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기독교 언약(言約)과 유교 향약(鄕約) 비교 가능성에 관한 고찰

  • The Korean Journal of Chiristian Social Ethics
  • Abbr : 기사윤
  • 2009, (18), pp.289-316
  • Publisher : The Society Of Korean Christian Social Ethics
  • Research Area : Humanities > Christian Theology

Lee Sang Hoon 1

1백석대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

This paper discusses the Christian concept of covenant and examine the plausibility of its Confucian development to compare these two otherwise incommensurable concepts and find their differences and similarities. Some suggest that this Christian concept is also relevant to non-Christians and their cultures and societies. No clear reason may be proposed for denying the possible presence of its rough counterpart within other religious-cultural backgrounds, Confucian culture and society, in our case. Thus this paper brings in such Reformed thinkers as Paul Lehmann and Johannes Althusius to present the Reformed view of covenant and takes up the Confucian community compact to explore the Confucian version of covenant. It is revealed in this paper that some aspects of the community compact inherently have a similarity with “covenant,” traditionally recognized as a Christian ethical theme. However, the decline of the community compact came with an increase in state intervention and its derivatives. Moreover, since the Confucian community compact is locally initiated, regionally focused, and culturally specific, it is not certain whether its principle and value are globally valid and acceptable beyond a single locality or across cultural and communal boundaries. In contrast, since the Christian notion of covenant promotes diversity and reciprocal responsibility within the framework of a larger federal relationship, it can help to globalize the principles and values of the Confucian community compact, which can then remain viable beyond locality or even across cultural and communal boundaries. The implication is that key elements of the Confucian community compact, stripped of its imperial and patriarchal distortions, can contribute to enriching the moral and ethical life of Korean-Confucian society in the global era. In this connection, arguably common grace that implants a law of nature for all humanity suggests that cultural heritages other than the Judeo-Christian tradition carry within themselves some principles and values essential to such concepts traditionally deemed Judeo-Christian as covenant and vocation.

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