Finding God’s Chinese name: A comparison of the approaches of Matteo Ricci and James Legge

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

Abstract / Description of output

This essay will explore the so-called “term question” associated with major attempts at providing a Chinese rendering of the name of God. It will focus on two foundational missionary-scholars to China, Matteo Ricci and James Legge, and examine the different philosophical and theological contexts that ultimately resulted in the same conclusion – that is, to identify an equivalence between the Christian God and the ancient Chinese understanding of Shangdi 上帝 (“Lord on high”). This essay will also suggest that, for James Legge, this conviction offered a major rationale for producing English translations of Chinese philosophical and religious works: his monumental Chinese Classics.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationScottish Missions to China
Subtitle of host publicationCommemorating the Legacy of James Legge (1815-1897)
EditorsAlexander Chow
PublisherBrill Academic Publishers
Chapter10
Pages213-228
ISBN (Electronic)9789004461789
ISBN (Print)9789004509634
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 19 May 2022

Publication series

NameTheology and Mission in World Christianity
Volume23
ISSN (Print)2452-2953

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