Textual Approach in the Study of Religious Transmission History: Review of Ni Aixia's A Study of the Acculturation Strategies of Kaifeng Jews during the Ming and Qing Dynasties

Abstract

Ni Aixia's monograph A Study of the Acculturation Strategies of Kaifeng Jews during the Ming and Qing Dynasties focuses on the Jewish community in Kaifeng during the Ming and Qing periods, delving into their religious acculturation process. Departing from the traditional historical-textual approaches, Ni adopts a cross-cultural interpretive strategy of "con/text interpretation" using the Torah as a comparative text to examine how the Kaifeng Jews contextualized their practices within the Chinese society. This reveals their creative adaptations of the Biblical traditions, such as the translation of God's name, and the reimagining of Abraham and Moses' images in a Confucian context. This book offers new case studies for understanding the adaptive strategies of diasporic cultures and provides references for contemplating cultural exchange and mutual learning among civilizations.