Ann Cuian Peng - The Translation of the Bible Into Chinese: The Origin and Unique Authority of the Union Version

A fter completing my MA at the University of Birmingham in 1991 , I attended a one-month course in the Holy Land. One day, we visited a church where, according to legend, Jesus mother Mary had visited Elizabeth. On the wall of the surrounding churchyard, the Magnificat, Marys song of praise, was written in forty-seven languages. Our tutor asked us, a group of twelve people from seven different countries, to find our own language version of the Magnificat and read it aloud in turn. I quickly scanned the various languages on the wall, doubting that I would see Chinese. I was thrilled when my eyes were caught by some Chinese characters. I had learned the Magnificat before ever attending seminary; I could have recited it by heart, and I even knew how to sing it. To my surprise, as I stared at the Chinese characters, I realized that I could not read them easily. Is this really the Chinese version? I wondered as I stuttered over the words. This was my first experience reading biblical verses in a classical style.

A few months later, on my way back to China from England, I had the opportunity to visit the American Bible Society library in New York. Although I am a third generation Christian, I had been unaware that there were other versions of the Chinese Bible besides the Chinese Union Version until I saw the Wenli (classical Chinese) version in the library. I was surprised to learn that there are in fact many Chinese versions of the Bible. How did the Bible come to China and become Chinese? I wondered. At that moment, my desire to study the formation of the Chinese Bible began.

This desire continued to grow during my time as a theology teacher and Director of the Commission on Bible Publication at the China Christian Council . I dreamed that one day I could do more scholarly research to explore the origin of the Chinese Bible. The more I read the Chinese Bible, the stronger this interest grew, especially as I became involved in revising the section headings of the Union Version. Finally, in 2001 , I had the opportunity to return to Birmingham University to fulfill my dream. The present study is the result of that long-cherished aspiration.

As 2019 recently marked the th anniversary of the Chinese Union Version of the Bible, I have been encouraged to make a contribution to the celebration by updating my research on the subject. In honor of those who dedicated their lives to the task of creating the Chinese Union Version, I undertook this project.