earticle

영어

This paper focuses on the essay collection Women in the Bible by Japanese writer Shusaku Endo and the “Women in the Bible” series by Chinese-American female writer Shi Wei. By comparing the differences and similarities between the two works, this study aims to illuminate their respective creative characteristics and further explore the varying approaches of Japanese and Chinese Christian literature in interpreting the Bible. Endo portrays eleven women, including the prostitute who wet Christ’s feet with her tears, Veronica who wiped Christ’s blood-stained face with a cloth, the hemorrhaging woman, the maid of the high priest Caiaphas, Herodias who seduced the ruler Herod, Salome (Herodias’ daughter who gained John the Baptist’s head), Mary Magdalene, Martha as an archetype of a good wife and wise mother, the wife of the Roman governor Pilate, the Virgin Mary, and additionally, the Virgin of Lourdes. Endo explores their interactions with Christ and develops a humanistic perspective on the “solidarity of suffering.” In contrast, Shi Wei selects four women?Mary of Bethany, Mary Magdalene, the Samaritan woman, and the bent woman?and provides detailed depictions of individuals who are only briefly mentioned in the Bible, effectively giving voice to their inner pain and desires. The creative perspectives of the two authors align closely with their differing literary concerns. Endo focuses on an emotional solidarity between women and Christ, portraying Him as the sole figure capable of understanding women’s pain and sorrow. The only woman not granted Christ’s salvation is Herodias, who is indifferent to the suffering of others?a reflection of Endo's portrayal of Christ as a "companion in shared suffering." Shi Wei, however, takes a bolder approach, expressing the women’s emotions towards Jesus as intense, passionate, and enduring. While immersed in dire circumstances, these women perceive Jesus as the object of their ultimate self-realization.