathering various documents and appeals related to the ostracization of Catholicism over a period of 72 years from 1785 (the ninth year of King Jeongjo’s reign) to 1856 (the seventh year of King Cheoljong’s reign).
Life of Lee Gi-gyeong 이기경 (李基慶) (1756-1819) (From AKS Korean site)
Yi Gi-gyeong lived from 1756 (Yeongjo 32) until 1819 (Sunjo 19), 64 years. A civil servant during the reigns of Jeongjo (正祖) and Sunjo (純祖). He served as a Jeong-eon (正言) of the Office of the Inspector General (司諫院) and a Jwarang (佐郞) of the Ministry of Personnel. His pen name was Hyugil (休吉) and his nickname was Cheok-am (瘠菴). His family origin was Jeonju (全州) and his residence was Seoul. His father was Lee Je-hyeon (李齊顯), Ji-pyeong (持平) of the Office of the Inspector General (司憲府), and his mother, Dongrae Jeong (東萊鄭氏), was the daughter of Jeong Eon-bin (鄭彦賓), a Tongdeokrang (通德郞). His grandfather was Lee Bong-ryeong (李鳳齡), who served as a Saganwon (司諫), and his great-grandfather was Lee Jin-il (李震一), who was a Jinsa (進士). Although he was a Nam-in (南人), he was a representative member of the Gongseo faction (攻西派) who took the lead in the anti-heretical activities against Western learning (西學), namely Catholicism.
Activities
Lee Gi-gyeong (李基慶), who lost his father in his childhood and passed the Sima exam in 1777 (1st year of King Jeongjo’s reign) at the age of 21, prepared for the civil service examination with Jeong Yak-yong (丁若鏞) and others, and passed the Siknyeonmun exam in 1789 (13th year of King Jeongjo’s reign). After that, he served as a Jeongrang (正郞) of the Ministry of Rites and a Jiphyeong (지평) of the Office of the Inspector General. His mother passed away and while he was mourning, the Jinsan Incident occurred in Jinsan, Jeolla Province in 1791 (15th year of King Jeongjo’s reign), when Yun Ji-chung and Kwon Sang-yeon burned their ancestral tablets and held a Catholic funeral for Yun Ji-chung’s mother after she passed away, and that was a problem because it denied the value of ancestral rites. The Jinsan Incident occurred in May 1791, but it became public knowledge when the Office of the Inspector General submitted a petition in October of that year. (Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, October 16, Year 15) Afterwards, Hong Nak-an (洪樂安) confirmed the facts and wrote a book to expose the incident to Chae Je-gong (蔡濟恭) and Confucian scholars. This book also included the details of the Banhoe Incident (泮會事件) that occurred during a Catholic doctrine seminar held in Banchon (泮村) in 1787 (the 11th year of King Jeongjo’s reign). Chae Je-gong then interrogated Lee Gi-gyeong, who had witnessed the seminar in person, to confirm the facts. Afterwards, the court tried to conclude the incident by executing Yun Ji-chung and Kwon Sang-yeon, the key figures in the Jinsan Incident. (『Jeongjo Sillok』, November 8, Year 15) During this process, not only Lee Seung-hun, who had attended the Catholic doctrine seminar, but also Song Ik-hyo of the Noron faction and Jeongjo criticized Lee Gi-gyeong for having other intentions. (『Jeongjo Sillok』, November 8, Year 15), (『Jeongjo Sillok』, November 11, Year 15)
In response, Lee Gi-gyeong submitted a memorial, claiming that he had nothing to do with Western learning, and at the same time, he mentioned the whole story of the anti-Hoe Incident and the real names of the participants in the seminar, including Lee Seung-hun and Jeong Yak-yong, and requested punishment for those related to Western learning. (『Jeongjo Sillok』, November 13, Year 15) Now this memorial was submitted by Yi gi-gteong who was himself a Namin, so that he was evaluated as having the intention of causing conflict with Hong In-ho (洪仁浩), a member of the Gongseo faction. (『Jeongjo Sillok』, November 14, year 15) Lee Gi-gyeong had submitted the memorial while in mourning, and was criticized for the atrocious language he used in the memorial, so he was the only one of the Gongseo faction to be exiled to Gyeongwon-bu, Hamgyeong Province. (『Jeongjo Sillok』, November 13, year 15)
He was released in 1794 (18th year of King Jeongjo’s reign) and became a Jiphyeong of the Office of the Inspector General the following year, 1795 (19th year of King Jeongjo’s reign). Activities during the reign of King Sunjo.
In 1801 (the first year of King Sunjo's reign), Queen Jeongsun, who was acting as regent for the young King Sunjo, initiated the Sinyu Persecution (辛酉迫害) to eradicate heretical religions and punish those who believed in Western learning. In the midst of this, the Hwangsa Yeong Baekseo (Silk Letter) Incident (黃嗣永帛書) occurred, a letter in which a Korean Catholic asked for French troops to be brought in to pressure the Joseon government to stop the persecution. As a result, the pro-Western faction (親西派) figures in the Nam-in faction, who were relatively friendly to Western learning, fell into many difficult situations. At this time, Lee Gi-gyeong, as the head of the Office of the Inspector General, insisted on the revocation of Chae Je-gong's official title, and actively engaged in hostile activities, such as requesting that Jeong Yak-yong and Jeong Yak-jeon, who had already been exiled due to their relationship with the Western learning, be questioned again. (『Sunjo Sillok』, November 7, Year 1)
Afterwards, while serving as the head of the Office of the Inspector General, Lee Gi-gyeong opposed the move in June 1804 (the 4th year of King Sunjo's reign) when Queen Jeongsun tried to assume the regency again, and was exiled to Dancheon, Hamgyeong Province. However, he was released the following year in 1805 (the 5th year of King Sunjo’s reign) and served as a proofreader at Hongmungwan (弘文館) and a member of the Office of the Inspector General in 1806 (the 6th year of King Sunjo’s reign). (Sunjo Sillok, December 2, year 2), (Sunjo Sillok, June 23, year 4), (Sunjo Sillok, June 26, year 4), (Sunjo Sillok, March 22, year 5), (Sunjo Sillok, January 16, year 6), (Sunjo Sillok, April 1, year 6) However, in this year, in 1804 (the 4th year of King Sunjo’s reign), Hyeon Jung-jo and Jeong Eon-in, who had supported Gwon Yu, who died during interrogation on charges of treason, As the claim that Lee Gi-gyeong was behind it was raised, he was exiled to Unsan again. (『Sunjo Sillok』, April 27, year 6), (『Sunjo Sillok』, May 4, year 6)
Afterwards, Lee Gi-gyeong formed an ant-Catholic faction with Hong Nak-an, but was criticized for being insincere, and was released and returned in 1809 (Sunjo 9). (『Sunjo Sillok』, July 12, year 6), (『Sunjo Sillok』, September 11, year 9) However, he was impeached in 1814 (Sunjo 14) and 1818 (Sunjo 18) for reasons such as defending Sim Hwan-ji and claiming that Chae Je-gong had his official title taken away. [『Sunjo Sillok』, January 16, year 14, 1st article], (『Sunjo Sillok』, September 18, 20 days)
Lee Gi-gyeong passed away in 1819 (Sunjo 19) at the age of 64, and his descendants compiled Byeokwipyeon (闢衛編), a collection of writings related to his anti-Catholic activities, and Cheokam Yugo (瘠菴遺稿)』 and 『Cheokam Manpil (瘠菴漫筆)』, which are poetry collections.
Personality
It is said that Lee Gi-gyeong had a sinister and vicious personality, and that he was angry and acted wickedly, harming other people's families and the country. (『Sunjo Sillok』, January 16, Year 14) Most people also have negative evaluations of his anti-Catholic activities. After he returned from exile due to the Jinsan Incident, Jeong Yak-yong said, “After Lee Gi-gyeong was released, he gradually entered the government and took up an official post, but there was not a single person who spoke to him as a friend.” [『Yeoyu-dang Jeonseo』 Volume 16, 「Self-written Epitaph」] Lee Jae-gi (李在璣), who had been active inanti-Catholic activities, also said, “When Hong Nak-an and Lee Gi-gyeong became poor and had nowhere to return to, they returned to Wonbaek (Hong In-ho) after the year of Gyechuk (1793). The two sides' palaces were well-suited to each other," he said, describing the situation at the time. [『Nul-am Gi-ryak (訥菴記略)』]
However, contrary to this evaluation, Kang Jun-heum (姜浚欽), who worked with Lee Gi-gyeong in the anti-Catholic activities, evaluated him as an upright person who did not know how to compromise with others. [「Hongmungwan Gyo-ri Lee Gong Myojimyeong (弘文館校理李公墓誌銘)」
Tomb and descendants
Lee Gi-gyeong's grave is located in Banpo-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul, and Kang Jun-heum wrote his epitaph.
His wife was the daughter of Yun Dong-byeok (尹東壁) of the Pyeong Yun clan (坡平尹氏), and they had two sons and one daughter. The first son, Lee Jeong-tae (李廷泰), was adopted into the family of a large family, and the second son, Lee Jeong-gyeom (李廷謙), married Mok In-gyu's (睦仁圭) daughter, the granddaughter of Mok Man-jung (睦萬中). The first daughter married Kang Si-yeong (姜時永), the son of Kang Jun-heum (姜浚欽) and the former Minister of Personnel.