Ecumenical Venture and Chinese Bible Translation in the Aftermath of Vatican II

Abstract

In this paper, the author examines, from a personal perspective, the impact of the Second Vatican Council (1963-65) on the ecumenical scene with respect to Catholic-Orthodox-Protestant collaboration in ecumenism, Bible translation in the vernacular and interpretation of the Bible in context. The significant role played by the document Dei Verbum (The Word of God) in the subsequent development is presented and discussed with reference to the emergence of various local Bible study groups and the joint project on the translation of the Bible into Chinese. Attention is also drawn to the development of Asian theologies in various countries in Asia in the past 50 years for the contextual interpretation of the divine word in the daily living of Asian Christians. One of the breakthroughs in theological reflection is the liberation of the Bible from rigid traditional and confessional approaches and the recognition of the due value of various contemporary text-critical and historical methods of Bible study.