Choong Chee Pang's John (I) and (II), with a Reflection on the Publications of Chinese Bible Commentaries

Choong Chee Pang's John (I) and (II),with a Reflection on the Publications of Chinese Bible Commentaries

Poling J. SUN

Choong Chee Pang's commentaries on the Gospel of John, published by Tien Dao Publishing House, is by far the most comprehensive Chinese commentary on the Gospel. The fact that it is a two-volume set and that it is part of the wider Tien Dao Bible Commentary Series itself demonstrates a keen interest among Chinese Christian communities in understanding Biblical books.

While affirming this aspiration this review indicates that there is a distance before the balance of academic excellence and practical interest is attained. This review locates Choong's John (I) & (II) in the context of contemporary studies in the Gospel of John and suggests that, despite helpful information and notes, the commentaries fall short of achieving the balance.

This review argues that Choong's books reveal deeper and larger questions that limit Chinese theological publications. The lack of resources in developing and securing editorial colleagues results in an unsatisfactory editing and polishing procedures which, in turn, resulted in dubious editing strategy. The call for practical and contextualized reading for Chinese communities was given too soon and resulted in superficial attempts. The commentaries often overlook the text in its original contexts. The subtle interactions between academic findings and theories often lead to a negligence of the significance of biblical narratives and an apologetic reading of the texts. Such a reading falls short of expounding the biblical texts on the one hand; on the other hand, it casts unnecessary doubt on the academic effort, which could only do harm to theological education in the long run.