https://www.scribd.com/book/80749969/Rediscovering-Japan-Reintroducing-Christendom-Two-Thousand-Years-of-Christian-History-in-Japan
Rediscovering Japan, Reintroducing Christendom: Two Thousand Years of Christian History in Japan Paperback – March 1, 2010
by Samuel Lee EdD superintendent Bristol Township School District (Author)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 6 ratings
In Rediscovering Japan, Reintroducing Christendom Japan's unvoiced Christian history and cultural roots are examined from an alternative perspective. It is commonly believed that Christianity was introduced to Japan by the Spanish and Portuguese missionaries during the 1500s; however, Samuel Lee draws on various forms of cultural, religious and linguistic evidence to argue that Christianity was introduced to Japan through the Lost Tribes of Israel, who were converted to Christianity through the missionary efforts of the Assyrian Church of the East around A.D. 500. Much of the evidence he discusses has become submerged into many Japanese folkloric songs, festivals and is to be found in temples. There are, for example, approximately 300 words in Japanese and Hebrew/Aramaic that are similar. Further, Dr. Lee outlines the history of Catholicism in Japan during the 1500s, the systematic persecution of Christians from 1600s to the 1800s, and the rise of Protestant Church in Japan. The historical portion of the book ends with an analysis and discussion of 21st century Japanese society. Lastly, in Rediscovering Japan, Reintroducing Christendom, Samuel Lee questions the missiological methods of Western Christianity and advocates an approach based in dialogue between Christianity and other cultures.
210 pages
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Editorial Reviews
Review
Lee offers a truly unique point of view and necessary commentary on the subject of Christian mission in today's world…This work is to be highly recommended. -- Brian McLaren, author and fly fisherman
[Lee's] research, which has become an enormous source book in the history of Japanese Christianity, culture and language suggests that it is indeed possible that the Japanese people originated from Israel... -- Hiroko Ayabe, founder of Japan Revival Ministries, Tama Gospel Center
A unique and challenging view of the historic overlap between Japanese Shintoism and Buddhism and Christianity. It is a pleasure to observe the depth of his awareness… -- Prof. Toshifumi Uemura, Japan Lutheran College
One of the most exciting and provocative contributions to discussions of global Christianity that I have read in a long time…A fascinating, in-depth and detailed portrait…His argument is compelling and extremely well-documented... -- Carl Raschke, Professor of Religious Studies, University of Denver, USA
About the Author
Samuel Lee is a sociologist specializing in Japanese society and culture. He is president of Foundation University in the Netherlands and a member of the Christian Sociological Society and Japan Sociological Society of the University of Tokyo.
Product details
Publisher : Hamilton Books (March 1, 2010)
Language : English
Paperback : 210 pages
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 6 ratings
Samuel Lee
Samuel Lee is president of Foundation Academy of Amsterdam, an Academy for Liberal Arts and Humanities. Lee holds a Ph.D. in Theology from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, where he currently leads the Center for Theology of Migration. His Ph.D. is about Christianity in Japan. Lee has a master’s degree with a doctoral exam in Sociology of Non-Western Societies (with an emphasis on Japan) from Leiden University in the Netherlands. Samuel Lee is the author of The Japanese and Christianity: Why is Christianity Not Widely Believed in Japan? (2014).
Top reviews from the United States
Squidslinger
VINE VOICE
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic read, exactly what Understanding Japan hints onReviewed in the United States on March 12, 2011
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Coming from Lee's Understanding Japan book, this was just what I was looking for. A full compendium of the research done linking Japan and Israel as well as the links to the Nestorian church. This book is a great read, I really enjoyed it.
The only issue I found in it is about a couple of times Lee notes his own personal opinion about current events. While I can see where he founds his views, I was not looking for opinion, but the facts that he and the Joesph's have found. If its opinion then I could argue that while his book shows clearly that the infighting in the church is the main reason why the gospel has struggled there, I don't believe blending Christianity with occult/pagan practices and traditions is the answer. Lee doesn't outright say it but its clear he favors a blending.
While I support more integration with Japanese culture, the Nestorian movement didn't last partly because the message got so intermingled and diluted that eventually it was absorbed or persecuted out. Japan doesn't need a western or an eastern version of Christianity, it needs the truth straight from the gospels. Denominationalism there has only bred infighting and confusion. Teach Jesus and the word then let them bring about change in their society, not forcing them into it while trying to force a denomination down on them. Lee does make this point too.
Helping the Japanese rediscover their roots through this book is a powerful step towards that. Those that discover that will certainly start asking questions that will help lead them to the complete truth. I hope others enjoy this book as I have.
6 people found this helpful
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Jason M. Freeman
4.0 out of 5 stars Good insightful read, w/ one caviat.Reviewed in the United States on November 23, 2012
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Purchased this book months ago, and found it intellectually stimulating without being technically overbearing (though I would not classify this as light reading). Provides a great deal of history and a handful of useful illustrations for comparison. I must concur with another reviewer about the subtle suggestion of the author, in delivering the gospel of Jesus Christ. The fact that the introduction contained an anecdote about the idea of blending pagan/ non-Christian ideas with established gospel truth (syncretism), in order to reach a culture resistant to the gospel, clearly betrays what the author favors as a means to delivery. I digress, I do not wish to impugn the author or this work, but merely suggest that a very minute amount of the opinion-based material is a touch misguided in this regard.
Succinctly, I would treat this as reference material, more than God-breathed instruction. The primary function of this text is to provide historical and cultural background of one region of the world while tying it all to another (from what I can see), and should therefore be looked upon more scholarly, with a touch more discernment, even scrutiny; that is because this book presents a socio-anthropological theory regarding the outcome of the lost tribes of Israel, and must bear a certain degree of scrutiny, evangelically and intellectually, to be taken seriously, and read for all it is worth.
Certainly, a worthwhile read and purchase.
3 people found this helpful
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Brian Mcgregor
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent resourceReviewed in the United States on September 20, 2019
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An excellent resource, reflective of history, and insightful. Dr. Lee provides an overview of Christian history in Japan and offers critical reflection on the good and bad of that history.
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Helping the Japanese rediscover their roots through this book is a powerful step towards that. Those that discover that will certainly start asking questions that will help lead them to the complete truth. I hope others enjoy this book as I have.
6 people found this helpful
HelpfulReport
Jason M. Freeman
4.0 out of 5 stars Good insightful read, w/ one caviat.Reviewed in the United States on November 23, 2012
Verified Purchase
Purchased this book months ago, and found it intellectually stimulating without being technically overbearing (though I would not classify this as light reading). Provides a great deal of history and a handful of useful illustrations for comparison. I must concur with another reviewer about the subtle suggestion of the author, in delivering the gospel of Jesus Christ. The fact that the introduction contained an anecdote about the idea of blending pagan/ non-Christian ideas with established gospel truth (syncretism), in order to reach a culture resistant to the gospel, clearly betrays what the author favors as a means to delivery. I digress, I do not wish to impugn the author or this work, but merely suggest that a very minute amount of the opinion-based material is a touch misguided in this regard.
Succinctly, I would treat this as reference material, more than God-breathed instruction. The primary function of this text is to provide historical and cultural background of one region of the world while tying it all to another (from what I can see), and should therefore be looked upon more scholarly, with a touch more discernment, even scrutiny; that is because this book presents a socio-anthropological theory regarding the outcome of the lost tribes of Israel, and must bear a certain degree of scrutiny, evangelically and intellectually, to be taken seriously, and read for all it is worth.
Certainly, a worthwhile read and purchase.
3 people found this helpful
HelpfulReport
Brian Mcgregor
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent resourceReviewed in the United States on September 20, 2019
Verified Purchase
An excellent resource, reflective of history, and insightful. Dr. Lee provides an overview of Christian history in Japan and offers critical reflection on the good and bad of that history.
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LeRon Harrison
8 reviews
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August 13, 2010
This book is very problematic to say the least. The central argument is that as there are ties between Jewish and Japanese culture and the influence of the Church of the East dates to 600 CE, the history of Christianity in Japan is much longer than originally presumed and the approach missionaries should take towards Japan and Japanese culture needs to be changed. In other words it attempts to reexamine the history of Judaism and Christianity in Japan to make the case for a different approach to carrying out missions in Japan. The book opens with a "throwing the baby out with the bath water" statement in regards to academic scholarship on Japan. Lee states that certain theories and points of view are crystalized in the studies and that alternatives are dismissed. The truth of the matter is that scholarship approaches the data with a "look before you leap" attitude to the information in Lee's book while he advances with a "leap of faith" attitude.
With this dismissal of scholarly knowledge, Lee turns his attention to examining the theory that the lost tribes of Israel made their way into Japan and influenced Japanese culture. Lee does this by looking at four moments in time in Japanese history: 1.) BC 250-AD 250, 2) AD 600, 3) AD 1542, and 4.) AD 1853. The history laid out in the latter two section is a brief outline of information contained more deeper studies; however the former two sections are filled with problems. The approach in the first section is basically to turn Japan in a colony of one of lost tribe of Israel. He reads a number of ancient Japanese texts and word in Hebrew; this does render an interesting translation in one case, but in most it frames Japanese items and history in terms of Jewish monotheism. The most striking example of this is his reading of Yamato, the name of the place where the Japanese court was established, as "the people of God." Furthermore, Lee gives a list of Japanese words that have supposed roots in Hebrew. But among the words are words involving compounds of Chinese characters, which suggests that the Hebrew approach is on some level attempting to overwrite the influence of Chinese language and culture. Lee continues on this path with his comparison of Hebrew letters and hiragana and katakana. He completely ignores that kana is derived from the characters and even goes to suggest that kana is Canaan. So in the first section Lee basically looks for the spaces and gaps in the mythohistory of Japan and rewrites them so that Japan becomes the outpost for the "mythic" lost tribe of Israel.
The second section of book posits that the Assyrian Church made its way into Japan. While proof that the Assyrian church was active in Tang China does exist, not much proof that the Assyrians were active in Japan exists. Lee's defense of this idea that they did spans a mere ten pages because the evidence is so scant. One of the angles Lee tries to play in defense is that Hata (or Hada) clan brought the Christian faith with them as they helped built Heian-kyo (modern day Kyoto). The Hata clan is a mythohistorical clan that any number of families cite as their progenitors. So in Lee is, on the one hand, following in the footsteps of Japanese who invoke the Hata clan and yet is only continuing in producing the myth that Japan was home to one of the lost tribes of Israel.
Part 3 (which discusses the Catholic missionaries of the 16th century) and Part 4 (which discusses the establishment of Christianity in the time after the Meiji Restoration) as stated before contains information that is presented in better fashion and greater detail in other works. The last section of the book outlines how to approach Chinese missionary work in the 21st century. Lee argues for an approach akin to the Assyrian church where missionaries dialogue with the locals and not force their agenda upon them. This is a noble approach to missionary work, however the argument loses a great deal of credibility because of his dismissal of scholars, which is the exact opposite of the Assyrian approach. So for all that Lee has argued for a longer history of Christian involvement in Japan and for the dialoguing approach he has done just as much to undermine this things by not being careful in his work. This work appeals to the evangelical bend of Christian believers as it suits their worldview; however, for those are interested in Japan in any degree of seriousness, this book brings no real, substantial information to the table.
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Brian McGregor
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September 12, 2019
An excellent read. Dr. Lee does a very good job presenting evidence of Christianity's introduction and impact on Japan. It took me a few years to read this because Dr. Lee kept giving me breadcrumbs on things to research.
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