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ABSTRACT
In spite of the small number of Orthodox Christians in China, Chinese publications relating to Orthodox Christianity, in which many Chinese theologians from other Christian denominations or scholars without formal religious affiliation have been involved in exploring Orthodox theology, have mushroomed in recent years. It is noticeable that these explorations have been shaped not only by the renaissance of Orthodox theology in the twentieth century, but also by the Chinese context. In terms of scope, many of them are related to the Chinese context, including the relationship between Christianity and Chinese culture. In terms of depth, due to the religious backgrounds of the researchers, some of these Chinese explorations fail to integrate the theological, liturgical and spiritual dimensions of the Orthodox tradition, and exhibit difficulties in interpreting, for instance, Orthodox mystical theology. These limitations can be overcome through dialogue with contemporary Orthodox theologians.
Acknowledgements
This article is an extended version of one first published in the International Journal of Sino-Western Studies 14 (June 2018): 27–41, and is published here with the support of Prof. Paulos Huang, editor of that journal.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.
Notes
1 For a brief survey of Chinese publications on Orthodoxy, see Sha and Lai, ‘Han yu xue jie di ji du zheng jiao yan jiu’ [Chinese studies of Orthodox Christianity].
2 For instance, Qia er dun [Carlton], Zheng dao: xin jiao xin tu dui zheng jiao xu zhi [The way: what every Protestant should know about the Orthodox Church], and A-er-fei-ye-fu [Alfeyev], Zheng xin ao yi: dong zheng jiao shen xue dao lun[The Mystery of Faith: Introduction to Orthodox Theology].
3 The most representative and influential is probably the Institute of Sino-Christian Studies, a Christian organisation based in Hong Kong, which has published many books about Orthodox Christianity, including: Pa li kan (Jaroslav Pelikan), Ji du jiao chuan tong. di er juan: dong fang ji du jiao shi jie di jing shen [The Christian tradition, vol. 2, The spirit of Eastern Christendom].
4 For example, Zhang, Dang dai dong zheng jiao shen xue si xiang [Contemporary Eastern Orthodox theology].
5 See further: Lai and Lam, eds., Sino-Christian Theology.
6 For instance, Mong, Purification of Memory.
7 A recent attempt can be found in: Lai, ‘Ji du zheng jiao zhi shen xue fu xing ji qi dui han yu shen xue di yi yi’ [The renaissance of Orthodox theology and its significance for Sino-Christian theology]. It is reprinted in: Lai, Guang chang shang de Han yu shen xue [Sino-Christian theology in the public square], chapter 7, 169–91. Some of the data presented in this article are adopted from this book, especially chapters 5–8, 117–216.
8 See Nielsen, Jr., ed., Christianity after Communism.
9 See: Ferrari and Cole Durham, Jr, eds, Law and Religion in Post-Communist Europe; also, Cole Durham, Jr. and Ferrari, eds, Laws on Religion and the State in Post-Communist Europe.
10 Ware (Metropolitan Kallistos of Diokleia), The Orthodox Church, 160–6. Chinese translation published in 2013.
11 For the modern revival of Orthodox theology, see Binns, An Introduction to the Christian Orthodox Churches, 86–96.
12 Concerning the Orthodox churches in the diaspora, see Ware, The Orthodox Church, 172–87.
13 Concerning the studies of Zizioulas, see Barbu, ‘Secondary Works on John Zizioulas’, 197–201.
14 Ware, The Orthodox Church, 191.
15 Notable studies authored by Chinese theologians include: Lee, The Church as Person in the Theologies of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, John Zizioulas and Jürgen Moltmann; and, Au, The Eucharist as a Countercultural Liturgy.
16 See: Clendenin, Eastern Orthodox Christianity: A Western Perspective, 161–77.
17 In addition to the Western theologians being converted or ‘homecoming’ to Orthodox churches, e.g. Jaroslav Pelikan (1923–2006) from Lutheran and Richard Swinburne from Anglican backgrounds respectively, there are also Western theologians, e.g. Amos Yong from a Pentecostal background, who openly admit their indebtedness to the Orthodox theological approach. See: Yong, Spirit-Word-Community, ix.
18 See: Schwöbel, ed., ‘Introduction – The Renaissance of Trinitarian Theology’, esp. 3–7, 15–19.
19 See: Russell, The Doctrine of Deification in the Greek Patristic Tradition. Chinese translation published in 2014.
20 For example: Mantzaridis, The Deification of Man; Nellas, Deification in Christ.
21 Christensen and Wittung, eds., Partakers of the Divine Nature. Chinese translation published in 2016.
22 Ware, The Orthodox Church, 195–207.
23 Ibid., 235.
24 See His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Encountering Mystery: Understanding Orthodox Christianity Today.
25 See: Limouris, ed., Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation.
26 For example, Jenkins, Ecologies of Grace, includes two chapters related to Orthodox theology, especially the relevance of the Orthodox doctrine of deification to the development of ecological spirituality: ‘After Maximus: Ecological Spirituality and Cosmic Deification’ (189–205) and ‘Thinking Like a Transfigured Mountain: Sergei Bulgakov’s Wisdom Ecology’ (207–25).
27 Nesteruk, Light from the East.
28 See Breck and Breck, Stages on Life’s Way.
29 See: Welker, ed., The Spirit in Creation and New Creation; also, Clayton and Peacocke, eds., In Whom We Live and Move and Have Our Being, which includes and groups three chapters authored by Orthodox theologians, including Kallistos Ware, Alexei V. Nesteruk and Andrew Louth, to represent the ‘Eastern Orthodox’ perspective.
30 See: Deane-Drummond, Creation Through Wisdom, 73–111.
31 Recent studies include: Papanikolaou, ‘Orthodoxy, Postmodernity, and Ecumenism’; Rochelle, ‘Apophatic Preaching and the Postmodern Mind’.
32 Yannaras, Orthodoxy and the West.
33 Yannaras, On the Absence and Unknowability of God.
34 Yannaras, Postmodern Metaphysics.
35 See: Khodr, ‘The Economy of the Holy Spirit’. Khodr’s view is referred to, for example, in: Yong, Discerning the Spirit(s); and McDermott and Netland, A Trinitarian Theology of Religions.
36 Lai, Towards a Trinitarian Theology of Religions,37–42.
37 Michael Oleksa, ‘All Things New: An Orthodox Theological Reflection on Interfaith Dialogue’, 122–36.
38 See, for details, Valea, Buddhist-Christian Dialogue as Theological Exchange.
39 See: Hieromonk Damascene, Christ the Eternal Tao; also, Luo man nuo fu (Alexandre Lomanov), ‘Ru jia si jia yu e luo si di ling xing chuan tong’ [Confucian thought and Russian spiritual tradition], 75–95.
40 Xie Fuya, ‘Dao lun’ [Introduction], 22–3.
41 Ibid., 40.
42 Lai Pinchao and Lin Hongxing, Ru ye dui hua yu sheng tai guan huai [Confucian-Christian dialogue and ecological concern], 1–42.
43 Pan-chiu Lai, ‘Christian Transformation of Greek Humanism and its Implications for Christian-Confucian Dialogue’, 245–69.
44 Pan-chiu Lai, ‘Shaping Humanity with Word and Spirit’. A Chinese version of this essay is included in: Lai, Guang chang shang de Han yu shen xue, chapter 8, 193–216.
45 Chow, Theosis, Sino-Christian Theology and the Second Chinese Enlightenment. Chinese translation published in 2015.
46 See Lai, ‘Reconsidering the Christian Understanding of Universal Salvation’, 19–42.
47 See Alfeyev, Christ the Conqueror of Hell,213–18; cf. Lai, ‘Reconsidering the Christian Understanding of Universal Salvation in Mahayana Buddhist Perspective’, 37.
48 Ware, The Orthodox Church, 262; cf. Lai, ‘Reconsidering the Christian Understanding of Universal Salvation’, 37.
49 See for details: Bishop Kallistos Ware, ‘Dare We Hope for the Salvation of All?’, in The Inner Kingdom,193–215; cf. Lai, ‘Reconsidering the Christian Understanding of Universal Salvation’, 38.
50 Isaac the Syrian, Mystic Treatises, 341; cf. Ware, The Orthodox Church, 262; Lai, ‘Reconsidering the Christian Understanding of Universal Salvation’, 38.
51 Lai, ‘Reconsidering the Christian Understanding of Universal Salvation in Mahayana Buddhist Perspective’, 38.
52 Ibid., 40.
53 Yong, Pneumatology and the Christian-Buddhist Dialogue, 107–30.
54 Ibid., 131–58.
55 For the thought of Zhang Chun-yi, especially his pneumatology and Buddhist-Christian studies, see: Lai and So, ‘Zhang Chun-yi’s Buddhist-Christian Pneumatology’; also, Lai and So, ‘Mahayana Interpretation of Christianity: A Case Study of Zhang Chunyi (1871–1955)’.
56 Lai Pinchao, ‘Sheng tai shen xue’ [Ecological theology], in Xin shi ji di shen xue yi cheng, xia ce [Theology for the new century, vol. 2].
57 Lai and Lin, Ru ye dui hua yu sheng tai guan huai, 283–308, especially 287 and 303–4.
58 For example, Paulos Mar Gregorios (1922–1996), the then Syrian Orthodox Metropolitan of New Delhi, published rather extensively on patristic theology as well as issues related to science, technology and ecology. See, for instance: Gregorios, Cosmic Man–The Divine Presence:The Theology of St. Gregory of Nyssa (ca. 330 to 395 A.D.); The Human Presence: Ecological Spirituality and the Age of Spirit; and A Light Too Bright – The Enlightenment Today: An Assessment of the Values of the European Enlightenment and a Search for New Foundations.
59 Lai, ‘Christian-Confucian Dialogue on Humanity: An Ecological Perspective, Studies in Interreligious Dialogue’, 211.
60 Huang, Confronting Confucian Understandings of the Christian Doctrine of Salvation,195–7. Chinese translation published in 2009.
61 For instance, Redse, ‘Justification by Grace Alone’ Facing Confucian Self-Cultivation.
62 See Braaten and Jenson, eds., Union with Christ; also, Schumacher, Who Do I Say That You Are.
63 See: Kärkkäinen, One with God; also, Cooper, Christification.
64 In his book, Huang did mention briefly Tuomo Mannermaa’s interpretation of Luther. See Huang, Confronting Confucian Understandings of the Christian Doctrine of Salvation, 262–3.
65 Liu Xiaofeng, ‘Zhong yi ben dao yan’ [Introduction to the Chinese edition], Luo si ji (Vladimir Lossky), Dong zheng jiao shen xue dao lun [Orthodox theology: an introduction], 28.
66 How and to what extent Barth’s understanding of participation in Christ differs from the Orthodox doctrine of deification remains a controversial issue in Barthian scholarship. See McCormack, Orthodox and Modern: Studies in the Theology of Karl Barth, 235–60; Neder, Participation in Christ, 86–92; and, Zhang Shaobo, ‘Zheng jiao di cheng shen jiao yi yu ba te shen xue’ [Orthodox doctrine of theosis and Barth’s theology].
67 For a critique of Liu’s criticism of Orthodox mystical theology, see: Lai, ‘Zhong yi ben dao yan’ [Introduction to the Chinese edition], in Mei yan duo fu (John Meyendorff), Bai zhan ting shen xue zhong di ji du [Christ in Eastern Christian thought], especially xxvi–xxxv. This essay is reprinted in: Lai, Guang chang shang de Han yu shen xue, chapter 6, 145–68.
68 Chen Zuoren, ‘Zhong yi ben dao yan’ [Introduction to the Chinese edition], in [Tuo ming] Di ao ni xiu si [Pseudo-Dionysius], Shen mi shen xue [Mystical theology], 23–6.
69 Marion, God Without Being.
70 Chen, ‘Zhong yi ben dao yan’, 26–9.
71 Ibid., 20–3.
72 Louth, Denys the Areopagite, 104–9.
73 Yannaras, On the Absence and Unknowability of God, 83–110.
74 For example, Xu Fenglin, E luo si zong jiao zhe xue [Russian philosophy of religion].
75 For example: Li Bingquan, Ma xi weng, Ji zhou la si he ke fu ben ti – shen xue wen ti [Jean-Luc Marcion, John Zizioulas and the problem of overcoming onto-theology].
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Pan-chiu Lai
Pan-chiu Lai (PhD, King’s College London, 1991) is Faculty Dean of Arts & Professor of Religious Studies in the Chinese University of Hong Kong. His research interests include Inter-religious dialogue, Christianity and Chinese culture, and modern Christian thought. The most recent of his many published books are Confucian-Christian Dialogue and Ecological Concern (2006, in Chinese, co-authored with Lin Hongxing); Sino-Christian Theology in the Public Square (in Chinese, 2014); and Mahayana Christian Theology (in Chinese, 2011); his edited or co-edited works include Sino-Christian Theology: a Theological qua Cultural Movement in Contemporary China (with Jason Lam, 2010) and History of the Exchange between Chinese and Foreign Religions in the Perspective of Globalisation of Culture (in Chinese, 2018). The journals on whose editorial board he serves include Studies in Inter-religious Dialogue, Ching Feng: a Journal on Christianity and Chinese Religion and Culture, and International Journal of Sino-Western Studies.