| |
encountered each other since ancient times. These contacts have been at the origin of the study of religious traditions, a research topic that has already a long pluri-secular history in the Western academic world. It is fortunate that it has also recently acquired in China a new vitality—not only in the academic world. This section illustrates the point by offering two different, yet complementary contributions. Liu Ping, of the Department of Religion at Fudan University, Shanghai, documents first the recent development and the difficulties of the Biblical studies; he focuses on the Old Testament of the Bible. The varieties of publications over three decades show the progression of the research of many scholars and the gaps that need to be filled in the future. Such being the setting of Biblical studies in China, the second contribution, by You Xilin, of the Institute of Cultural-Christian Studies, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an, reflects on the core relation, in the Christian faith of the New Testament, between what is seen in a sign, presented by Jesus, and what is unseen, its meaning understood by faith.
The Editor |
