Studies in Āgama Literature, with Special Reference to the Shorter Chinese by Marcus Bingenheimer (review)

still kept in touch with Western missions and churches, shows a more differentiated and convincing picture. Chapter 7 on ‘‘Christianity and the New China, 1950–1966’’ introduces in detail the emergence of the Three-Self Movement with an almost immediate compliance towards the new regime by such liberal Protestant figures as Wu Yaozong 吳耀宗. Bays interestingly, and quite fairly, also hints at the fact that even some independent figures joined the ‘‘Three-Self’’ very early while others refused and suffered long-term imprisonment. Finally, the concluding chapter on the most recent decades has a strong emphasis again on the rural and independent churches. The important phenomenon of academic sympathizers of Christanity, often called ‘‘Cultural Christians’’ (wenhua jidutu 文化基督徒), is touched briefly, though it should be noted that this term is nowadays not preferred by almost anybody designated by it. Alternatively, the more accepted term ‘‘Scholars in Mainland China Studying Christianity’’ should be used. Moreover, related references should include the two volumes of collected articles on Sino-Christian Theology (‘‘Hanyu shenxue’’) translated into English and edited by Yang Huilin and Daniel Yeung (2006), and Lai Pan-chiu and Jason Lam (2010);7 as well as the dissertation of Fredrik Fällman,8 which serves as a useful introduction to this evolving field. Altogether this is an extremely informative and up-to-date introduction, which is very enjoyable to read. It is highly recommended not only for students and scholars in the field of World Christianity, but also in the wider field of religion in China. CHRISTIAN MEYER University of Erlangen-Nürnberg MARCUS BINGENHEIMER, Studies in  Agama Literature, with Special Reference to the Shorter Chinese Sam : yukt agama. Taipei: Xinwenfeng, 2011. iv, 345 pp. Pbk. ISBN 978-957-17-2139-2 The heart of this book is an annotated translation of approximately a sixth of the ‘‘Alternate Sam : yukt agama’’ 別譯雜阿含經 (T100; ‘‘BZA’’): specifically, s utras 1– 51, 214–223 5 Bhikkhu, M ara, Bhikkhun ı, and Sakka Sam : yuttas. (This is part of a larger textual project: see ,http://buddhistinformatics.chibs.edu.tw/BZA/..) The book also contains superb studies of the text’s date and structure (ch. 1); problems of attribution and textual history (ch. 2); and useful studies of detailed questions, such as the correct interpretation of the term fengxing 奉行 in the 7 Yang Huilin and Daniel H. N. Yeung, eds., Sino-Christian Studies in China (Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars Press, 2006); Lai Pan-chiu and Jason Lam, eds., Sino-Christian Theology: A Theological Qua Cultural Movement in Contemporary China (Frankfurt: Peter Lang, 2010). 8 Salvation and Modernity: Intellectuals and Faith in Contemporary China (Chinese Culture Series 2) (Stockholm: Stockholm University, 2004; rev. ed. Lanham et al.: University Press of America, 2008). 62 BOOK REVIEWS formula huanxi fengxing 歡喜奉行 at the close of a s utra, and the various proper names of figures appearing in the texts, such as M ara’s daughters, the nuns of the Bhikkhun ı Sam : yutta, and Sakka (Skt.  Sakra/Indra). Appendix 1 tabulates parallel texts. Appendix 2 presents a pioneering computer-assisted comparison between BZA and the other Sam : yukt agama (雜阿含經 T99). Bingenheimer is one of a very few scholars who have published such computer-assisted stylometric analyses of Chinese Buddhist works, which have much promise. This work is generally very high in quality. Bingenheimer translates in the full light of his unsurpassed knowledge of this corpus, and the translations are almost unfailingly accurate, except in minor details (below). Coverage of secondary literature is enviably thorough. A particular strength is reference to recent Chinese scholarship, to a level rare among Western Buddhologists. The annotations are excellent, and sometimes downright delightful in their erudition and perspicacity (e.g. pp. 87–88 n. 71, 96 n. 90, 138 n. 66, 142 n. 77, 189 n. 17). Against these strengths, my criticisms are minor. Some touches would make the book easier to use as a reference. Parenthetical in-text Taish o page-numbers would facilitate cross-reference to original texts. Major textual parallels might have been listed at the beginning of each s utra, not only in the Appendix. Annotations could also have included cross-references to the detailed studies. For example, a reader turning directly to BZA 35 (pp. 200–202...