Author Description
Is the Bible an ancient text, a mere relic of the past? Is the Bible a “Western” product, irrelevant to the “East”? Can the Bible be imagined as a living text for twenty-first century China? The Oxford Handbook of the Bible in China provides surprising answers and discoveries related to the Bible and its place in China over the last thirteen hundred years. Forty-seven essays address the translation of the Bible into China's languages and dialects, expression of the Bible in Chinese literary and religious contexts, Chinese biblical interpretations and methods of reading, and the reception of the Bible in the institutions and arts of China. Each essay consists of a comprehensive yet concise treatment set in a historical frame on topics as wide-ranging as: the first Chinese Bibles, Chinese Nestorian Christianity, Bibles of minority nationalities, Sino-Christian theology, printed illustrations of the Gospel in China, the Bible and Chinese films, Chinese calligraphy and the biblical texts, Chinese Classics and the Bible, and Chinese society and politics. This expansive and unique volume presents insightful, succinct, and provocative evidence about and interpretations of encounters between the Bible and China for centuries past, continuing into the present, and likely prospects for the future.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This volume investigates the historical, cultural, and theological significance of the Bible within the Chinese context over the past thirteen hundred years. The editors, Virginia Ramachandran and Brad A. Stach, curate a collection of forty-seven essays that examine how the biblical text has been translated, interpreted, and integrated into Chinese society, literature, and religious life. The work utilizes a multidisciplinary framework to analyze the intersection of Western religious texts with Eastern cultural paradigms, ranging from early Nestorian Christianity to contemporary cinematic and artistic expressions.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- Historical analysis of the translation of the Bible into various Chinese languages and dialects.
- Examination of the Bible's influence on Chinese literature, calligraphy, and visual arts.
- Studies on the intersection of the Bible with Chinese Classics, politics, and social institutions.
- Case studies on minority nationality Bibles and Sino-Christian theology.
Scope Limits
- The text focuses primarily on the reception and adaptation of the Bible within China rather than providing a comprehensive history of Chinese Christianity itself.
- It does not offer an exhaustive theological critique of specific denominations, focusing instead on cultural and historical reception.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Scholars and researchers identify this handbook as a foundational reference for understanding the complex cross-cultural history of the Bible in East Asia. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which serves as a comprehensive resource for students and specialists in religious and Asian studies.
Page Count:
900
Publication Date:
2021-01-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0190909811
ISBN-13:
9780190909819
History
Religion
Christianity
Bibles
Asian Studies
Cultural Anthropology