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Father and Son in Confucianism and Christianity
A Comparative Study of Xunzi and Paul

Yanxia Zhao
Yanxia Zhao (PhD) is a Teaching Fellow in Chinese Studies at the University of Wales, Lampeter. Her teaching areas include Chinese culture, philosophy and religion. She has published a number of books in Chinese and is working on the philosophical implications of traditional Chinese ethics.

	The first book in English that tackles the issues of father–son relationship through comparing Xunzi and Paul, two representatives of Confucian and Christian thought.
	Addresses the thorny issue of whether Confucian values can provide answers to the social upheavals of 21st century China

“Dr. Zhao’s innovative study seeks to promote intercultural understanding by focusing on the Father–Son relationship central in both Confucianism and Christianity. By means of a comparative study of Xunzi and the Pauline tradition, she highlights the significance of the ethical dimensions of this relationship in the two traditions, drawing attention to points of similarity and difference. This pioneering study is an excellent contribution between apparently divergent cultural traditions which will stimulate both intercultural dialogue and future research so essential in the contemporary global encounter.” William S. Campbell, Reader in Biblical Studies, University of Wales Lampeter

Confucianism and Christianity are the foundation of Chinese and Western culture. The father–son relation is at the centre of Confucian thinking and the ethical natural relationship is the model for other familial, social and political relationships. The divine father–son relationship between God and Jesus is also at the centre of Christian consideration and likewise is the model of Christian familial, social and political relationships. The particular appeal of this book is to offer a religious and cultural comparative study from this most cardinal and crucial relationship.

To date, scholarship has opined that the Confucian secular father–son relationship established on a consanguineous basis has no comparable aspects with the spiritual based Christian divine father–son relationship. The author provides a compelling argument, backed up by close scriptural and religious readings, to overturn this longstanding perception. In the process, she addresses cultural issues relating to hierarchy, patriarchy, and common values that might bridge the East–West gap in understanding their widely differing political–religious value systems.

	List of Contents to follow

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