Reading Christian Scriptures in China

(Hardback)

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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.

Reviews

Mention - New Testament Abstracts, Vol. 52 No. 3, 2008
"Beneficial to the general public as well as to the specialist and, contrary to expectations that may be created by the title, the exploratory findings put forward by its contributors will be of great interest to scholars working outside the field of religious studies as well. I recommend it highly." - The China Journal
"The 12 contributions of this volume offer fascinating perspectives on the study of the Bible in China." International Review of Biblical Studies
"This is a matter of interest not only for academics and church leaders, but also, to a lesser degree, for ordinary people, in the sense that the Bible has become a cultural symbol of the merging of the west and China...this book is not only an invaluable resource for students and general readers on the subject of Chinese Christianity but also a refreshing and timely contribution to inter-religious and inter-cultural studies." Ecclesiastical History, October 2009
"A creative and eclectic characteristic of this work is its interdisciplinary approach in which historians, theologians and sinologists offer their particular insights to biblical scholars with a concentration on historical readings. A side benefit of this study are the insights which are offered into modern Chinese history and cultural change from a Christian perspective. ... This is a very interesting and readable book and a fount of information from those interested in the development of Chinese Christianity during the past two hundred years. It is both a resource and a stimulus to further study of a neglected area of biblical research." Verbum et Ecclesia, 2010.
This is a remarkably readable volume of conference papers. . . . This is a timely volume and should be read by all those who are interested in the historical inculturation and contemporary development of Christianity in the emerging global power that is China.' -- Biblical Interpretation
"this excellent collection serves as a valuable resource for any who wish to better understand the variety and implications of Biblical interpretation in China. It will prove helpful to both theologians and Chinese scholars seeking to better understand the impact of Christianity upon China over the past two centuries." Theological Book Review, Vol 21, No. 1, 2009 -- Thomas Harvey * Theological Book Review *

Author Bio

Dr. Chloe Starr is Associate Director of the Centre for the Study of Christianity in Oxford (UK) and a Departmental Lecturer in Classical Chinese in the Oriental Institute, University of Oxford, UK.