Science, Religion(s), and Spirit(s) in China : A Constructive Chinese Theology of Creation Based on Jingjiao’s Qi-tological Theology / Jacob Chengwei Feng.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Chengwei, Feng, Jacob, author.

Series:

Religious Studies, Theology and Philosophy E-Books Online, Collection 2026.

Theology and Mission in World Christianity ; 43.

Religious Studies, Theology and Philosophy E-Books Online, Collection 2026

Theology and Mission in World Christianity ; 43

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Assyrian Church of the East--China--History.

Assyrian Church of the East.

Theology and World Christianity.

China--Church history.

China.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (400 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Other Title:

A Constructive Chinese Theology of Creation Based on Jingjiao’s Qi-tological Theology

Place of Publication:

Leiden ; Boston : Brill, 2026.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

What happens when the earliest Christian missionaries to China encounter advanced Tang science, Daoism, and the power of qi? This groundbreaking book takes you inside the lost world of Jingjiao—the Luminous Teaching/Religion—uncovering how these East Syriac missionaries expressed the Holy Spirit through Chinese metaphors of breath and wind. With a fresh English translation of the full Tang Jingjiao corpus—some never before translated with such nuance—you explore a rich constructive theology of creation shaped by interreligious dialogue and scientific insight. Blending theology, Daoism, and Quantum Field Theory, the book introduces Embodied Critical Realism as a bold new method for theology-science-religion trialogue. Read it—and rethink Chinese theology for the third millennium.

Contents:

Front Cover

Half Title

Series Information

Title Page

Copyright Page

Contents

Foreword

Acknowledgments

Figures and Tables

Abbreviations

Chapter 1 Introduction

1.1 Motivation for Research

1.2 Argument and Method of the Study

1.3 Academic Significance

1.4 Personal Relevance and Significance for North American Christianity

1.5 Previous Research on the Chinese Theology and Interaction with Science and Religions

1.6 Plan of Study

Chapter 2 Background: Jingjiao, Religion, Science, Chinese Theology, Qi, and Metaphors

2.1 Jingjiao in the Tang Dynasty

2.1.1 Brief Overview of the Church of the East

2.1.2 Tang Jingjiao Corpus

2.1.3 A New English Translation

2.2 Tang Dynasty, Its Science, and Religions

2.2.1 Brief Overview of the Tang Dynasty

2.2.2 Chinese Religions

2.3 Science in the Chinese Context: Past and Present

2.4 Chinese Theology

2.5 Qi: Key Views in Ancient China until the Tang Dynasty

2.6 Metaphors: Definition and Identification

Chapter 3 Jingjiao's Qi-tological Theology of Creation

3.1 Exegeting Qi and the Holy Spirit in the Tang Jingjiao Corpus

3.2 Jingjiao's Doctrine of Creation through Textual Analysis

3.2.1 Stele

3.2.2 Discourse

3.2.3 Mediator

3.2.4 Blessedness

3.2.5 Origin

3.2.6 Holy Spirit and Qi in Jingjiao's Qi-tological Theology of Creation

3.3 Metaphors for the Triune God in Jingjiao

3.3.1 The Father

3.3.2 The Son

3.3.3 The Holy Spirit and Qi as Her Core Metaphor

3.4 The Creature: Jingjiao's Qi-tological Anthropology

3.4.1 Original Sin? Or Original Goodness of Human Nature?

3.4.2 Integral-Tripartite Anthropology

3.5 Summary

Chapter 4 Scientifically and Interreligiously Engaged Missional Strategy of Jingjiao

4.1 The Church of the East's Engagement with Science and Religious Others.

4.1.1 School of Edessa, or School of the Persians (5th Century)

4.1.2 School of Nisibis

4.1.3 The Translation Movement during the Early Arab Rule

4.2 Jingjiao's Intellectual and Theological Continuity with the Church of the East

4.2.1 In Greek Learning, Science, and Technology

4.2.2 In Theological Anthropology with a Special Emphasis on the Human Spirit

4.2.3 In Multilingual Skills Useful for the State's Translation Project and Inter-faith Dialogue

4.3 Jingjiao's Missional Strategy

4.3.1 Mission as Monasticism

4.3.2 Mission as Scientific Learning and Technological Cultivation

4.3.3 Inter-courtly Mission through Science and Technology

4.3.4 Mission as Interfaith Dialogue

4.4 Theological Roots of Jingjiao's Qi-tological Theology of Creation

4.4.1 Theology of Science (and Technology)

4.4.2 Missional Pneumatology with the Spirit Setting the World Aflame and Energizing Martyrdom

4.4.3 Pioneering Ecclesiology

4.4.4 Utilizing Cultural Metaphors in Theological Imagination

4.5 Summary

Chapter 5 Jingjiao-Science-Daoism Trialogue

5.1 Why Choose Daoism as Jingjiao's Dialogue Partner?

5.1.1 Daoist Contribution to Science and Technology

5.1.2 Daoism Most Conducive to Science and Technology among the Three Religions

5.1.3 Daoism as Jingjiao's Prospective Partner

5.1.4 Daoist and Jingjiao's Common Interests towards Nature for Scientific Exploration

5.2 Characterizing the Daoism-Jingjiao-Science Triadic Relationship

5.2.1 Relationship Represented Metaphorically

5.2.2 Relationship Represented Terminologically

5.2.3 Relationship Represented Qi-tologically

5.2.3.1 Qi in Daoist and Jingjiao's Cosmologies

5.2.3.2 Qi and Spirit in Daoist and Jingjiao's Anthropologies

5.2.3.3 Qi and Spirit in Daoist and Jingjiao's Immortality through Divinization.

5.3 Daoism and Jingjiao in Comparison Regarding Science

5.4 Summary

Chapter 6 Metaphors and Embodied Critical Realism for Theology-Science-Religion Trialogue

6.1 Metaphors, Embodiment, and Cognitive Linguistics

6.2 Metaphors in Science, Religion, and Theology

6.3 Enhanced Understanding of Metaphors Based on Jingjiao's Qi-tological Theology of Creation

6.3.1 Primary Metaphor: Knowing Is Sensing Qi

6.3.2 Conceptual Metaphor: the Holy Spirit Is Qi

6.3.3 Generalization of Conceptual Metaphors of Qi in Jingjiao's Qi-tological Theology of Creation

6.4 A Proposal of Embodied Critical Realism for Theology-Science-Religion Trialogue

6.4.1 Critiquing a Paradigm of Critical Realism (CR) Constructively

6.4.1.1 Critiquing CR from the Perspective of Cognitive Science

6.4.1.2 Critiquing CR from the Perspective of Chinese Philosophy

6.4.2 Embodied Critical Realism (ECR)

6.5 Summary

Chapter 7 Toward a Constructive Chinese Theology of Creation

7.1 Nature in the Ancient Near East and Chinese Contexts in Light of ECR

7.1.1 Nature in the Hebrew and Other Ancient Near East Contexts

7.1.2 Nature in the Ancient Chinese and Daoist Contexts

7.1.3 Nature and Tianren heyi with Qi as Its Central Metaphor

7.2 Nature as God's Creation: a Theological Understanding

7.3 A Qi-pneumatological Trinitarian Theology of Creation

7.3.1 Yishen (the One God) as an Eternal Communion of Tianzun, Yishu, and Tianzun Qi

7.3.2 Creation by the Honored One of Heaven

7.3.3 The Cosmic Role of Christ as Yishu in Creation

7.3.4 The Spirit as Tianzun Qi

7.3.4.1 The Qi-Pneumatological Theology of Creation in Dialogue with Amos Yong

7.3.4.2 The Qi-Pneumatological Theology of Creation Interacting with Metaphors of Field and Qi

7.3.4.3 The Qi-Pneumatological Theology of Creation in Theology-Science-Religion Trialogue.

7.3.4.4 The Qi-Pneumatological Theology of Creation: Implementing ECR

7.3.4.5 The Entire Cosmos as the Scope of Operation for Spirit as Tianzun Qi

7.4 The Creature: Theological Anthropology

7.5 The Creator: Cognitive Science and the Doctrine of God

7.6 Summary

Chapter 8 Conclusion

8.1 Key Findings and Contributions

8.2 Challenges and Obstacles

8.3 Directions into the Future

Appendix Tang Jingjiao Documents with a New English Translation in Parallel

A.1 Stele of the Diffusion of Daqin Jingjiao in China and Preface (Stele) / 大秦景教流 中国碑并序 碑

A.2 Hymn in Praise of the Salvation Achieved through the Three Majesties of Jingjiao (Praise) / 景教三威 度

A.3 Honored Persons and Sacred Books (Honored) / 尊经 尊

A.4 Discourse on the One God (Discourse) / 一神

A.5 Book of the Righteous Meditator (Mediator) / 序听 所经 序

A.6 Book on Profound and Mysterious Blessedness (Blessedness) / 志玄安乐经 志

A.7 Book of Daqin Jingjiao on Revealing the Origin and the Deepest Foundation (Combined Collation of the Book of Daqin Jingjiao on Revealing the Origin and the Deepest Foundation Carved on the Luoyang Pillar and the Dunhuang Manuscript of Book of Daqin Ji

Bibliography

Subject Index

Scripture Index

Tang Jingjiao Corpus Index

Back Cover.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

90-04-74957-8

9789004749573

OCLC:

1561175448

Publisher Number:

10.1163/9789004749573 DOI