中文聖經第一次修訂與爭議

The First Revision of the Chinese Bible and the Controversy it Unleashed

10.29912/CTR.201203.0001

蘇精(Ching Su)

聖經翻譯 ； 麥都思 ； 裨治文 ； 馬儒翰 ； Bible translation ； Walter H. Medhurst ； Elijah C. Bridgman ； John R. Morrison

編譯論叢

5卷1期（2012 / 03 / 01）

1 - 40

繁體中文

馬禮遜翻譯的第一部全本中文聖經出版於1823年，他在1834年過世後，這部聖經立即經歷了由倫敦傳教會傳教士麥都思主導的徹底修訂。修訂的目的在準備一部華人易懂願讀的新版本，以取代因直譯而缺乏可讀性的馬禮遜舊版。但是，修訂版卻在麥都思和同會其他未參與修訂的傳教士之間引發爭議，結果導致英國聖經公會拒絕認可和補助修訂版，因為修訂版被批評是改寫而非翻譯，這項修訂工作也被認為是對基督新教最早將福音帶到中國的傳教士馬禮遜的冒犯和貶抑。

The first complete Chinese Bible, translated by the Protestant missionary Robert Morrison and published in 1823, was given a thorough revision soon after his death in 1834. The group translation was led by W. H. Medhurst, a missionary of the London Missionary Society. The objective was to replace Morrison’s version, which was thought to be a literal translation lacking readability, with an intelligible new version acceptable to Chinese people. However, the new revision caused a controversy over the principles of translation between Medhurst and his brothers in the London Missionary Society who were not involved in the revision project. Because of this controversy, the British and Foreign Bible Society refused to acknowledge and give patronage to the project, because the revised version was criticized as paraphrasing rather than translating-a presumptuous and irreverent act.

1. Medhurst, W. H. (1838). China: Its State and Prospects. London: John Snow.
2. Morrison, E.A. (1839). Memoirs of the Life and Labours of Robert Morrison. London: Longman.
3. Medhurst, W. H. (1837). Documents Relating to the Proposed New Chinese Translation of the Holy Scriptures. London: London Missionary Society.
4. Papers of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions.
5. Davies, E. (1846). Memoir of the Rev. Samuel Dyer. London: John Snow.
6. London Missionary Society Archives.
7. Papers of Robert Morrison at Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine, London.
8. Hanan, P.(2003).The Bible as Chinese Literature: Medhurst, Wang Tao, and the Delegates' Version,.Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies,63(1),197-239.
9. Zetzsche, J. O.(1999).The Bible in China: The History of the Union Version or the Culmination of Protestant Missionary Bible Translation in China.Sankt Augustin:Monumenta Serica Institute.
10. 張陳一萍、戴紹曾(2009)。雖至於死─台約爾傳。香港:海外基督使團。

1. 黎子鵬,李聰(2021)。郭實獵「新文學」的宗教文學思想與啟蒙意圖。政大中文學報，36，185-222。
2. 潘鳳娟(2016)。介於經典與蒙書之間的民間教材－裨治文與中西教育脈絡中的《孝經》翻譯。漢學研究，34(4)，235-262。
3. 鄭海娟(2014)。文本之網：《古新聖經》與前後代《聖經》漢譯本之關係。清華中文學報，11，261-298。
4. (2023)。漢譯聖經附註釋的發展－1803-1919。華人宗教研究，22，103-153。