“낯선 것에서 익숙한 것으로” -초기 성탄절 문화에 나타난 기독교의 토착화- (From Alien to Familiar: Indigenization of Christianity shown by the Early Christmas Celebrations in Korea)

서지정보

· 발행기관 : 서울대학교 종교문제연구소
· 수록지 정보 : 종교와 문화 / 18호 / 43 ~ 68페이지
· 저자명 : 이덕주

초록

The Indigenization(encultration or contextualization) of Christianity is formulated in the process of receiving, interpreting and applying the gospel in the national context by the native Christians. Therefore, as we can see,church history has three basic elements: gospel, church, and nation.
Gospel is confession of the truth based on the Bible, religious experience and Christian tradition. Church is an assembly of the Christians who have experienced in gospel and participated in its propagation to the world.
Nation is the socio-political situation and religio-cultural context of the native people where the gospel is proclaimed and practiced by the church.
From mutual combinations of these elements(gospel, church and nation)come out three types of faith. Firstly, the evangelical faith, which is based on biblical and canonical approach to Christian tradition, results from the combination of gospel and church. Secondly, the nationalistic faith, which is based upon the positive participation in socio-political situation, from the combination of church and nation. And thirdly, the indigenous faith,which is expressed with the form of native culture and religion, from the combination of gospel and nation. So whenever/wherever gospel happens to be proclaimed, there naturally come the evangelical faith, the nationalistic faith, and the indigenous faith. All these faiths formulate 'the third tradition" of the native church in the process of continuus et separatus(continuation and separation) of her own native religious tradition as well as the world Christianity. And by this process of indigenization the Christianity is transferred from the alien to the familiar religion for native people. We can find this indigenization process in the early Christmas celebrations in Korea.
In Korea the Christmas celebration culture, embracing of worship,Christmas tree with gift socks, dinner party and exchange of gifts, was introduced by the missionaries and foreign residents at the mission compound at Seoul in the middle of 1880s. In these days all blessings and greetings of the day were monopolized by foreigners. None of Koreans but the workers who served for missionaries' house were invited or partaken to the Christmas party. Foreigner's Christmas celebration was very alien naturally to the Korean natives. However, the situation was changed after 1887 when the native Korean churches were founded in Seoul. On the day of Christmas of 1887, H.G. Appenzeller preached his "first sermon in Korean" with a title, "Thou shall call his name Jesus" at the worship for the Korean congregation. The missionaries intentionally tried to get a chance to make native converts through the Christmas cults. So they invited Korean natives to their Christmas party and gave Christmas gifts and messages of Jesus Christ. By this way, the Christmas cult made Korean hearts open to the Christianity. And the Koreans also began to know the meaning of Christmas gradually and participated Christmas worship and party. But the foreign missionaries not Korean native Christians yet took the initiative role of Christmas celebration. The Koreans were just guests or sightseers.
But it took not so long time that the Korean native Christians began to understand the Christmas message and celebrate it with their own styles. We can find it in The Korean Christian Advocate(대한크리스도인회보) which reported the Christmas festivals of 1898 by the native Christians of the three Methodist churches in Icheon and Kangwha district. The Korean Christians celebrated the birth of Christ in praising, praying,offering, sermon of the local preachers and agape(sharing) dinner with the heathen sightseers. They also decorated their chapels with flags drawn of cross and taeguk(太極), built up the rainbow typed gate with pine tree branches at the entrance and hung the paper lanterns of hundreds outside, thirty six(or thirty seven) inside of chapel at night. Not the foreign missionaries but the Korean native church leaders took the initiative role in these Christmas celebrations. Accordingly, we can see here the characteristic faiths of the Korean native Christians.
At first, we can see their 'evangelistic faith' in their Christmas celebrating worship with singing hymns and carols, reading the Bible,praying, offering, preaching, and providing the agape meal to the neighbors. They also decorated the chapel by flags and paper lanterns drawn with a 'cross symbol'(十字) that is common to the whole world Christian churches. Secondly, we can see their 'nationalistic faith' in their Christmas decoration, such as flags and paper lanterns with the taeguk symbol. Especially the taeguk flag(national flag) raised up on the top of church gate represented the nationalism of the early Korean Christians who earnestly prayed for the restoration of the sovereign power and the long lives of King with the thirty six or thirty seven(means the enthronement years of the Emperor) lanterns at the birth day of Christ. In this way, the Korean church connected to the Korean people's nationalistic history. Thirdly, we can also find their 'indigenous faith' in their exterior decoration of the chapel such as rainbow typed gate with the branches of the green pine trees and firing the gun power before celebration. The most interesting scene was the hanging of hundreds and tens of paper lanterns inside and outside of the chapel. This scene was well known to Korean as the 'yeondung'(練燈) festival which was held at the Buddhist temple at the Buddha's birthday. It could be said that the early Korean native Christians had adopted Buddha's birhtday culture in decorating their chapels at Christmas. In this way the Korean Christianity was connected to the Korean traditional religion and culture.
As above seen, the first Christmas cult which was held by foreigners in the mission compounds was very strange and alien to the Korean people. However, it was getting more and more familiar by attendance and participation in the Christmas worships and parties. As a result, they converted into Christianity and could interpret the meaning of the Christmas and created the Christmas culture according to their own favorite traditional styles. So we could find out 'evangelistic, nationalistic,and indigenous faith' in their Christmas cult designated and prepared initiatively by the native Christians. By this way the Christianity was indigenized into Korean soil so it transformed from the alien to the familiar religion to the Korean people.

영어초록

The Indigenization(encultration or contextualization) of Christianity is formulated in the process of receiving, interpreting and applying the gospel in the national context by the native Christians. Therefore, as we can see,church history has three basic elements: gospel, church, and nation.
Gospel is confession of the truth based on the Bible, religious experience and Christian tradition. Church is an assembly of the Christians who have experienced in gospel and participated in its propagation to the world.
Nation is the socio-political situation and religio-cultural context of the native people where the gospel is proclaimed and practiced by the church.
From mutual combinations of these elements(gospel, church and nation)come out three types of faith. Firstly, the evangelical faith, which is based on biblical and canonical approach to Christian tradition, results from the combination of gospel and church. Secondly, the nationalistic faith, which is based upon the positive participation in socio-political situation, from the combination of church and nation. And thirdly, the indigenous faith,which is expressed with the form of native culture and religion, from the combination of gospel and nation. So whenever/wherever gospel happens to be proclaimed, there naturally come the evangelical faith, the nationalistic faith, and the indigenous faith. All these faiths formulate 'the third tradition" of the native church in the process of continuus et separatus(continuation and separation) of her own native religious tradition as well as the world Christianity. And by this process of indigenization the Christianity is transferred from the alien to the familiar religion for native people. We can find this indigenization process in the early Christmas celebrations in Korea.
In Korea the Christmas celebration culture, embracing of worship,Christmas tree with gift socks, dinner party and exchange of gifts, was introduced by the missionaries and foreign residents at the mission compound at Seoul in the middle of 1880s. In these days all blessings and greetings of the day were monopolized by foreigners. None of Koreans but the workers who served for missionaries' house were invited or partaken to the Christmas party. Foreigner's Christmas celebration was very alien naturally to the Korean natives. However, the situation was changed after 1887 when the native Korean churches were founded in Seoul. On the day of Christmas of 1887, H.G. Appenzeller preached his "first sermon in Korean" with a title, "Thou shall call his name Jesus" at the worship for the Korean congregation. The missionaries intentionally tried to get a chance to make native converts through the Christmas cults. So they invited Korean natives to their Christmas party and gave Christmas gifts and messages of Jesus Christ. By this way, the Christmas cult made Korean hearts open to the Christianity. And the Koreans also began to know the meaning of Christmas gradually and participated Christmas worship and party. But the foreign missionaries not Korean native Christians yet took the initiative role of Christmas celebration. The Koreans were just guests or sightseers.
But it took not so long time that the Korean native Christians began to understand the Christmas message and celebrate it with their own styles. We can find it in The Korean Christian Advocate(대한크리스도인회보) which reported the Christmas festivals of 1898 by the native Christians of the three Methodist churches in Icheon and Kangwha district. The Korean Christians celebrated the birth of Christ in praising, praying,offering, sermon of the local preachers and agape(sharing) dinner with the heathen sightseers. They also decorated their chapels with flags drawn of cross and taeguk(太極), built up the rainbow typed gate with pine tree branches at the entrance and hung the paper lanterns of hundreds outside, thirty six(or thirty seven) inside of chapel at night. Not the foreign missionaries but the Korean native church leaders took the initiative role in these Christmas celebrations. Accordingly, we can see here the characteristic faiths of the Korean native Christians.
At first, we can see their 'evangelistic faith' in their Christmas celebrating worship with singing hymns and carols, reading the Bible,praying, offering, preaching, and providing the agape meal to the neighbors. They also decorated the chapel by flags and paper lanterns drawn with a 'cross symbol'(十字) that is common to the whole world Christian churches. Secondly, we can see their 'nationalistic faith' in their Christmas decoration, such as flags and paper lanterns with the taeguk symbol. Especially the taeguk flag(national flag) raised up on the top of church gate represented the nationalism of the early Korean Christians who earnestly prayed for the restoration of the sovereign power and the long lives of King with the thirty six or thirty seven(means the enthronement years of the Emperor) lanterns at the birth day of Christ. In this way, the Korean church connected to the Korean people's nationalistic history. Thirdly, we can also find their 'indigenous faith' in their exterior decoration of the chapel such as rainbow typed gate with the branches of the green pine trees and firing the gun power before celebration. The most interesting scene was the hanging of hundreds and tens of paper lanterns inside and outside of the chapel. This scene was well known to Korean as the 'yeondung'(練燈) festival which was held at the Buddhist temple at the Buddha's birthday. It could be said that the early Korean native Christians had adopted Buddha's birhtday culture in decorating their chapels at Christmas. In this way the Korean Christianity was connected to the Korean traditional religion and culture.
As above seen, the first Christmas cult which was held by foreigners in the mission compounds was very strange and alien to the Korean people. However, it was getting more and more familiar by attendance and participation in the Christmas worships and parties. As a result, they converted into Christianity and could interpret the meaning of the Christmas and created the Christmas culture according to their own favorite traditional styles. So we could find out 'evangelistic, nationalistic,and indigenous faith' in their Christmas cult designated and prepared initiatively by the native Christians. By this way the Christianity was indigenized into Korean soil so it transformed from the alien to the familiar religion to the Korean people.

참고자료

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