History of Christian Literature in China - Cultural New Criticism

Author: Liu Lixia
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-08-01
Features: The definition of "Christian Literature" is still lacking a unified understanding in academia. The concept of "Christian Literature" discussed in this book encompasses both narrow and broad meanings. Narrowly defined, Christian literature refers to the traditional Christian literature that includes hymns (psalms), prayers, and sermons. Broadly defined, Christian literature refers to a category of literature created by Christian authors based on Christian spirituality, possessing literary elements. Among these, in addition to the traditional Christian literature mentioned earlier, there is also Christian literature at the level of pure literature. Whether narrowly or broadly defined, the essence of Christian literature is a response to Christian faith. However, narrowly defined Christian literature emphasizes the direct transmission of faith, while Christian pure literature focuses on subtly influencing people's thoughts. Ultimately, both are. Chinese Christian literature is both a branch of world Christian literature and a component of modern Chinese literature. The formation and development of Chinese Christian literature are closely related to the missionary strategies of the modern Christian Church, which largely inherit (Protestant) and restore (Catholic) the missionary strategies of the Jesuits, such as Matteo Ricci, during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. Under the strong promotion and of both foreign and indigenous church figures, Chinese Christian literature has ultimately become an indispensable branch in the history of modern Chinese literature. The examination of the general state of Chinese Christian literature is conducted separately in terms of Protestantism and Catholicism. Compared to Catholicism, Protestantism has achieved fruitful results in the narrow sense of Christian literature, particularly in the translation of the official language and harmonized Bible and the compilation of the hymnal "Praise to God." These works not only laid a solid foundation for Chinese Christian literature but also provided valuable references for the style of Chinese modern literature. The pioneering role of the official language and harmonized Bible in modern Chinese literature is particularly evident. In the realm of pure literature, Protestantism also attracted the active participation of literary giants such as Bing Xin, Xu Deshan, Lao She, and Pearl S. Buck. In contrast, while Catholicism has achieved little in the narrow sense of Christian literature, it has produced a distinctive literary style characterized by "Catholic Literature" at the level of pure literature. After the Catholic community explicitly proposed the concept of "Catholic Literature" in the mid-1930s, a vibrant Catholic literary movement centered around Peking University and Tianjin Business College emerged, covering theoretical construction, authorship, literary criticism, and the translation of foreign Catholic literature. This movement gave rise to a group of accomplished Catholic writers, including Su Xueling, Zhang Xiuya, and Zhou Xinhua, who made significant contributions to the in-depth development of Chinese Christian literature. As a product of faith, Chinese Christian literature exhibits a unique spiritual character and aesthetic pursuit. The former is primarily reflected in transcendence beyond worldly concerns and profound engagement with the human condition, while the latter is mainly manifested in the unity of religion and aesthetics, as well as the tension between literature and propaganda. Due to various constraints, Chinese Christian literature did not develop fully and was forced to cease as historical circumstances changed. However, as an objective historical existence, it has provided valuable references for modern Chinese literature and enriched its content in a quasi-school-like scale and momentum. This book strives to bring this historical legacy to light by thoroughly researching original materials and hopes to spark further interest in this field of study.