Being invited to Nanjing Union Theological Seminary, Professor Wang XinSheng from the School of Philosophy at Fudan University delivered a lecture themed “Comparison Among the Analects, Tao Te Ching, and Bible: The Light of Classical Texts in the Sinicization of Christianity.”
The 73rd Boya Reading Club was held in the national seminary on September 16, said the Nanjing Union Theological Seminary.
At the opening, Professor Wang expressed his optimism about the prospects of Christian theological education and development in China. He suggested that it was worth reading the classics from a comparative perspective and interpreting them in a sinicized way by combining the mainstream ideas formed over a long period of Chinese history and Christian doctrines, especially through comparative reading and analysis of the Four Books and Five Classics (authoritative and important books associated with Confucianism, the core of the Chinese classics) and the Holy Scriptures.
During Wang’s sharing, there were three sessions, including “Imitation of Nature and I am Who I am,” “Restraining oneself to comply with social norms and the Greatest Commandment,” and "Act but Not Compete and Prince of Peace.” In the session “Imitation of Nature and I Am Who I Am,” starting with an analysis of the view of “God” in ancient Chinese culture, he interpreted the ancient Chinese’s understanding of God in the pre-Qin period, taking examples from the Book of Songs and Shangshu (two of the Five Classics referred to above). Then he talked about the reversal of the relationship between man and God during the Spring and Autumn Periods and subsequently shared his interpretation of the idea of destiny in ancient China. Therefore, Wang concluded a high level of comparability between the ancient Chinese culture as "Tao follows nature" and the attributes of God in Christianity as "I Am Who I Am."
Following this, in “Restraining oneself to comply with social norms and the Greatest Commandment,” Professor Wang compared “the benevolent man loves others” in The Analects (one of the Four Books) to Jesus’s greatest commandment. He proposed that the doctrine of loyalty and consideration advocated by Confucius was also a significant doctrine in Christianity. Meanwhile, “the golden mean” in Confucianism could be reflected in “the essence of love” from 1 Corinthians, “do not worry,” and “do not judge” from Matthew.
In the third session, “Act but Not Compete and Prince of Peace," the professor posited that Jesus's act of saving the world through his own sacrifice exemplified the principle of "gentleness overcomes strength" in the Tao Te Ching. He noted that the principles of "Benefit and Do Not Harm" and "Act but Do Not Compete" align with the humble nature of Jesus. Wang also drew connections between Tao Te Ching's concept of "when the Tao is disregarded in the world and instruments of disaster" and Jesus's statement, "for those who draw the sword will die by the sword." Additionally, he highlighted the parallel between the traditional Chinese notion that adults should return to an infant-like state and Jesus's expectation that people should become like children.
- Translated by Poppy Chan
复旦大学哲学学院王新生教授做客金陵神学院，以“《论语》《道德经》《圣经》主题对观——基督教中国化方向的传统典籍亮光”为题与同学们分享。
据金陵协和神学院，9月16日，第七十三期博雅读书会举行。
王教授在开场时提到，他对中国基督教神学教育和发展前景表示看好。他认为通过比较视角来阅读经典，结合中国历史长期形成的主流思想和基督教教义进行中国化阐释是很值得神学生思考的，尤其是通过结合“四书五经”和《圣经》的对比阅读解析。
王教授的主题分享共分为“道法自然与自有永有”、“克己复礼与最大诫命”和“为而不争与和平君王”三部分。在“道法自然与自有永有”这一部分中，王教授先就中国古文化中“上帝”观进行分析，他以《诗经》《尚书》为例论述了先秦时期的中国古人对上帝的认识和理解，接着就谈到春秋时期人神关系的逆转关系，进而谈论中国古时对天命思想的解读，从而说明，中国古文化中的“道法自然”与基督教中的“自有永有”的上帝属性有着高度的可对比性。
在“克己复礼与最大诫命”这部分内容中，王教授以《论语》中的“仁者爱人”与耶稣的最大诫命进行对比，王教授认为孔子所提倡的忠恕之道也是基督教的金科玉律。同样的，中国文化中的“中庸之道”也可以在《哥林多前书》中的“爱的真谛”与《马太福音》中的“毋忧虑”和“毋论断”中得到体现。
在“为而不争与和平君王”这部分内容中，王教授认为中国文化中“弱之胜强，柔之胜刚”在耶稣以自己的受死来拯救世人这件大功上得到很好的体现。“利而不害，为而不争”则与耶稣在世时的谦卑形象高度相符。王教授还提出中国文化中的“天下无道，不祥之器”与耶稣所说的“凡动刀的，必死于刀下”相通，中国古人所向往的“至德之世”正像《圣经》所记载的伊甸园那般美好，而中国古人认为人需复归婴儿状态的理想也与耶稣期待人能变成小孩子的样式相吻合。
《论语》《道德经》《圣经》主题对观——基督教中国化方向的传统典籍亮光
Being invited to Nanjing Union Theological Seminary, Professor Wang XinSheng from the School of Philosophy at Fudan University delivered a lecture themed “Comparison Among the Analects, Tao Te Ching, and Bible: The Light of Classical Texts in the Sinicization of Christianity.”
The 73rd Boya Reading Club was held in the national seminary on September 16, said the Nanjing Union Theological Seminary.
At the opening, Professor Wang expressed his optimism about the prospects of Christian theological education and development in China. He suggested that it was worth reading the classics from a comparative perspective and interpreting them in a sinicized way by combining the mainstream ideas formed over a long period of Chinese history and Christian doctrines, especially through comparative reading and analysis of the Four Books and Five Classics (authoritative and important books associated with Confucianism, the core of the Chinese classics) and the Holy Scriptures.
During Wang’s sharing, there were three sessions, including “Imitation of Nature and I am Who I am,” “Restraining oneself to comply with social norms and the Greatest Commandment,” and "Act but Not Compete and Prince of Peace.” In the session “Imitation of Nature and I Am Who I Am,” starting with an analysis of the view of “God” in ancient Chinese culture, he interpreted the ancient Chinese’s understanding of God in the pre-Qin period, taking examples from the Book of Songs and Shangshu (two of the Five Classics referred to above). Then he talked about the reversal of the relationship between man and God during the Spring and Autumn Periods and subsequently shared his interpretation of the idea of destiny in ancient China. Therefore, Wang concluded a high level of comparability between the ancient Chinese culture as "Tao follows nature" and the attributes of God in Christianity as "I Am Who I Am."
Following this, in “Restraining oneself to comply with social norms and the Greatest Commandment,” Professor Wang compared “the benevolent man loves others” in The Analects (one of the Four Books) to Jesus’s greatest commandment. He proposed that the doctrine of loyalty and consideration advocated by Confucius was also a significant doctrine in Christianity. Meanwhile, “the golden mean” in Confucianism could be reflected in “the essence of love” from 1 Corinthians, “do not worry,” and “do not judge” from Matthew.
In the third session, “Act but Not Compete and Prince of Peace," the professor posited that Jesus's act of saving the world through his own sacrifice exemplified the principle of "gentleness overcomes strength" in the Tao Te Ching. He noted that the principles of "Benefit and Do Not Harm" and "Act but Do Not Compete" align with the humble nature of Jesus. Wang also drew connections between Tao Te Ching's concept of "when the Tao is disregarded in the world and instruments of disaster" and Jesus's statement, "for those who draw the sword will die by the sword." Additionally, he highlighted the parallel between the traditional Chinese notion that adults should return to an infant-like state and Jesus's expectation that people should become like children.
- Translated by Poppy Chan
Professor from Fudan University Illustrates Light of Classical Texts in Sinicization of Christianity
