Recently, the Chinese version of Karl Ludwig Reichelt: Missionary, Scholar & Pilgrim was published in Hong Kong.
On September 2, Logos and Pneuma Press paid tribute to Eric John Sharpe (1933-2000) who was a master of religious historiography in the 20th century and a pioneering scholar in the fields of religious phenomenology, modern Christian missionary history, and religious dialogue. His last work was a biography study of Indian Christians, which was both familiar and unfamiliar to Chinese churches: The Riddle of Sadhu Sundar Singh.
“This book was the author’s first biographical study. His writing route did not adopt the traditional chronicle method, but carried out shuttle research around the triple identities of Karl Ludvig Reichelt (the founder of the Tao Fong Shan Christian Centre) as a missionary, a scholar, and a pilgrim, highlighting his physical and mental struggles in various stages of his life, showing more people and things in different periods, and describing with flesh and blood how this extraordinary missionary embarked on an unprecedented new path of missionary work. From the perspective of Chinese theology, Karl Ludvig Reichelt and his Chinese and foreign colleagues were undoubtedly pioneers of Chinese theology.”
The book is divided into nine chapters. It goes on to introduce, “Compared with the original English version, the Chinese version has supplemented much reference data, including citation verification and annotation of Chinese and foreign names, places and events mentioned in the original, and attached precious historical pictures, especially the Jing Fong Shan work log (1922-1930) which was greatly updated, verified and annotated according to the Norwegian original, showing Reichelt’s career and ministry from multiple angles and in all directions.”
Shen Hong, the translator, is a doctor of philosophy from Peking University and a professor at the School of Foreign Languages at the International Culture and Exchange of Zhejiang University. Yang Xinan, the editor, is the founding director of the Institute of Chinese Christian Culture, the founding member of the China Studies Department at the Ambrose Society in Milan, and the chief planner of the Academic Library of Christian Thoughts in Past Dynasties. His research fields include Chinese theology, Bible study, and Nestorianism.
Logos and Pneuma Press also posted the “Editor’s Preface” by its director Yang Xinan in July 2021. He recalled reading this book more than twenty years ago. Yang became the ministry director and vice president of the Tao Fong Shan Christian Centre in June 1992. In the first three months of his tenure, he was at a loss for Tao Fong Shan, which was devastated at that time, and the library director at that time, Mr. He Xianglin, found Sharpe’s book on the shelf for him. He admitted that his English was not good, but the loan rate of this book was very high. Many Western pastors and theological students had a good evaluation of this book, and he felt bright when he read it.
“Because I was into the book, I was mentally and psychologically immersed into it. I read the whole book quickly for several days, but I didn’t see the positive benefits I expected. First, this book is a personal biography written by the author in the academic style, which is mixed with academic exposition and literature analysis. It takes a lot of time to understand and it is impossible to read it quickly. Both of them, because Sharpe was well versed in Nordic languages, and could understand the internal documents of the missionary society and Reichelt’s work log can be revealed that he was criticized and opposed by Chinese and foreign churches and missionary societies from time to time so he was exhausted from time to time. As a reader, I discovered that Reichelt had been wandering between heaven and hell, often in confusion and struggle.”
“Then, I focused my reading on the outgoing report of the former Nordic Dean Ernst Harbakk of the Tao Fong Shan Christian Centre. Under his inspiration, I comprehensively explored the four directions of the Center: ‘theological research, retreats, Chinese Christian art, and religious dialogue’. Three years later, Professor Liu Xiaofeng and I chose the direction of ‘theological research‘ and set up an independent academic institution to promote ‘Chinese theology’ with the ambition to concentrate on one thing. The institution was named ‘Chinese Christian Culture Institute (CCCI).’
“Time flies, I have been in the Tao Fong Shan Christian Centre for twenty-nine years. Five years ago, I had a plan to translate Sharpe’s classic book into Chinese. The selection of translators was also quite dramatic. Just like Galatians 4:4, “But when the time had fully come,” and it was fulfilled. In 2017, Dr. Shen Hong, a senior professor in the humanities department of Zhejiang University, became a visiting scholar at CCCI and lived in the Tao Fong Shan for three months. His visiting research topic was the relationship between medieval literature and Christian doctrine. During Professor Shen’s visit, I discovered that he had done extensive research on the history and old photos of modern missionaries, and his works were fruitful. It just so happened that I had been sorting out and compiling the history and old photos of the Tao Fong Shan for the past ten years, and our daily conversations naturally revolved around this topic. I thought, Professor Shen Hong was really the best choice for translating Sharpe’s book, but as a well-known scholar, he must have had many important research topics on his hands. It was almost impossible for me to invite him to translate, and the translation work was not regarded as academic research achievement by universities. After knowing my intention, Professor Shen unexpectedly agreed to my invitation at the end of his three-month visit. The reason was simple and unique: like-mindedness is more valuable than fortune and fame.”
“The publication of this book aims to celebrate the ninetieth anniversary of the Tao Fong Shan and the 25th anniversary of CCCI. On the eightieth anniversary of the Tao Fong Shan, I edited and published The Wind Blows with the Will- Karl Ludvig Reichelt and Chinese Theology. The anthology of that year was mainly based on the research papers of scholars from Norway and the three places on both sides of the Taiwan Straits.”
- Translated by Charlie Li
近期，《艾香德——传教士、学者和朝圣者》Karl Ludvig Reichelt: Missionary, Scholar & Pilgrim的中文版在香港出版。
9月2日，道风书社发布此消息，称港作者夏普（Eric John Sharpe, 1933-2000）是二十世纪的宗教史学大师，在宗教现象学、现代基督教宣教史、宗教对话等领域具开拓性的先锋学者，他的遗作是华人教会既熟悉又陌生的印度基督徒传记研究：《圣徒孙大圣之谜》（The Riddle of Sadhu Sundar Singh, 2004）。
“本书是作者首部的传记研究，他的写作进路没有采取传统的编年史方法，而是围绕着艾香德作为传教士、学者和朝圣者这三重身份进行穿梭研究，突出她在各人生阶段的身心灵挣扎，从中更呈现不同时期的人和事，有血有肉地描述了这位非一般的传教士如何踏上前无古人的宣教新路。从汉语神学角度来看，艾香德和他的中外同工，无疑是汉语神学的先行者。”
全书分为九章。它接着介绍，“中译本相比英文原作补充了大量参考数据，包括引文查证及注释原著提及的中外人名、地名、事件，并附上珍贵历史图片，尤其提供依据挪威文原稿大幅增订、查证和注解的景风山工作日志（1922-1930），多角度及全方位呈现艾香德的生涯及事工。”
译者沈弘是北京大学哲学博士和浙江大学外国语言国际文化及交流学院教授。编审者杨熙楠是汉语基督教文化研究所创所总监，兼任米兰安波罗修学会中国研究部创部会员以及「历代基督教思想学术文库」总策划，研究领域包括汉语神学、圣经研究及景教。
道风书社还贴出了杨总监的“编者前言”，写于2021年7月份，他回忆起了二十多年前翻起此书。杨总监在一九九二年六月就任道风山基督教丛林的事工主任兼副院长，在任职的最初三个月，对于当时疮痍满目兼且百废待兴的道风山，一筹莫展，当时的图书馆馆长何香林老先生就在书架上找到夏普这部书给他。他坦言自己的英文不够用，但这书的外借率甚高，不少西教士、神学生对这书的评价颇佳，他接过来就觉眼前一亮。
“由于我是身处书中场境，因此对其中的描述感同身受，甚有代入感。连续数天速速读毕全书，却未见我所期望的正面效益。一者，本书是作者以学术文体撰写的个人传记，行文夹杂学术论述和文献分析，理解甚为需时，速读并不可能；二者，由于夏普深谙北欧语言，可以翻阅差会内部文档以及艾香德工作日志，得以揭示艾香德不时受到中外教会及差会对其宣教路线持批评和反对的意见，以致不时心力交瘁，我作为读者，才发现原来艾香德一直徘徊于一念天堂与一念地狱之间，时常陷于困惑和挣扎之中。”
“随后，我把阅读焦点放在道风山基督教丛林前任北欧院长何安石牧师（Ernst Harbakk）的离任报告，在他的启迪下全面开拓道风山基督教丛林的四大方向：「神学研究，静修退省，中国基督教艺术，宗教对话」。三年后，我和刘小枫教授选取其中的「神学研究」方向，以专心一事的宏愿，在山上另立一所独立的学术机构推行「汉语神学」，机构命名为「汉语基督教文化研究所」。”
“时光飞逝，我在道风山已迈过二十九个年头。五年前，我已有计划把夏普这本经典著作译为中文……在甄选译者的事情上，也颇具戏剧情节，正如《加拉太书》四章4节一样，「及至时候满足」，事就这样成了。事源二〇一七年浙江大学人文学部资深教授沈弘博士出任汉语基督教文化研究所访问学人，住访道风山三个月，来访的研究题目是中世纪文学与基督教教义的关联。在沈教授访学期间，我才发现他对近代传教士的历史和老照片甚有研究，且著作丰硕，]刚好我在过去十年也一直在整理和编注道风山的历史和老照片，我们的日常对话自然常常围绕着这个话题。我心想，沈弘教授实是夏普一书译者之不二人选，但他作为知名学人，手上必有不少重大研究课题，要抽空参与译事，加上翻译工作不被大学方面视为学术研究成果，我的邀请几乎是不可能的要求。沈弘教授在收到我的邀约后，于三个月访学完成之际，最终出乎意料地答允我的邀请，原因简单而唯一：志趣相投比实际回报更高是也。”
“本书的出版，旨为庆贺道风山开山九十周年及汉语基督教文化研究所创所二十五周年。在道风山开山八十周年时，我曾主编出版《风随意思而吹─艾香德与汉语神学》。当年的选集以挪威及两岸三地学人的研究论文为主。”
新書信息《艾香德——傳教士、學者和朝聖者》
Recently, the Chinese version of Karl Ludwig Reichelt: Missionary, Scholar & Pilgrim was published in Hong Kong.
On September 2, Logos and Pneuma Press paid tribute to Eric John Sharpe (1933-2000) who was a master of religious historiography in the 20th century and a pioneering scholar in the fields of religious phenomenology, modern Christian missionary history, and religious dialogue. His last work was a biography study of Indian Christians, which was both familiar and unfamiliar to Chinese churches: The Riddle of Sadhu Sundar Singh.
“This book was the author’s first biographical study. His writing route did not adopt the traditional chronicle method, but carried out shuttle research around the triple identities of Karl Ludvig Reichelt (the founder of the Tao Fong Shan Christian Centre) as a missionary, a scholar, and a pilgrim, highlighting his physical and mental struggles in various stages of his life, showing more people and things in different periods, and describing with flesh and blood how this extraordinary missionary embarked on an unprecedented new path of missionary work. From the perspective of Chinese theology, Karl Ludvig Reichelt and his Chinese and foreign colleagues were undoubtedly pioneers of Chinese theology.”
The book is divided into nine chapters. It goes on to introduce, “Compared with the original English version, the Chinese version has supplemented much reference data, including citation verification and annotation of Chinese and foreign names, places and events mentioned in the original, and attached precious historical pictures, especially the Jing Fong Shan work log (1922-1930) which was greatly updated, verified and annotated according to the Norwegian original, showing Reichelt’s career and ministry from multiple angles and in all directions.”
Shen Hong, the translator, is a doctor of philosophy from Peking University and a professor at the School of Foreign Languages at the International Culture and Exchange of Zhejiang University. Yang Xinan, the editor, is the founding director of the Institute of Chinese Christian Culture, the founding member of the China Studies Department at the Ambrose Society in Milan, and the chief planner of the Academic Library of Christian Thoughts in Past Dynasties. His research fields include Chinese theology, Bible study, and Nestorianism.
Logos and Pneuma Press also posted the “Editor’s Preface” by its director Yang Xinan in July 2021. He recalled reading this book more than twenty years ago. Yang became the ministry director and vice president of the Tao Fong Shan Christian Centre in June 1992. In the first three months of his tenure, he was at a loss for Tao Fong Shan, which was devastated at that time, and the library director at that time, Mr. He Xianglin, found Sharpe’s book on the shelf for him. He admitted that his English was not good, but the loan rate of this book was very high. Many Western pastors and theological students had a good evaluation of this book, and he felt bright when he read it.
“Because I was into the book, I was mentally and psychologically immersed into it. I read the whole book quickly for several days, but I didn’t see the positive benefits I expected. First, this book is a personal biography written by the author in the academic style, which is mixed with academic exposition and literature analysis. It takes a lot of time to understand and it is impossible to read it quickly. Both of them, because Sharpe was well versed in Nordic languages, and could understand the internal documents of the missionary society and Reichelt’s work log can be revealed that he was criticized and opposed by Chinese and foreign churches and missionary societies from time to time so he was exhausted from time to time. As a reader, I discovered that Reichelt had been wandering between heaven and hell, often in confusion and struggle.”
“Then, I focused my reading on the outgoing report of the former Nordic Dean Ernst Harbakk of the Tao Fong Shan Christian Centre. Under his inspiration, I comprehensively explored the four directions of the Center: ‘theological research, retreats, Chinese Christian art, and religious dialogue’. Three years later, Professor Liu Xiaofeng and I chose the direction of ‘theological research‘ and set up an independent academic institution to promote ‘Chinese theology’ with the ambition to concentrate on one thing. The institution was named ‘Chinese Christian Culture Institute (CCCI).’
“Time flies, I have been in the Tao Fong Shan Christian Centre for twenty-nine years. Five years ago, I had a plan to translate Sharpe’s classic book into Chinese. The selection of translators was also quite dramatic. Just like Galatians 4:4, “But when the time had fully come,” and it was fulfilled. In 2017, Dr. Shen Hong, a senior professor in the humanities department of Zhejiang University, became a visiting scholar at CCCI and lived in the Tao Fong Shan for three months. His visiting research topic was the relationship between medieval literature and Christian doctrine. During Professor Shen’s visit, I discovered that he had done extensive research on the history and old photos of modern missionaries, and his works were fruitful. It just so happened that I had been sorting out and compiling the history and old photos of the Tao Fong Shan for the past ten years, and our daily conversations naturally revolved around this topic. I thought, Professor Shen Hong was really the best choice for translating Sharpe’s book, but as a well-known scholar, he must have had many important research topics on his hands. It was almost impossible for me to invite him to translate, and the translation work was not regarded as academic research achievement by universities. After knowing my intention, Professor Shen unexpectedly agreed to my invitation at the end of his three-month visit. The reason was simple and unique: like-mindedness is more valuable than fortune and fame.”
“The publication of this book aims to celebrate the ninetieth anniversary of the Tao Fong Shan and the 25th anniversary of CCCI. On the eightieth anniversary of the Tao Fong Shan, I edited and published The Wind Blows with the Will- Karl Ludvig Reichelt and Chinese Theology. The anthology of that year was mainly based on the research papers of scholars from Norway and the three places on both sides of the Taiwan Straits.”
- Translated by Charlie Li
New Book Release: Karl Ludwig Reichelt: Missionary, Scholar & Pilgrim
