The Discussion About The Term Question And The Reception Of God In The History Of Chinese Bible Translation

Cultural intercourse is the important impetus and source to renovate and develop the culture. A serious understanding and reflection on the questions which have been encountered in the cultural intercourse will surely help to deal with the questions which we are encountering now, and studying the cases in the history of cultural intercourse will be an important means. The encounter between Christianity and Chinese culture was one of the prominent cases in the history of the Sino-West cultural intercourse, and the translation of"God"in the history of biblical translation, together with its adaptability in China played a key role. However, most relative researches in the academia were synchronic examinations among transmissions or reception, few interactive exchanges examined within the diachronic systemic study. Hence, they could not present the visage deeply and wholly, as well unable fully using the abundant resources which provide apocalypses for cultural intercourse.The present study attempts on, therefore, to illustrate the status of the discussion on this"term question"and its reception in the history of Chinese biblical translation; herein to research different stages the whole transmission-reception cultural intercourse system along both synchronic and diachronic directions, with its historicity that has been changed under different circumstances, to reflect questions such as translatability, hermeneutic conflict,and dilemma of transmission which always been faced in the course of cultural intercourse.While research on discussions among missionaries regarding the"term question", related this dissertation mostly attend to analyze records in The Chinese Recorder from the year of 1875 to 1877, forwards from 1890 to the beginning of the twentieth century. Besides, we also try to sketch a preliminary picture of discussions within the term question in the history from late Ming and early Qing Dynasty to the beginning of the 20th century. According to the elements in the course of translation, this dissertation abstracts four discrepancies: - (1) encounter diffenent interpretations of the original text; (2) the distinctness on understanding the Chinese wordings in varied cultures; (3) the multiple ways the contemporaries read-in; and (4) the translators their individual choices relate to diffenent traditions. Moreover, researches on discussions regarding the term question among missionaries, the related outcomes have also been examinated. All these researches aim to present the tensions within and among missionaries, more on the Chinese culture with the Chinese readers, as well missionaries and their traditions; together to present the inter-changes which happened between the two poles of the tensions within the course of their interactive exchange and the history, and to present the influence which the changes caused to translation and transmission. Hereof to reflect the real difficulty in dealing with questions like translatability, hermeneutic conflict,and dilemma of transmission when we think about them synchronically, statically, or from the sight of transmitter. These questions were even considered as obstacles which will be debated unceasely, and perhaps can never be conquered. However, it is possible to find an outlet to conquer these difficulties if we take the diachronic direction, the constant alter of those tensions, and the interactive exchanges between transmitter and recipient into consideration.In researching the state of reception of the term in the Chinese history, this dissertation shows the prominence of the subjectivity of the recipients, and its different understandings of vary historical circumstances through examination of the individual cases, so as to form a relatively complete reception history. This part pays attention to three periods which are the late Ming and the early Qing Dynasty for which of there were two main groups considered, for whom was intellectuals who believed in Catholicism and their opposed, and final period was from the 19th century to the first half of 20th century, for all of them influenced by the authority of Confucianism, recipients unbroke away from the Confucian concept of Shangdi when they understood Deus, for them always emphasized the similarities inbetween; yet, if we observed the two groups carefully, we will find in some degrees, both of them recognized the difference between Deus and Shangdi. The term"Shangti"didn't cast a veil over the concept of Deus completely. Recipients of this stage usually hermeneutically accepted, rejected or created the concept to consonance Christianity and Confucianism, or to complement or exclude each other. The research objects the 19th century was Liangfa, Hong Xiuquan, and the Chinese authors of"Sheng Hao Lun"in Wan Guo Gong Bao. They all hermeneutically accepted or rejected the concept from their personal circumstances, especially those Chinese authors. These authors'experience on their Confucian identities and the atmosphere of multi-deity in China was deeper than missionaries, so that they could bring forward several ideas totally different from missionaries of the West, which were more independent.There were fierce changes in Chinese thought circles in the first half of the 20th Century the Christianity became more influential after a long time development. The choice of term for God was not so crucial, but more what the recipient concerned was the concept of God itself. The main factors which affected people to interpret God were not the Confucian concept, but science and reason came from the West, with oppose imperialism and defend the nation, both the force to press the needs in building a new culture. Besides, general intellectuals and the outstanding recipients in this stage, were theologists and modern writers who affected by the Christianity, for both sides were busy in abandoning things which didn't correspond to science and reason in the concept of God, and tried to make it fit to the social needs, and to coordinate Confucianism. Moreover, because of the particular freedom and deep concern about humanity and society of literature, they absorbed sources from the concept of God, or built ultimate sense on it in their belief, or made it become an object which could express or stimulate sensibility and thought, or challenged traditional the Christian God from the understanding of the modern life circumstances, and this abundant and free hermeneutic became potential sources for theological reflection instead.The study on the reception state revealed that God can be translated and be transmitted to the recipient. Translation is possible, but it must be interpreted by the recipients from their life circumstances, and it is mere the way to make the concept of God be significant to the recipients. At the same time, interpretations are always limited, so the restrictions from transmitters should be introduced, and the tensions between will be creatived. The dilemma of transmission can be converted into a kind of controllable power here which can play a positive role.