Translations
Ames, Roger T., and Henry Rosemont, Jr., The Analects of Confucius: A Philosophical Translation. New York: Ballantine Books, a division of Random House Publishing Company, 1999. Chinese text and English translation with some commentary. Also available in Kindle version.
Chan, Wit-sen, A Source book in Chinese Philosophy. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1963. Translations of key texts with introductions and some commentary.
*Huang, Chichung, The Analects of Confucius: A Literal Translation with an Introduction and Notes. New York: Oxford University Press, 1977. Possibly the best translation of the Analects.
Ivanhoe, Philip, and Bryan W. Van Norden, Readings in Classical Chinese Philosophy. New York: Seven Bridges Press, 2001.
Legge, James, The Chinese Classics, with a translation, critical and exegetical notes, prolegomena, and copious indexes. Volumes I & II, containing the Analects, The Great Learning, The Doctrine of the Mean and The Works of Mencius. Reprinted from the last Oxford edition by Southern Materials Center, Inc., Taipei, Taiwan, 1985. Separate volumes are available in several print and digital versions. The translation is a bit free and outdated but still valuable, especially with the Chinese text in large characters, introduction and commentary.
Confucius
*Chen, Jingpan, Confucius as a Teacher: Philosophy of Confucius with Special Reference to Its Educational Implications. Beijing: Foreign Languages Press, 1990. A marvelous treatment of Confucius’ teaching as well as its relation to the other classics of Confucianism, both before and after Confucius.
Chin, Anping, Confucius: A Life of Thought and Politics. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press, 2008. Meticulously researched account of Confucius’ life, thought and legacy. See a review at http://www.globalchinacenter.org/analysis/chinese-history-culture/confucius-our-contemporary.php.
Confucius and Confucianism
H.G. Creel, Confucius and the Chinese Way. New York: Harper Torchbook, 1960. A standard treatment.
Bell, Daniel A., China’s New Confucianism: Politics and Everyday Life in a Changing Society. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2008. See the review at www.globalchinacenter.org.
Doyle, G. Wright and Peter Yu, China: Ancient Culture, Modern Society. New York: Strategic Book Publishing, 2009. Chapters 17, 18, 27.
Goldin, Paul. R, Confucianism. Berkeley: University of California Press, Ancient Philosophies series, 2011. An extremely helpful, brief introduction to the entire tradition from Confucius to the present.
Confucianism and Christianity
*Chang, Lit-sen, Asia’s Religions: Christianity’s Momentous Encounter with Paganism. China Horizon, distributed by P&R Publishing, Phillipsburg, New Jersey, 1999. Chapters 2 and 3. See the summary of Chang’s treatment of Confucianism in this issue of ChinaSource.
__________, Wise Man from the East: Lit-sen Chang (Zhang Lisheng): Critique of Indigenous Theology; Critique of Humanism. Edited and translated by G. Wright Doyle; Critique of Humanism translated by Samuel Ling. Eugene, Oregon: Pickwick Publications, an imprint of Wipf & Stock, 2013. Chapter 6. See the introduction to this book at http://www.globalchinacenter.org/analysis/christianity-in-china/critique-of-indigenous-chinese-theology.php
Ching, Julia, Confucianism and Christianity: A Comparative Study. New York: Harper and Row, 1977. A wide-ranging introduction from a Roman Catholic point of view.
Covell, Ralph, Confucius, the Buddha, and Christ: A History of the Gospel in Chinese. Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Books, 1986. See the review in this issue of ChinaSource.
Doyle, G. Wright, Reaching Chinese Worldwide. North Carolina: LightMessages, 2013. Discusses “points of contact” between various aspects of Chinese culture (including Confucianism) and Christianity and how Christians might use these as an invitation to dialogue.
*Hancock, Christopher, Christianity and Confucianism: Traditions in Dialogue. Forthcoming.
*Huang, Paulos, Confronting the Confucian Understandings of the Christian Doctrine of Salvation: A systematic theological analysis of the basic problems in the Confucian-Christian dialogue. Leiden: Brill, 2009. A masterful treatment of the similarities and differences between the two views of salvation. See the review in this issue of ChinaSource.
Poceski, Mario, Introducing Chinese Religions. New York: Routledge, 2009. Includes an appendix, glossary, bibliography and index. See a review at http://www.globalchinacenter.org/analysis/christianity-in-china/the-religious-context-of-chinese-christianity-1.php
Ruokanen, Miikka and Paulos Huang, editors, Christianity and Chinese Culture, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2010. See a review at http://www.globalchinacenter.org/analysis/christianity-in-china/book-review-christianity-and-chinese-culture-confucianism.php.
Wen, Haiming, “Confucius: Cultural Sage, Philosopher and Religious Figure,” China Today, February, 2011, 70-72. See a review at http://www.globalchinacenter.org/analysis/christianity-in-china/confucianism-and-christianity-looming-confrontation.php.
Yang, Fenggang, Chinese Christians in America: Conversion, Assimilation and Adhesive Identities, University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1999.
Yao, Xinzhong, Confucianism and Christianity: A Comparative Study of Jen and Agape. Brighton, England: Sussex Academic Press (distributed in the United States by International Specialized Book Services, Inc., Portland, Oregon), 1997. A very detailed, careful and helpful comparison of these two traditions’ teaching on the heart of ethics. Bottom line: despite similarities, Confucianism is essentially humanistic while Christianity is theistic.
* Especially recommended
Image Credit: Joann Pittman
