Lao Tzu and The Bible

A Meeting Transcending Time and Space

Yuan Zhiming, Translated by Chen Shangyu 

 

Popular book for Chinese Christians celebrates 11th printing with first time English translation 

 

To Order: Lao Tzu and the Bible     Order from Amazon

Hardcover (6x9)   ISBN 9781449091101   $20.00

Paperback (6x9)   ISBN 9781449091088   $15.00

 

To Order: Tao Te Ching: Original Text and A Modern Interpretation     Order Amazon

Hardcover (6x9)    ISBN 9781449091118  $15.00

Paperback (6x9)   ISBN 9781449091095  $10.00

 

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An Illuminated Journey for Seekers of Tao

PETALUMA, Calif. – Six hundred years before the coming of Christ, Lao Tzu authored the Tao Te Ching, a book of few words and profound wisdom. It stands as one of the most renowned classics of Chinese literature and philosophy, appealing to audiences in both the East and the West. 

First published in Chinese in 1997, Lao Tzu and the Bible: A Meeting Transcending Time and Space (published by AuthorHouse) by Yuan Zhiming, became an immediate sensation among Chinese Christians. Now in its 11th printing, it is being made available for even more people with its first English translation by Dr. Chen Shangyu. 

“Translating this book has been a literal dream come true,” said Dr. Chen (from the book). “When I was translating Lao Tzu and the Bible, the words in the book seemed to dance as if alive.” 

By comparing Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching with the Bible, Yuan offers a groundbreaking interpretation of Lao Tzu’s Tao in the light of the Word, or Logos. He juxtaposes Lao Tzu’s “Holy One” with Christ, systematically and thoroughly unveiling the nature and characteristics of the mysterious Tao in a concrete and understandable manner. Yuan’s interpretation shows that Lao Tzu’s Tao (ultimate spiritual reality) finds real fulfillment in the life and ministry of Christ. 

“Lao Tzu, who lived during the 500’s BC, was one of the most profound observers of nature and human life,” said Dr. Paul deVries, president of New York Divinity School (from the preface). “The Bible itself is rooted in the East and loaded with eastern irony and paradox, and thoroughly suspicious of all self-righteous and moralistic religious teaching, as was Lao Tzu.” 

A work of great erudition and wisdom, Lao Tzu and the Bible: A Meeting Transcending Time and Space contains deep insight, opening up the secrets of the Tao while under the illumination of the Bible. This book will surely delight the hearts and minds of seekers of Tao. 

Rev. Yuan Zhiming is an international author, filmmaker and founder of China Soul for Christ Foundation, a nonprofit Christian media corporation where he is also Chief Director. Yuan was born in 1955 in the People’s Republic of China; upon graduation he joined the Chinese Liberation Army and the Chinese Communist Party. After leaving Communist China in 1989, Yuan gave his life to Christ in 1991; and later served as a research scholar and senior editor of Campus Evangelical Fellowship. Yuan, who has authored 11 books and directed three documentaries, continues to preach all over the world, with his sermons drawing thousands of people at a time.

Fo more information, please visit AuthorHouse:  www.authorhouse.com.  

 

About the Book

Has God’s light ever shone on the vast land of China—“Land of God,’ so named by her ancient ancestors?  This book vividly recaptures God’s universal light shown to the Chinese sage Lao Tzu 600 years before Jesus was born.   By comparing Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching with the Bible, Yuan Zhiming offers a ground-breaking interpretation of Lao Tzu’s Tao in light of the Word, or Logos. Yuan Zhiming juxtaposes Lao Tzu’s “Holy One” with Jesus Christ, systematically and thoroughly unveiling the nature and characteristics of the mysterious Tao in a concrete and understandable manner, resolving a riddle of 2,600 years.    

“The text speaks to our time, because so many people believe that mere secular teaching of “morality,” such as Confucius taught, is sufficient, and because what we really need is a deep spiritual awakening, such as Lao Tzu announced.  The profound teaching in Lao Tzu and the Bible enriches the spirit of not only the Chinese people but also the people of the West.”                              

—Dr. Paul de Vries, president of New York Divinity School and author of The Taming of the Shrewd 

Lao Tzu and the Bible offers not only a spiritual feast to the analytical minds about Tao/Word/Logos, illustrating Tao in a tangible form, the Holy One/Jesus Christ, but also provides helpful advice about how to follow and be united with Tao.  A work of great erudition and wisdom, it contains deep insight, opening up the secrets of the Tao while also illuminating the Bible.   

This book will surely delight the hearts and minds of seekers of Tao. 

 

About the Author

Yuan Zhiming, a brilliant scholar of Chinese philosophy and an enlightened student of Jesus, is the author of eleven books and director of three documentary film series on Chinese culture and Christianity, including Cross: Jesus in China.  He is one of the script writers of the acclaimed TV series River Elegy, which provided the spiritual seeds for the famous Tiananmen Square Student Demonstration in China on June 4, 1989.  Yuan Zhiming is the founder and Chief Director of China Soul for Christ Foundation.  His work has inspired millions of people and has helped to change the lives of countless individuals. 

Lao Tzu and the Bible and its companion book Tao Te Ching: Original Text and A Modern Translation, both by Yuan Zhiming published by AuthorHouse, are the author’s first English translations of his books. 

"Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching is one of the most renowned classics of Chinese literature and philosophy, appealing to audiences in both the East and the West.  Many have wondered whether there is any connection between the Tao Te Ching and the wisdom of the Bible. Yuan Zhiming, a Chinese Christian who has long studied the classic of Taoism, offers his own conclusions after years of study and research."   

-- Thus comments David Aikman, a 23-year foreign correspondent at Time Magazine and former Beijing Bureau Chief, an award-winning journalist and the author of Jesus in Beijing: How Christianity Is Transforming China and Changing the World Balance of Power (Regnery Publishing, 2006)  

 

Translator: Dr. Chen Shangyu is formerly Chief Librarian of The Mid-Manhattan Library, The New York Public Library. She taught English at Zhejiang University in China and received her Ph.D. in Art Education from New York University and degrees in English Language and Literature, Linguistics and Information Management.  Graduated from Alliance Theological Seminary in Nyack majoring in Biblical Literature in 2010, Dr. Chen presently serves as Executive Director of China Soul for Christ Foundation. 

 

Preview

The end of the Spring and Autumn Period—around 600 B.C.—was a glorious time for which the Chinese people feel special pride.  That is because of the enduring treasures a group of sages gave China.  They are Lao Tzu, Confucius, and Mo Tzu, who laid down the foundation for Taoism, Confucianism, and Mohism, respectively, as well as the so-called “a hundred schools of thought.”  During their lifetime, they gave birth to Chinese culture as we now know it.  One fact about the Spring and Autumn Period, however, is not especially glorious. 

According to Loa Tzu, Confucius, and Mo Tzu, something crucial was missing, a true treasure that had been lost to them.  What they lamented was the loss of Tao.  Although they assiduously tried to recover the lost Tao, they remained regretfully unsuccessful.  

Take a look at the world that Lao Tzu experienced:  

What a vast deserted land!  Crowds of people hustle and bustle, as if enjoying a feast or being on the stage.  I alone do not share the feeling…exhausted and sad, I do not know where to return. Where did Lao Tzu wish to return?  What had been lost?  Lao Tzu knew clearly that Tao had been lost:  The great Tao is of great peace, but men prefer bypaths.  The court is corrupt; the fields are full of weeds; the granaries are all empty.  Aren’t they robbers indeed—those wearing fine robes, those bearing sharpswords, those indulging in delicacies, those storing too much wealth.  This is rebellion against Tao!  

Lao Tzu was so convinced that nothing could replace Tao that he declared:  

When the great Tao is rejected, there arise humanity and justice.  Therefore, morality is required when Tao is lost; benevolence is emphasized when morality is lost; justice is sought after when benevolence is lost; propriety is obligatory when justice is lost.  So-called propriety is needed when there is little loyalty and faithfulness left.  This is a sign of disorder.  

Are you a seeker of Tao?  Lao Tzu and the Bible and Tao Te Ching will surely illuminate your journey!