Chinese Theology And Translation

This book uncovers the Jesuits’ mystic theological interpretation in the translation of the Book of Changes (the Yijing) in their mission in China. The book analyzes how Jesuit Figurists incorporated their intralingual translation of the Yijing, the Classical and vernacular use of Chinese language and the imitation of Chinese literati’s format, and the divinization of Yijing numbers into their typological exegesis. By presenting the different ways in which Jesuit Figurists Christianized the Yijing and crafted a Chinese version of Jesus and Christian stories onto the Chinese classics, this book reveals the value of Jesuit missionary-translators. The Chinese manuscripts the Figurists left behind became treasures which have been excavated and displayed in this book. These treasures reveal the other side of the story, the side not much shown in past scholarship on the Figurists. These handwritten manuscripts on the Christianized Yijing are a legacy which continues to impact European understanding of Chinese history and civilization in later centuries. A first analysis of these manuscripts in Chinese, the book will be of interest to scholars working on the history of Christianity in China, Translation Studies, and East Asian Religion and Philosophy.

The first full-length monograph on the history of the translation of the Bible into Chinese, this book tells a fascinating story beginning with Western missionaries working closely with Chinese assistants. They struggled for one hundred years to produce a version that would meet the needs of a growing Chinese church, succeeding in 1919 with publication of the Chinese Union Version (CUV). Celebrating the CUV’s centennial, this volume explores the uniqueness and contemporary challenges in the context of the history of Chinese Bible translation, a topic that is attracting more and more attention. Peng’s experiences give her a unique perspective and several advantages in conducting this research. Like the majority of readers of the CUV, she grew up in mainland China. When Chinese Christians went through severe political and economic ordeals, she was there to witness the CUV comforting those who were suffering under persecution. She has participated in Chinese Bible revision under the United Bible Societies. She was also director of the Commission on Bible Publication at the China Christian Council and chief editor of the CUV concise annotated version (1998).

The publication of the Chinese Union Version (CUV) in 1919 was the culmination of a hundred years of struggle by Western missionaries working closely with Chinese assistants to produce a translation of the Bible fit for the needs of a growing church. Celebrating the CUV's centennial, The Translation of the Bible into Chinese explores the unique challenges faced by its translators in the context of the history of Chinese Bible translation. Ann Cui'an Peng's personal experience of the role played by the CUV in Chinese Christian communities lends the narrative particular weight, while her role as director of the Commission on Bible Publication at the China Christian Council offers a unique insight into the continuing legacy of the CUV for Bible translators today.

The publication of the Chinese Union Version (CUV) in 1919 was the culmination of a hundred years of struggle by Western missionaries working closely with Chinese assistants to produce a translation of the Bible fit for the needs of a growing church. Celebrating the CUV’s centennial, The Translation of the Bible into Chinese explores the unique challenges faced by its translators in the context of the history of Chinese Bible translation. Ann Cui’an Peng’s personal experience of the role played by the CUV in Chinese Christian communities lends the narrative particular weight, while her role as director of the Commission on Bible Publication at the China Christian Council offers a unique insight into the continuing legacy of the CUV for Bible translators today.

The Yearbook of Chinese Theology is an international, ecumenical and fully peer-reviewed annual that covers Chinese Christianity in the areas of Biblical Studies, Church History, Systematic Theology, Practical Theology, and Comparative Religions. It offers genuine Chinese theological research previously unavailable in English, by top scholars in the study of Christianity in China.The 2021 volume highlights the five-disciplines of Sino-Western Studies and its guest editor is Bin You. The authors are Jian Cao, Xiaochun Hong, Paulos Huang, Hui Liang, Peiquan Lin, Zhenhua Meng, Lina Rong, Yexiang Qiu, Dongsheng Ren, Thomas Qinghe Xiao, Yanyan Xiong, Bin You and Changping Zha.

Publisher Description

«Sino-Christian theology» usually refers to an intellectual movement emerged in Mainland China since the late 1980s. The present volume aims to provide a self-explaining sketch of the historical development of this theological as well as cultural movement. In addition to the analyses on the theoretical issues involved and the articulations of the prospect, concrete examples are also offered to illustrate the characteristics of the movement.

This major new study examines the history of Chinese theologies as they have navigated dynastic change, anti-imperialism, and the heights of Maoist propaganda In this groundbreaking and authoritative study, Chloë Starr explores key writings of Chinese Christian intellectuals, from philosophical dialogues of the late imperial era to sermons and micro blogs of theological educators and pastors in the twenty-first century. Through a series of close textual readings, she sheds new light on the fraught issues of Chinese Christian identity and the evolving question of how Christianity should relate to Chinese society.