Reading Christian Scriptures in China

Description

This volume sets out to examine how Christian scriptures have been read within a Chinese reading tradition, and to assess what questions such readings pose for both theologians and Chinese studies specialists. The absence to date of publications on the topic, and the scattered nature of such research and of scholars in the field makes this an important contribution to debate. The volume gathers essays from Biblical studies experts together with theologians and Chinese text scholars to discuss the interdisciplinary questions raised. Essays from mainland, Taiwanese and diasporic Chinese scholars ensure that a range of opinions (including those reflecting fault lines between 'academic' and 'confessional' positions) are presented. Within the four sections of the volume, several papers discuss and correct the current lineage of historical readings, while others study the historical impact of the Bible in Chinese society. Four essays give contextual or cross-cultural readings, with a focus on individual exegetes, mainly from the early twentieth century. The power of performance is raised in two essays, one comparative paper on Christian and Buddhist scriptures from the Qing dynasty and one on the singing of psalms in modern day Taiwan and Macao. Moral questions preoccupy others, including the challenges that early Chinese converts found in Biblical laws or Christian guidance on concubinage, and extrincisist readings of the Sermon on the Mount. Cover Half-title Title Copyright Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS INTRODUCTION PART 1 THE BIBLE IN CHINA 1 MODERN CHINESE ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE BIBLE CHEN JIANMING 2 READING CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURES: THE NINETEENTH-CENTURY CONTEXT CHLOË STARR 3 HERMENEUTICAL CONFLICT? READING THE BIBLE IN CONTEMPORARY CHINA FREDRDC FÄLLMAN 4 THE BIBLE IN THE TWENTIETH-CENTURY CHINESE CHRISTIAN CHURCH THOR STRANDENÆS 5 STUDYING THE NEW TESTAMENT IN THE CHINESE ACADEMIC WORLD: A SURVEY, 1976-2006 ZHA CHANGPING PART 2 CHINESE BIBLICAL HERMENEUTICS 6 COMPETING TENSIONS: A SEARCH FOR MAY FOURTH BIBLICAL HERMENEUTICS SZE-KAR WAN 7 INTERPRETING THE LORD'S PRAYER FROM A CONFUCIAN-CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE: WU LEICHUAN'S PRACTICE AND CONTRIBUTION TO CHINESE BIBLICAL HERMENEUTICS GRACE HUI LIANG 8 REPRESENTING THE GOSPELS TO THE CHINESE MIND: T.C. CHAO'S APPROACHES TO BIBLICAL TEXTS IN THE LIFE OF JESUS RICHARD X.Y. ZHANG 9 READING THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT IN CHINA: A HERMENEUTICAL ENQUIRY INTO ITS HISTORY OF RECEPTION JOHN Y.H. YIEH 10 CONFUCIAN CATHOLICS' APPROPRIATION OF THE DECALOGUE: A CASE-STUDY IN CROSS-TEXTUAL READING TIAN HAIHUA 11 TRANSLATING AND CHANTING THE PSALMS: A RETROSPECTIVE ON THE USE OF THE BIBLE IN THE CHINESE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY MARK FANG 12 PERSPECTIVES ON JOHN C.H. WU'S TRANSLATION OF THE NEW TESTAMENT LLOYD HAFT BIBLIOGRAPHY