Reception of the Bible during the Eighteenth Century

Abstract

The scholarly examination of the significance of the first Korean Christian community founded by Confucian scholars sheds new light for both interreligious dialogue and biblical studies. This chapter demonstrates that the development of early Christian communities, which started in the eighteenth century, is a result of these scholarly endeavors to seek an alternative to feudal society. It reveals how biblical concepts like the Children of God contributed to transforming Confucian concepts such as filial piety and the Will of Heaven to create a more equal society through a sociopolitical impact. This chapter also highlights how the first Korean Gospel, Sung-kyung-jik-hae-gwang-ik (The Interpretation of the Bible and Its Meaning), was formed by these scholars. It empowered laypeople, who suffered cruel persecutions over many decades, to foster a compassionate and egalitarian Christian society known as the “Village of Friends.”