[KS] Hananim

[James H Grayson]

22.12.03

Dear List readers,
In his email of 17 December, Gari Ledyard concludes by saying 
that he believes what John Ross found out was that a 'back-
formation' of 'Ch'onju' was in common currency by the late 1860s / 
early 1870s. Personally, I am not convinced of the idea that 
'Hananim' and variants is a 'back-formation' from the Roman 
Catholic term for God.  Besides the two reasons which I have 
mentioned earlier, I am not convinced of this view for the following 
reasons: 1) if Roman Catholics were being persecuted for their 
refusal to participate in chesa rituals because they were believed to 
be idolatrous, this was because of their belief in 'Ch'onju'.  Ch'onju 
is a fixed term for God. To disguise this term under the 
circumstances would have been perceived to be a form of 
recantation of their belief, ie denial of the deity whom they 
worshipped. 2) if the correlation between Ch'onju and Hananim and 
variants was so obvious, and if there was no already existing 
similar term for a ruler of Heaven, it would be impossible to 
disguise their Catholic Christianity. Their disguise could only work 
if there was a pre-existing term which didn't draw attention to their 
beliefs. 

Suffice it to say that Ross knew that the term which he chose to 
translate 'God' was not referring to a monotheistic deity - and 
especially a Trinitarian one! - but to a high god. 

A Happy Christmas to everyone!
James
Prof. James H Grayson, Ph.D.
Director, Centre for Korean Studies
School of East Asian Studies
University of Sheffield
Sheffield, UK  S10 2UJ

j.h.grayson at sheffield.ac.uk

Office: +44 114 222-8418
FAX:  +44 114 222-8432