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History of the Translation and Interpretation of the Book of Psalms in China and Korea up to the Year 1900

정중호 1

1계명대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this article is to trace and illuminate the specific phenomenon of translation and interpretation of the Book of Psalms up to the year 1900. Chinese translation of the Psalms can be found as the Nestorian Dahae-seonwang-gyung(多惠聖王經) and the Mongol Empire era Seongyoung(聖詠). In the early 17th century, Giin-sippyeon(畸人十篇) written by Matteo Ricci, Chilgeuk(七克), and Youngeon-yeojak(靈言蠡勺) contained the Psalms. The Psalms were translated into Chinese in Seongyoung-sokhae(聖詠續解) and Dalmee-seongyoung(達味聖詠) and they supposedly came to Korea before the year 1800. Along with those books the Cheonju-seonggyo-ilgwa(天主聖敎日課), Sujin-ilgwa(袖珍日課), and Cheonju-gyeonggwa(天主經課) also contained the Psalms. In the nineteenth century, the entire Old Testament, including the Psalms, was translated into Chinese and was brought to Korea intermittently. Korean translations of the Psalms were found in 1801, which was at the time of the Sinyou-persecution. They are the Seonggyung-jikhae, Sujin-ilgwa, Hyangsu-bobon-myungseong(向 Jesus 報本聖詠誦), Hyangrye-ju-syeongyoungsong(向 Jesus 聖詠誦), and Tyonju-seonggyo-ilgwa. Importantly The Psalms were translated into Korean as Yeondo(煉禱) prayer and used in the funeral rites in the 1800s. The Psalms 24, 51, 113, 119, 130, 148, 149, 150 were translated and published in the woodblock book Tyeonjyu-syeonggyo-ryegyu (天主聖禮規) in 1865. The Psalms 51 and 130 were also translated in Tyeonjyu-syeonggyo-gonggwa. The Psalms were adapted into prayer with the partial commentary. For the Yeondo(煉禱) prayer, the Psalms contain the musical and ritual elements in abundance, since several Christians used the Yeondo(煉禱) prayer in funeral processions and when they wanted to pray in unison throughout the night. Finally, some of the Psalms were translated at the end of the nineteenth century in the Miimi-gyohoe-gangrye, Uigyung-mundab, Wi-wonib-gyoin-gyudo, and Chosun- Christian-journal. Sixty-two of the Psalms had been translated in Sipyun-chwalyo.

Citation status

* References for papers published after 2023 are currently being built.

This paper was written with support from the National Research Foundation of Korea.