
Protestant Missionaries in China
Robert Morrison and Early Sinology
Jonathan A. Seitz(Author)
University of Notre Dame Press
Published on 15. March 2024
Book
Hardback
252 pages
978-0-268-20804-2 (ISBN)
Description
With a focus on Robert Morrison, Protestant Missionaries in China evaluates the role of nineteenth-century British missionaries in the early development of the cross-cultural relationship between China and the English-speaking world.
As one of the first generation of British Protestant missionaries, Robert Morrison went to China in 1807 with the goal of evangelizing the country. His mission pushed him into deeper engagement with Chinese language and culture, and the exchange flowed both ways as Morrison-a working-class man whose firsthand experiences made him an "accidental expert"-brought depictions of China back to eager British audiences. Author Jonathan A. Seitz proposes that, despite the limitations imposed by the orientalism impulse of the era, Morrison and his fellow missionaries were instrumental in creating a new map of cross-cultural engagement that would evolve, ultimately, into modern sinology.
Engaging and well researched, Protestant Missionaries in China explores the impact of Morrison and his contemporaries on early sinology, mission work, and Chinese Christianity during the three decades before the start of the Opium Wars.
As one of the first generation of British Protestant missionaries, Robert Morrison went to China in 1807 with the goal of evangelizing the country. His mission pushed him into deeper engagement with Chinese language and culture, and the exchange flowed both ways as Morrison-a working-class man whose firsthand experiences made him an "accidental expert"-brought depictions of China back to eager British audiences. Author Jonathan A. Seitz proposes that, despite the limitations imposed by the orientalism impulse of the era, Morrison and his fellow missionaries were instrumental in creating a new map of cross-cultural engagement that would evolve, ultimately, into modern sinology.
Engaging and well researched, Protestant Missionaries in China explores the impact of Morrison and his contemporaries on early sinology, mission work, and Chinese Christianity during the three decades before the start of the Opium Wars.
Reviews / Votes
"Protestant Missionaries in China adds a new dimension to evaluating the translation and publishing ministry of Robert Morrison, and its analytical insights should throw light on the contemporary debate about different forms of the 'Sinification of Christianity.'" -Joseph Tse-Hei Lee, editor of Christianizing South China"Jonathan A. Seitz's book is a much-needed and timely study that seeks to critically understand the ideas of the earliest Protestant missionaries to China." -Christopher A. Daily, author of Robert Morrison and the Protestant Plan for China
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Notre Dame IN
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Illustrations
6 b&w illustrations - 6 Illustrations, black and white - 1 Index - 1 Bibliography
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 18 mm
Weight
521 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-268-20804-2 (9780268208042)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
03/2024
1st Edition
University of Notre Dame Press
from
€134.99
Available for download

E-Book
03/2024
1st Edition
University of Notre Dame Press
€134.99
Available for download
Person
Jonathan A. Seitz is associate professor at Taiwan Graduate School of Theology in Taipei, Taiwan, and a mission co-worker with the Presbyterian Church (USA). He is the editor of George Hunter McNeur's Liang A-Fa: China's First Preacher, 1789-1855.
Content
Abbreviations
Acknowledgements
Language Conventions
Figures (Illustrations and Tables)
1. Knowing China
2. Studying China in London
3. Translating Scripture, Writing Theology, Publishing Tracts
4. Missionary Authority and Contested Translations: The Classic, the Bible, the Dictionary
5. The Missionary Journals, Chinese and English
6. China for Foreigners: Children, Churches, and Consuls
7. Conclusion: Sinological Lineages
Glossary
Bibliography
Acknowledgements
Language Conventions
Figures (Illustrations and Tables)
1. Knowing China
2. Studying China in London
3. Translating Scripture, Writing Theology, Publishing Tracts
4. Missionary Authority and Contested Translations: The Classic, the Bible, the Dictionary
5. The Missionary Journals, Chinese and English
6. China for Foreigners: Children, Churches, and Consuls
7. Conclusion: Sinological Lineages
Glossary
Bibliography