The Chinese Empire. A General & Missionary Survey/The Bible in the Chinese Empire

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The Chinese Empire. A General & Missionary Survey

The Bible in the Chinese Empire by J. H. Roberts

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1977679The Chinese Empire. A General & Missionary Survey — The Bible in the Chinese EmpireJ. H. Roberts

"A survey of the world and its various races in successive ages leads one to infer that God has some plan of national character, and that one nation exhibits the development of one trait, while another race gives prominence to another, and subordinates the first. Thus the Egyptian people were eminently a priestly race, devoted to science and occult lore; the Greeks developed the imaginative powers, excelling in the fine arts; the Romans were warlike, and the embodiment of force and law; the Babylonians and Persians magnificent, like the head of gold in Daniel's vision; the Arabs predacious, volatile, and imaginative; the Turks stolid, bigoted, and impassible; the Hindus are contemplative, religious, and metaphysical; the Chinese industrious, peaceful, literary, atheistic, and self-contained. The same religion and constant intercommunication among European nations has assimilated them more than these other races could ever have become; but everyone knows the national peculiarities of the Spaniards, Italians, French, English, etc., and how they are maintained, notwithstanding the motives to imitation and coalescence. The comparison of national character and civilisation, with the view of ascertaining such a plan, is a subject worthy the profound study of any scholar, and one which would offer new views of the human race. The Chinese would be found to have attained, it is believed, a higher position in general security of life and property, and in the arts of domestic life and comfort among the mass, and a greater degree of general literary intelligence, than any other heathen or Mohammedan nation that ever existed, or indeed than some now calling themselves Christian, as Abyssinia. They have, however, probably done all they can do, reached as high a point as they can without the Gospel; and its introduction, with its attendant influences, will ere long change their political and social system. The rise and progress of this revolution among so mighty a mass of human beings will form one of the most interesting parts of the history of the world during the nineteenth century, and solve the problem whether it be possible to elevate a race without the intermediate steps of disorganisation and reconstruction."

Wells-Williams, The Middle Kingdom.

THE BIBLE IN THE CHINESE EMPIRE

the "Delegates' Version" was to be the basis, Bridgman and Culbertson and Goddard's versions also being employed. The translation was to be made from the original texts underlying the English Revised Version, with the privilege of deviations therefrom in accordance with the Authorised Version. This work is still in progress, although three members of the original Translation Committee have been removed by death, the Rev. T. W. Pearce and Rev. LI. Lloyd having been elected to fill the place of two of these.

Before closing this article, mention should be made of an edition of the four Gospels issued by the Roman Catholics from their Hongkong press in 1892-93. It contains the official sanction of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Canton and a dedication to the Virgin Mary. A translation of the Acts in 1887 and of the New Testament in 1897, made by C. P. Laurent, Ly. S.J., was printed near Sicawei ^ (Shanghai). The Roman Catholics have also published several summaries of the Old Testament and Liturgical Gospels.

Easy Wen-li Version

Easy Wen-li is a language with the archaic words and allusive phrases of High Wen-li omitted. It is generally employed by the Chinese for the popular literature and newspapers.

The need for a version in a literary style which was less stiff than the High Wen-li led the survivors of the Peking Mandarin Committee to undertake such a work on the

1 Sicawei is literally Sii-Kia-wei, that is, the hamlet of the family SU. This Sii is the famous Paul Su who so greatly assisted the early Jesuit missionaries at Peking. His wife, named Candida, was actually deified and is now worshipped at Shanghai.

In 1864 came the first important step towards union, as mentioned above, by the American Board and the Methodist Episcopal Missions uniting in the revision of the New Testament. This was published in four volumes in 1866, portions of the Old Testament following. This New Testament was reprinted in one volume in 1869. In 1874 the next important step in advance was made by the Church Missionary Society workers joining with the two American Societies in the completion of the Old Testament translation, the funds for this work being supplied by the American Bible Society. The whole of the Old Testament was ready in 1884, the 1866 New Testament having been revised and published in 1878.

The final step towards union was taken in 1887, when the two Bible Societies already interested (A.B.S. and B.F.B.S.) agreed to share in the production of a revised Bible. A committee was appointed consisting of the Revs. C. C. Baldwin, Archdeacon "Wolfe, LI. Lloyd, W. Banister, all of the C.M.S., and the Rev. N. J. Plumb of the M.E.M., and under the care of the latter worker the entire Bible was revised and printed by 1891 at the Methodist Episcopal Mission press at Foochow. This Bible was again printed in 1895 with some slight alterations, further editions of this last version subsequently being issued.

The first book to be put into the Romanised character was the Gospel according to John, and this work was undertaken by the Rev. LI. Lloyd, the system employed being an old one. This was in 1881. Subsequently the Rev. R. W. Stewart put St. John's Gospel into Romanised according to a system employed at Amoy. With the assistance of various workers Mr. Stewart was able to put the whole New Testament through the press in London in 1890.

The Chinese Empire. A General & Missionary Survey/The Bible in the Chinese Empire

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