earticle

영어

Wu Leichuan is one of representative Chinese thinkers of Christianity and educators in Republican China. He applied traditional understanding of Chinese classics to the historical conditions of the time China faced to formulate a unique, original Chinese way of theorizing Christian thought. Wu Leichuan attempted to compare the concepts of the "holy spirit" and "benevolence (ren)", and "prayer" and " theory of self-cultivation", and to analyze the distinction between the Bible and Confucian classics. While Wu's theory of Christianity focuses on "self- cultivation," he put forth such stances as "on respecting God" or "on "keeping the pure of heart.' Wu took these as a way of self-cultivation and drew an analogy with the prayer of Christianity, thus centering on self-reflection and self-cultivation. Wu's comparative perspective, indeed, embraces not only Mozi's "universal love)" and Buddhism, but also Confucian concepts such as "benevolence" "heaven (Tian)", and "human nature (Xing)." By encompassing and comparing these concepts with their Christian counterparts such as " the Holy Spirit" " Do onto others as you would have them do to you" and " Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you." Wu attempted to fuse Christianity- inspired understanding with his well-grounded understanding of Confucianism. During the period of Republican China in the 1900s, Wu traversed what appears to be the two extremes: the Asian ethical thought and its Western counterpart and attempted to engage the two lines of ethics. And his ultimate purpose was to constitute a new ethical view and render it instrumental in the service of building a new China. Rather than being oriented toward metaphysical and theoretical inclinations, the distinction of Wu's theory of Christianity lies in its focus on correlating specific and practical teachings with real, ordinary lives. Wu's theory of Christianity, thought to be fused with Confucian self- cultivation, may be construed as a compelling theory of social ethics according to which the Christianity as a frame of social ethics is expected to play a certain measure of pragmatic role.

한국어

오뢰천(吳雷川)은 20세기 중국의 대표적인 기독교사상가, 교육자로서 동양 고전과 기독교 사상을 중국의 역사적 상황에 녹여 내어 매우 독창적인 중국 기독교 사상을 형성했다. 오뢰천은 성령와 인( 仁)의 개념, 기도(祈禱)와 유교의 수양론을 유비하고, 성경과 유교경전의 특징 등을 비교했었다. 오 뢰천은 ‘도를 닦음(修道)’을 중요시하며 “주경(主敬)”, “주정(主静)”설을 제출하였다. 오뢰천은 이것 을 도덕 수양의 방법으로 간주하며 기독교의 기도와 비교하여 착안점을 자기 반성, 자기 수양에 두 었다. 오뢰천은 불교, 墨子의 “兼愛”만이 아니라, 공자의 “仁”, “天”, “性”개념과 기독교의 “聖靈” “자기를 사랑하듯 남을 사랑하라”, “원수를 사랑하라” 등의 교리를 연결하여 설명했다. 1910년대에서 1040 년대까지 오뢰천은 동서 윤리사상 사이를 횡단하면서 매개하고 새로운 윤리관을 구축하여 중국의 신사회건설에 이바지하려고 했다. 오뢰천의 기독론은 형이상학적이고 이론적인 설명보다 실제 생활과 연관된 구체적인 가르침과 실 천적인 언급을 위주로 하고 있다. 유가의 수양론과 결합시킨 오뢰천의 기독론은 사회 윤리로서 기 독교의 실천적 역할을 부각시킨 것이라고 평가된다.