Author: ZHANG Yafei, Assistant Professor, School of Humanities & Communication, Zhejiang Gongshang University.
Abstract:
In the late Qing, Karl Gützlaff, James Legge and other Protestant missionaries rewrote the lives of biblical figures in the form of Chinese biographies, hoping to introduce them in a form more acceptable to Chinese. Abraham was an important figure frequently rewritten by the missionaries. This article explores the reception history of the Bible in China and missionaries’ writing strategies to rework the image of Abraham in a Chinese context through these biographies. Protestant missionaries borrowed the term “Sage” from earlier Roman Catholic use to apply to Abraham, and frequently referred him as “Abraham the Sage”. They used the term in its Chinese cultural context to emphasize Abraham’s wisdom and virtuous actions, while also drawing on the Christian concept of a saint to highlight his faith. By combining these two aspects the missionaries established the image of Abraham as a model biblical character for Chinese readers in a Chinese context.
Keywords:
Abraham; Saint; Late-Qing missionaries; Model Character; Karl Gützlaff; James Legge
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