Hindus and Their Christian Bible

During European colonialism, R.S. Sugirtharajah explores how Hindus critically examined the Christian Bible, transforming it into a version suitable for their contexts. This reinterpretation led to the loss of the Bible's authority as the Book of the Empire. Sugirtharajah's book highlights the resistant, subversive, and at times antagonistic readings of the Hindus, which went beyond the colonizer's intentions. It seeks to rectify the neglect of these Hindu interpretations by Western scholarship and presents their perspectives on the Bible in their own context.

Format: Hardback
Length: 224 pages
Publication date: 22 February 2024
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

R.S. Sugirtharajah delves into a captivating historical narrative, revealing how, amidst the height of European colonialism, the colonizers were engrossed in studying the sacred texts of various religions, including Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Zoroastrianism. However, what is particularly intriguing is that the Hindus themselves were actively scrutinizing the Christian Bible, a book that was considered foreign and unfamiliar to them. In his insightful work, Sugirtharajah explores the profound ways in which these Hindus transformed the Bible into a version that suited their own contexts and beliefs. The result of this transformation was a significant shift in the authority and status of the Bible as the "Book of the Empire." Sugirtharajah meticulously showcases how the Hindu readings of the Bible went beyond the intentions of the colonizers, exhibiting a resolute, subversive, and even antagonistic nature. Regrettably, the remarkable insights and interpretations offered by the Hindus in their reading of the Bible went largely unnoticed and ignored by Western scholarship. This volume aims to rectify this unfortunate omission by providing a platform for the Hindu reformers and nationalists to express their perspectives on the Bible in their own unique contexts. The individuals covered in this book include renowned figures such as Raja Rammohun Roy, Arumuga Navalar, Keshub Chunder Sen, Swami Vivekananda, Ponnambalam Ramanathan, M. K. Gandhi, and Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, as well as nationalists like Dhirendranath Chowdhary, Sita Ram Goel, and Ram Swarup. The book encompasses a comprehensive framework, encompassing the interpretative context, the textual negotiations that occurred between these Hindus and the missionaries and orientalists, examples of their Hinduization of the Bible, and the profound hermeneutical impact on mainstream biblical interpretation. Through this detailed exploration, Sugirtharajah sheds light on the intricate interplay between religion, culture, and power, offering a fresh and insightful perspective on the complex relationship between the Bible and Hinduism during the colonial era.

Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780567711533