scholarly journals Discipled by the West?—The Influence of the Theology of Protestant Missionaries in China on Chinese Christianity through the Translation of the Chinese Union Version of the Bible

Religions ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 250
Author(s):  
Chao-Chun Liu
Keyword(s):  
The West ◽  
Turn On ◽  
Bible Translations ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Chinese Christianity

Over the last one hundred years, the Chinese Union Version of the Bible (CUV)—translated by Western Protestant missionaries—has enjoyed an unparalleled status as the Chinese Bible or the “Authorized Version” of the Chinese Bible. However, despite such towering significance, no scholarly works to date have systematically examined the influences of Protestant missionary theology on the translation of the CUV and, in turn, on Chinese Christianity. As an introductory attempt to explore this question, this paper first highlights this gap in current scholarship and the importance of filling this gap. Then, it presents four factors and two limitations in examining the theology of the CUV and conducts a case study on the theological topic of dichotomy versus trichotomy in the translation of the CUV along with four other Chinese Bible translations. After examining how the translators’ theology might have influenced these translations, it suggests how such influence through the translation of the CUV might have shaped Chinese Christianity both past and present, thereby demonstrating how the understanding of Chinese Christianity can be deepened by examining the relationships between missionaries’ theology, their Bible translations, and the development of Chinese Christianity.

The Politics of Interpretation: Understanding Biblical History in Palestinian Rural Culture

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-20
Author(s):  
Elizabeth S. Marteijn
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Rural Community ◽  
Political Change ◽  
Rural Culture ◽  
The West ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Biblical History ◽  
Cultural Belonging

This article investigates the role of the biblical story in the Palestinian context of cultural and political change. It explores how Palestinian Christians have depicted modern-day Palestinian rural culture as being a continuation of biblical culture. The article explores two different ways of understanding the bible to which this continuation thinking applies: first, when the bible is being read through the eyes of the Palestinian rural community (or ‘the Bible through peasant eyes’, as New Testament scholar Kenneth E. Bailey put it) and secondly, through the eyes of the politically oppressed. To illustrate this, the small Palestinian Christian village of Taybeh in the West Bank serves as a case study. In the post-1967 context, it became important for the inhabitants to portray their village as going back historically to the Ophrah and Ephraim of the bible, thus reimagining their identity as being essentially biblical. This insertion of contemporary Palestinian history into biblical history, and vice versa, is for the inhabitants of Taybeh a way to give scriptural sanction against Zionist constructions and a way to express their theological and cultural belonging to the land. This article demonstrates how their view both relates to and stands in conflict with Western understandings of biblical history, featuring the work of nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century travellers, missionaries and ethnographers from Europe.

Hermeneutics, Contexts, Identity: a Critical Discussion of the Bible in Africa

2003 ◽  
Vol 10 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 378-415
Author(s):  
Gerrie F. Snyman
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Context ◽  
Essential Role ◽  
Critical Discussion ◽  
The West ◽  
Bible Translations ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Critical Scholarship ◽  
Bible Interpretation ◽  
Reading Context

AbstractThis article provides a critical discussion of some aspects in The Bible in Africa: Transactions, Trajectories, and Trends (West & Dube 2000). The book gives its intended Western reader the opportunity to see (an etic view) how others perceive the Western cultural context. The discussion focuses on the following aspects: (a) The role and possibilities of critical scholarship; (b) The possibility to find a common (for those living in the West and inAfrica) reading context in the light of Cancun and the new 'Empire (c) A model for deconstructing colonial Bible interpretation over against (d) a model of connectivity between the Bible and Africa in terms of resonance and continuity; (e) The essential role missionaries played in Bible translations; and (f) a reflection on some hermeneutical considerations in reading the Bible in Africa.

Towards an Ecological Handbook for Bible Translators

2019 ◽  
Vol 70 (3) ◽  
pp. 326-342
Author(s):  
Stephen Pattemore
Keyword(s):  
Minority Language ◽  
Ecological Crisis ◽  
The West ◽  
Christian Life ◽  
Careful Choice ◽  
Contemporary World ◽  
The Core ◽  
Bible Translations ◽  
The Bible ◽  
The Earth

The urgency of the ecological crisis has come too late for the West to change significantly the language of its Bible translations. Yet in many “ecological hotspots,” first Bible translations are being made. Previously I argued for minority-language Bibles that are “green to the core,” taking account of the contemporary ecological crisis. These would involve a careful choice of vocabulary and paratextual materials to help the audience understand texts that impact the earth in their first context and in the contemporary world, in an effort to demonstrate that care of the earth is part of the “normal Christian life.” This paper examines passages from Revelation to help frame them in these terms for the translator and suggest relevant translation choices and places where notes might prove helpful. The aim is to provide a model for an “Ecological Guide to Translating the Bible.”

A Pleasing Odour for Yahweh

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-24
Author(s):  
Anne Katrine De Hemmer Gudme
Keyword(s):  
Hebrew Bible ◽  
Sacred Space ◽  
Ancient World ◽  
Hellenistic Period ◽  
The Sun ◽  
The West ◽  
Sense Of Smell ◽  
The Temple ◽  
Crucial Part

This article investigates the importance of smell in the sacrificial cults of the ancient Mediterranean, using the Yahweh temple on Mount Gerizim and the Hebrew Bible as a case-study. The material shows that smell was an important factor in delineating sacred space in the ancient world and that the sense of smell was a crucial part of the conceptualization of the meeting between the human and the divine.  In the Hebrew Bible, the temple cult is pervaded by smell. There is the sacred oil laced with spices and aromatics with which the sanctuary and the priests are anointed. There is the fragrant and luxurious incense, which is burnt every day in front of Yahweh and finally there are the sacrifices and offerings that are burnt on the altar as ‘gifts of fire’ and as ‘pleasing odors’ to Yahweh. The gifts that are given to Yahweh are explicitly described as pleasing to the deity’s sense of smell. On Mount Gerizim, which is close to present-day Nablus on the west bank, there once stood a temple dedicated to the god Yahweh, whom we also know from the Hebrew Bible. The temple was in use from the Persian to the Hellenistic period (ca. 450 – 110 BCE) and during this time thousands of animals (mostly goats, sheep, pigeons and cows) were slaughtered and burnt on the altar as gifts to Yahweh. The worshippers who came to the sanctuary – and we know some of them by name because they left inscriptions commemorating their visit to the temple – would have experienced an overwhelming combination of smells: the smell of spicy herbs baked by the sun that is carried by the wind, the smell of humans standing close together and the smell of animals, of dung and blood, and behind it all as a backdrop of scent the constant smell of the sacrificial smoke that rises to the sky.

Possessing the Iconic Book

2012 ◽  
Vol 6 (1-3) ◽  
pp. 309-329
Author(s):  
Claudia V. Camp
Keyword(s):  
Second Century ◽  
Religious Literature ◽  
Ben Sira ◽  
The Core ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Iconic Status ◽  
The Voice ◽  
Woman Wisdom ◽  
Martin Marty

I propose that the notion of possession adds an important ideological nuance to the analyses of iconic books set forth by Martin Marty (1980) and, more recently, by James Watts (2006). Using the early second century BCE book of Sirach as a case study, I tease out some of the symbolic dynamics through which the Bible achieved iconic status in the first place, that is, the conditions in which significance was attached to its material, finite shape. For Ben Sira, this symbolism was deeply tied to his honor-shame ethos in which women posed a threat to the honor of his eternal name, a threat resolved through his possession of Torah figured as the Woman Wisdom. What my analysis suggests is that the conflicted perceptions of gender in Ben Sira’s text is fundamental to his appropriation of, and attempt to produce, authoritative religious literature, and thus essential for understanding his relationship to this emerging canon. Torah, conceived as female, was the core of this canon, but Ben Sira adds his own literary production to this female “body” (or feminized corpus, if you will), becoming the voice of both through the experience of perfect possession.

THE VALUE OF DATA INTEGRATION IN A COMPLEX WELL SCENARIO: A CASE STUDY FROM THE WEST NETHERLANDS

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abhinandan Kohli ◽  
◽  
Emile Fokkema ◽  
Oscar Kelder ◽  
Zulkifli Ahmad ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Data Integration ◽  
The West ◽  
Complex Well

Islamic Law and Political Ideology

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 52-66
Author(s):  
Nesya Shemer
Keyword(s):  
Political Ideology ◽  
Islamic Law ◽  
The West ◽  
Process Of Change ◽  
Muslim Scholar ◽  
Methodological Principles

This article suggests a new way of looking at the preeminent methodological principles informing the oeuvre of Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the greatest Muslim scholar of our generation, specificallywith regard to his rulings for and about Muslims living in Europe.The case study presented here is taken from the field of Muslimprayer law, a field that has to date been subjected to very little research.By comparing the discussions of classical Muslim scholarson the topic with the new interpretations proffered by al-Qaradawi,one can notice the process of change undergone by the Shari‘ahconcerning prayer under extraordinary circumstances from Islam’searly days down to the present. We can also see how his politicaloutlooks have influenced his ruling on this issue and the discussionthereof among Muslims who do not reside in the West.

scholarly journals Facies Heterogeneity and Lobe Facies Multiscale Analysis of Deep-Marine Sand-Shale Complexity in the West Crocker Formation of Sabah Basin, NW Borneo

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 5513
Author(s):  
Muhammad Jamil ◽  
Numair Ahmed Siddiqui ◽  
Abdul Hadi Bin Abd Rahman ◽  
Noor Azahar Ibrahim ◽  
Mohd Suhaili Bin Ismail ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Model ◽  
Marine Sediments ◽  
Multiscale Analysis ◽  
The West ◽  
Submarine Fans ◽  
Marine Sand ◽  
Facies Associations ◽  
Vertical Thickness ◽  
Mudstone Facies

Deepwater lobes constitute a significant volume of submarine fans and are primarily believed to exhibit a simple sheet geometry. However, recent studies interpret the geometries of these deep-marine lobes as distinct with respect to the complexity of the facies and their distribution. Hence, a conceptual model of deep-marine sediments is essential to discuss the deep-marine sediments associated with the fan and lobe architecture. The present study highlights the facies heterogeneity and distribution of various lobe elements at a multiscale level by considering a case study of the West Crocker Formation of Sabah in northwest Borneo. The formation was logged on a bed-to-bed scale from recently well-exposed sections, with a total vertical thickness of more than 300 m. The lithological characteristics, bed geometry, sedimentary textures and structures of individual beds were used to categorize the rock units into nine sedimentary lithofacies: five sandstone lithofacies (S1–S5), one hybrid bed facies (H), two siltstone facies (Si1 and Si2) and one shale or mudstone facies (M). These facies were grouped into four facies associations (FA1–FA4), which were interpreted as lobe axis (FA1), lobe off-axis (FA2), lobe fringe (FA3) and distal fringe to interlobe (FA4) facies associations. This study is applicable for the distribution of lobes and their subseismic, multiscale complexities to characterize the potential of hydrocarbon intervals in deep-marine sand-shale system around the globe.

Christ as Yogi: The Jesus of Vivekananda and Modern Hinduism

2021 ◽  
Vol 90 (1) ◽  
pp. 117-140
Author(s):  
David J. Neumann
Keyword(s):  
New Testament ◽  
Advaita Vedānta ◽  
Advaita Vedanta ◽  
The West ◽  
The Bible ◽  
The New Testament ◽  
Modern Hinduism ◽  
Swami Vivekananda

AbstractSwami Vivekananda was the most influential pioneer of a Yogi Christ, illustrating well over a century ago how the life and teachings of Jesus might be incorporated within a larger Hindu worldview—and then presented back to Western audiences. Appropriation of Jesus, one of the central symbols of the West, might be viewed as the ultimate act of counter-Orientalism. This article begins by providing a brief biography of Vivekananda and the modern Hinduism that nurtured him and that he propagated. He articulated an inclusivist vision of Advaita Vedanta as the most compelling vision of universal religion. Next, the article turns to Vivekananda's views of Christianity, for which he had little affection, and the Bible, which he knew extraordinarily well. The article then systematically explores Vivekananda's engagement with the New Testament, revealing a clear hermeneutical preference for the Gospels, particularly John. Following the lead of biblical scholars, Vivekananda made a distinction between the Christ of the Gospels and the Jesus of history, offering sometimes contradictory conclusions about the historicity of elements associated with Jesus's life. Finally, the article provides a detailed articulation of Vivekananda's Jesus—a figure at once familiar to Christians but, in significant ways, uniquely accommodated to Hindu metaphysics. Vivekananda demonstrated a robust understanding and discriminating use of the Christian Bible that has not been properly recognized. He deployed this knowledge to launch an important and long-lived pattern: an attractive, fleshed out depiction of Jesus of Nazareth, transformed from the Christian savior into a Yogi model of self-realization. Through his efforts, Jesus became an indisputably Indian religious figure, no longer just a Christian one. The Yogi Christ remains a prominent global religious figure familiar to Hindus, Christians, and those of other faiths alike.

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