Research Article
The Missionaries` Experience and Viewpoints about the Great Persecution of Yang Guang Xian
Sogang Institute for East Asian Studies, Sogang University
Published: February 2013 · Vol. 32 No. 1 · pp. 187-219
DOI: https://doi.org/10.33334/sieas.2013.32.1.187
Full Text
Abstract
Relatively fewer studies have been done on the experience of the missionaries during the great persecution of Yang Guang Xian. This study focuses on the missionaries` experience and viewpoints through the records of missionaries themselves and Chinese Christians. Missionaries` records show that they viewed the persecution from Christian perspective, and kept great hope and expectation for Christian missions in China. Some of them showed willingness to accept martyrdom. They not only continued their mission work as much as possible, focusing on the faithfulness of Chinese believers, but also prepared for the future by translating the Four Books into Latin. The writings of Chinese Christians show that the missionaries emphasized Jesus`s death on the cross as the core of Christian faith even after the persecution. The missionaries` view on the persecution is closely related to their belief in God`s judgment after death. Missionaries` response to the persecution adds another dimension to our understanding of the Yang Guang Xian persecution.
