How do modern Chinese Christian intellectuals read the Bible? : a study of Wu Lei-chuan's interpretation of the New Testament

Abstract

<p>This paper will examine how Wu Lei-chuan, a twentieth-century Chinese Christian, developed a multi-faith hermeneutic within the multi-scriptural Chinese context. Wu Lei-chuan (吴雷川, 1870-1944) was one of the most distinguished theologians and Christian educators in the history of the Republic of China. As a Confucian-Christian, he spent most of his life trying to express his dual cultural and religious identities through his interpretive writings on "the two texts": Chinese Confucian Classics and Christian Scripture. Therefore, Wu Lei-chuan's works serve as an example of the ways in which Chinese Christians express their Christian identity in the context of Chinese culture and society, and of the way in which Chinese reading of the Christian text intensively interacts with reading of Chinese cultural texts.</p><p>We select characteristic passages in the Wu's reading of the Bible, such as his rereading of Jesus Christ's life and teachings and his reinterpretation of the Lord's Prayer in Luke 11: 1-4, to do the case study. Through an analysis of his biblical reading, this paper explores the effectiveness or disadvantages of the principles and methodology used by Wu for the interpretation of the New Testament in a Chinese-Confucian setting. It also addresses his contribution to Chinese biblical hermeneutics.</p>