Much discussions on the writing-translation motivation of Legge is evangelical. I suggest to reconsider the writing motivation of Legge from author-reader a prior.
Choosing The Story of Abraham is not only to consider the publication year of 1857 which can have parallel reading with his The Notions of the Chinese Concerning God and Spirits, but also we can identify the identity of Legge as co-author-translator-interpreter. A brief introduction of The Story of Abraham is needed. After that, I only stress on the Legge’s usage of shang-te and shin in his writing since the usage is our immediate concern.
Adopted the genre of zhanghui xiaoshuo (章回小說), a Ming-Qing Chinese novel, The Story of Abraham consists of a preface and four chapters. …show more content…
Possibly, Legge desired to have a “true translation” of אל、אלהים、יהוה. However, viewed from the Chinese readers, they do not know the different Hebrew terms. What they know is the meaning of the Chinese terms which Legge employed in his writing. Hence, the duty of Legge is beyond translation. Legge rendered his interpretation to introduce the concept of Protestant God to his readers in the section of “author’s comment”. For instance, Legge explained the nature of God in the Abraham test is God of Creator, giving blessings to the creature, and gracious. In Abraham test, God is the giver, hence He Himself has the authority to take it back in his will. He Himself is above the law of nature, so he can return Abraham’s son to Abraham in a supernatural way. Under the Legge’s interpretation, God is supremacy, and omnipotent, and acts according to his will. The action of man is to obey and to fear Him. Such a God matches with the Legge’s understanding of shang-di which connotes supremacy and power. Besides, zhanghui xiaoshuo gives an interpretive-communicative possibility for Legge as an author expounding his ideas to his intended readers, who are Chinese elite. This possibility also helps us to have a better understanding of employing shang-di and shin referring to divinity in his novel. This is the second …show more content…
However, according to Émile Durkheim (1858-1917), a representative of modern sociology in the early 20th century, contended sacred is the concern of the community, while profane is the concern of private and personal realm. Hence, Daniel L. Pals has rightly concluded that Durkheim’s “religious beliefs and rituals are symbolic expressions of social realities”. Durkheim’s religion is always social, and its role is social. In other words, Durkheim’s approach to religion is society a prior. In light of Durkheim’s sacredness, I highlight one subject-matter to discuss with Legge’s religiousness of Confucianism, although there are many possible discussion-subject-matters with
Choosing The Story of Abraham is not only to consider the publication year of 1857 which can have parallel reading with his The Notions of the Chinese Concerning God and Spirits, but also we can identify the identity of Legge as co-author-translator-interpreter. A brief introduction of The Story of Abraham is needed. After that, I only stress on the Legge’s usage of shang-te and shin in his writing since the usage is our immediate concern.
Adopted the genre of zhanghui xiaoshuo (章回小說), a Ming-Qing Chinese novel, The Story of Abraham consists of a preface and four chapters. …show more content…
Possibly, Legge desired to have a “true translation” of אל、אלהים、יהוה. However, viewed from the Chinese readers, they do not know the different Hebrew terms. What they know is the meaning of the Chinese terms which Legge employed in his writing. Hence, the duty of Legge is beyond translation. Legge rendered his interpretation to introduce the concept of Protestant God to his readers in the section of “author’s comment”. For instance, Legge explained the nature of God in the Abraham test is God of Creator, giving blessings to the creature, and gracious. In Abraham test, God is the giver, hence He Himself has the authority to take it back in his will. He Himself is above the law of nature, so he can return Abraham’s son to Abraham in a supernatural way. Under the Legge’s interpretation, God is supremacy, and omnipotent, and acts according to his will. The action of man is to obey and to fear Him. Such a God matches with the Legge’s understanding of shang-di which connotes supremacy and power. Besides, zhanghui xiaoshuo gives an interpretive-communicative possibility for Legge as an author expounding his ideas to his intended readers, who are Chinese elite. This possibility also helps us to have a better understanding of employing shang-di and shin referring to divinity in his novel. This is the second …show more content…
However, according to Émile Durkheim (1858-1917), a representative of modern sociology in the early 20th century, contended sacred is the concern of the community, while profane is the concern of private and personal realm. Hence, Daniel L. Pals has rightly concluded that Durkheim’s “religious beliefs and rituals are symbolic expressions of social realities”. Durkheim’s religion is always social, and its role is social. In other words, Durkheim’s approach to religion is society a prior. In light of Durkheim’s sacredness, I highlight one subject-matter to discuss with Legge’s religiousness of Confucianism, although there are many possible discussion-subject-matters with