Authors & Affiliations: Chen E.

Pages: 7 - 36

Abstract: In the 1830s, Karl F. A. Giitzlaff (1803-51) wrote a large number of Chinese biographies. These biographies can be classified into three categories: the first were Biblical biographies, which were independently published in Chinese books. The second were the historical biographies of Western figures, which were mainly contained in his historical works. The third were the modern biographies, published in "Sing Poo"[biograpgy{Chinese language presented}] column in Eastern Western Monthly Magazine. Despite their wide circulation at that time, these numerous biographies mentioned above have never been carefully researched. This paper focuses on the stylistic form of the biographies, traces the course of their development, analyzes their artistic characteristics, and explores their influence on the genre of Chinese modern biographies. The paper points out that biblical-based biographies of Christian figures and saints take narrative as an acceptable form. The historical biographies not only follow the Western tradition of integrating biography into history, but also absorb the stylistic features and artistic skills of ancient Chinese biographies. And the single biographies of political figures were separated from the historical biography, fully and vividly narrate the life of the characters and become a type of character-centered life writing that differs from previous historical biographies. Although relatively rough in art, the biographies written by Giitzlaff played a pioneering role in introducing Western biographies into China, mixing the respective artistic skills and aesthetics of Chinese and Western biographies, thus gradually promoting the integration of Chinese and Western biographies and the modem transformation of Chinese biographies. Copyright © Chung Yuan Christian University.

Keywords: Biblical biographies; historical biographies; Karl F. A. Giitzlaff; modern biographies; modern China

Authors & Affiliations: Yafei Z., School of Humanities and Communication Zhejiang Gongshang University, China

Pages: 37 - 62

Abstract: Chastity and faith are two controversial issues in the story of Samaritan woman rewritten in a Chinese context by William Milne and other missionaries. There are two parts of scriptures involving in the issue of chastity, the first one is that she has five husbands and the other one is that she talks with Jesus alone with no other bystanders. Missionaries, such as William Milne, Karl Giitzlaff and William Muirhead deleted the scriptures of five husbands in the biographies, and eased up the scene of solitary conversation between man and woman to make a connection between Jesus and Samaritan woman by faith but not by gender. Meanwhile, authors established a female believer by highlighting their Christian discourse around the 'Well which symbolizes merit and morality in Zhouyi ffll J. emphasized her transformation from a unbeliever to a missionary. Then, Samaritan woman becomes a model of female Christian with chastity and belief for Chinese audiences by the above writing strategies. © 2021 Chung Yuan Christian University. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Chinese context; female christian; lives of Jesus in late Qing period; Samaritan woman

Authors & Affiliations: Li Z.-R., College of Chinese Language and Culture Jhejiang Yuexiu, University of Foreign Languages, China

Pages: 63 - 88

Abstract: After Bing Xin came back to Mainland China in 1951, she adopted an obscure and complicated approach to Christianity in her literary writings, in which the distortion and reconstruction of the Christian faith lay beneath seemingly ordinary words. Not only did she utilize biblical linguistic resources from the Bible to portray the political reality; she also gave largdy negative portrayals of church and missionaries. In her senior years when the political environment became rdatively mild, Bing Xin sought to return to the Christian faith in cautious and creative ways. The cross in the second half of Bing Xin's life was bent as she paid the heavy price in order to survive the grim environment. Through careful analyses of her literary texts and the true evidence, we may gain a deeper understanding of the context Bing Xin was in and her spiritual journey behind the literary output, which manifested the resilience of the Christian faith. © 2021 Chung Yuan Christian University. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Bing Xin; Christian faith; cross; history; literary creation

Authors & Affiliations: Le Z., School of History Beijing Normal University, China

Pages: 89 - 124

Abstract: Zhang Xue-liang and Yang Hu-cheng started the Xi'an Incident on December 12th, 1936. Chiang Kai-shek relied on the Bible to overcome the predicament during his detention. Reading the Bible and his religious experience convinced Chiang that the Xi'an Incident was the most important experience for his whole life. In the course of the incident, Christians in China not only organized prayer meetings for his safety but also strived to rescue him. After Chiang was released, they sent a telegraph to congratulate him and celebrated his release. Chiang Kai-shek was so grateful that he declared his gratitude to Christianity. On the Good Friday of 1937, Chiang Kai-shek delivered a speech sharing his experience as a Christian witness and came up with an explanation of the Xi'an Incident, which was informed by religion He tried to shape his Christian faith and theological orthodoxy. Chiang reinforced his commitment to Jesus and the Three Principles of People. His speech was widely spread among Christians both in China and overseas. They wrote articles to propaganda and shape Chiang's religious status and faith. Therefore, the interaction between Chiang and those Christians during the Xi'an Incident mirrored the politicized expression of Chiang's faith and religious narration of Xi'an Incident. © 2021 Chung Yuan Christian University. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Chiang Kai-shek; Christianity; My Spiritual Conception of Good Friday; Xi'an Incident.

Authors & Affiliations: Fang F., School of Foreign Languages Peking University, China

Pages: 125 - 153

Abstract: Boethius's The Consolation of Philosophy, a foundational work representative of the Medieval mindset, deeply echoed with the life and works of C. S. Lewis, a 20th-century Medievalist and Christian writer. In The Consolation, its philosophical interpretation of Fortune and Providence, its allegorical representation of the images of the wheel of Fortune, the Prisoner and Lady Philosophy, and the lived text of the author beyond the literary text of this autobiographic work resonate with Lewis in his apologetical exploration of the problem of pain, the allegorical writing of The Pilgrim Regress and Surprised by Joy, and the record of his soul's journey in A Grief Observed. Though one and a half millennia apart, their works and their woes and weals in life crossed and converged, with the latter transcending the former along the path of the mystery of faith, in enacting the drama of the soul's strenuous searching for the constant ''highest spiritual realities" against the inconstant Fortune. © 2021 Chung Yuan Christian University. All rights reserved.

Keywords: "the highest spiritual realities''; allegory; Boethius; C S. Lewis; Fortune

Authors & Affiliations: Tao Y., School of Marxism Zhejiang University of Technology, China

Pages: 155 - 174

Abstract: this article puts the understanding of Augustine's thesis of inner word in the phenomenological debate between Gadamer and Marion As Gadamer says, if man says an inner word, it is because he is called by Being through language. Gadamer's hermeneutics operates in the trinity of Being-languageunderstanding But Marion and levinas understand the problem of language outside Being. They articulate that before Being reaches man, love already touches him. Love comes before Being, exceeds Being, and establishes Being That's what we call Erotic reduction. © 2021 Chung Yuan Christian University. All rights reserved.

Keywords: erotic reduction; Gadamer; inner word; levinas; Marion; phenomenology