Papers by Benoit Vermander
《神學論集》227 期（2026 春）30~49 頁
本文以動態觀點，嘗試勾勒出三位一體神學和《道德
經》中的「道」的平行一元論。簡言之， 《道德經》及其思
想傳承者與基督宗教神秘神學都圍繞著「一」這一概念，
而在其深度辯證思考過程中，包含互滲與道... more 本文以動態觀點，嘗試勾勒出三位一體神學和《道德
經》中的「道」的平行一元論。簡言之， 《道德經》及其思
想傳承者與基督宗教神秘神學都圍繞著「一」這一概念，
而在其深度辯證思考過程中，包含互滲與道的回歸、乃至
否定路徑和肯定路徑所構成的對終極實在的雙重理解，都
必然引導我們超越「有」與「無」 、 「實體」與「關係」等
範疇，讓我們逐步放下舊有概念、理論框架，回歸到那最
初的源頭。
經》中的「道」的平行一元論。簡言之， 《道德經》及其思
想傳承者與基督宗教神秘神學都圍繞著「一」這一概念，
而在其深度辯證思考過程中，包含互滲與道的回歸、乃至
否定路徑和肯定路徑所構成的對終極實在的雙重理解，都
必然引導我們超越「有」與「無」 、 「實體」與「關係」等
範疇，讓我們逐步放下舊有概念、理論框架，回歸到那最
初的源頭。
From an early stage of research on the subject, the question of the religious origins of the Fren... more From an early stage of research on the subject, the question of the religious origins of the French Revolution has been focused on the influence exerted by Jansenism on the transformation that political doctrines, social practices, and popular emotions underwent, particularly between 1710 and 1770. This influence is even said to have extended till the time of the adoption of the Civil Constitution of the Clergy (1790), although this timeframe remains greatly controverted. Within this explanatory outline, one of the points still to be clarified is that of continuity between 18th-century Jansenism and that of the preceding century, a question which in turn relates to the nature and channels of the movement's impact in pre-revolutionary France. After reviewing the theoretical and methodological issues related to the question addressed here, this contribution attempts to reinterpret the role played by the Port-Royal circle, which, it suggests, was a matrix of the type of sociability manifested much later in the "philosophical society" whose importance was emphasized by Augustin Cochin and then François Furet. The demonstration is based on a threefold analysis: that of the epistemic changes that took shape around Port-Royal; that of the discursive positioning operated by this circle; and that of the type of sociability that its thought and practices helped to establish.
Religions, 2026
Taken as a whole, this volume explores the way East Asian religions and societies harness resourc... more Taken as a whole, this volume explores the way East Asian religions and societies harness resources offered by the cross‑fertilization occurring between various religious and spiritual traditions. Directly or indirectly, these contributions also raise a question that goes beyond a mere academic endeavor: how do such interactions allow thinkers and actors
to dialogically tackle issues related to the care of our common home? How do religious encounters and studies enable their agents to contribute to such pressing challenges as peacebuilding, ecological awareness, social equity, or spiritual empowerment?
We can divide the following eleven contributions into three groups. The first relates to the reading of classics as a vector of religious interactions; the second, spiritual experiences and collective identities; and the third, religious interactions and policies in national and global contexts.
to dialogically tackle issues related to the care of our common home? How do religious encounters and studies enable their agents to contribute to such pressing challenges as peacebuilding, ecological awareness, social equity, or spiritual empowerment?
We can divide the following eleven contributions into three groups. The first relates to the reading of classics as a vector of religious interactions; the second, spiritual experiences and collective identities; and the third, religious interactions and policies in national and global contexts.
《神學論集》
本文作者借用法國近現代學者米歇爾．德塞托的「絕
對閱讀」方法，與中國古代玄學傳統中衍生的詮釋路徑進
行對觀，從而檢視對神秘主義文本的解讀方式。簡言之，
在文本與作者、注釋者或讀者之間，係皆依託一... more 本文作者借用法國近現代學者米歇爾．德塞托的「絕
對閱讀」方法，與中國古代玄學傳統中衍生的詮釋路徑進
行對觀，從而檢視對神秘主義文本的解讀方式。簡言之，
在文本與作者、注釋者或讀者之間，係皆依託一系列語言
機制，這些機制決定並表達了其思維模式與文化世界。然
而，儘管所言說的一切都植根於特定的時空與文化語境
中，卻恰是因為它們的語言中蘊含著「言說之沉默」，脫離
或超越了原初的文化限定和語境，深刻地影響著作者、注
釋者與讀者們。而這種超越語言的努力，承載著情感的迴
響，亦展現於他們的閱讀實踐方式中。
對閱讀」方法，與中國古代玄學傳統中衍生的詮釋路徑進
行對觀，從而檢視對神秘主義文本的解讀方式。簡言之，
在文本與作者、注釋者或讀者之間，係皆依託一系列語言
機制，這些機制決定並表達了其思維模式與文化世界。然
而，儘管所言說的一切都植根於特定的時空與文化語境
中，卻恰是因為它們的語言中蘊含著「言說之沉默」，脫離
或超越了原初的文化限定和語境，深刻地影響著作者、注
釋者與讀者們。而這種超越語言的努力，承載著情感的迴
響，亦展現於他們的閱讀實踐方式中。
Interdisciplinary Journal for Religion and Transformation in Contemporary Society, 2025
The term "Mystic Learning (xuanxue)" refers to a Chinese philosophical and mystical movement that... more The term "Mystic Learning (xuanxue)" refers to a Chinese philosophical and mystical movement that was most active in the third century AD, although the investigative practices proper to the School are attested as late as the sixth century. It is associated with thinkers such as Wang Bi (226-249) and Guo Xiang (252-312). It corresponds to a creative revival of the founding texts of Taoism and of certain Confucian writings, while establishing a reflexive distance from the experience proposed by these original writings. This contribution brings such a revival closer to that attempted by Michel de Certeau in an entirely different context. It will look at the founding intuitions they may share. How do commentators give new life and relevance to "mystical" texts? How do they create new works by reading a corpus and reactivating its fruitfulness, which might have been thought to have dried up?
Religions, 2025
In Vietnam, as in other parts of Asia, rural communities establish ritual markers that delineate ... more In Vietnam, as in other parts of Asia, rural communities establish ritual markers that delineate the social spacetime in which communal existence takes shape and meaning. These ritual markers evolve according to the socio‐economic, political, and ecological chal‐ lenges that said communities confront. The material for this study comes from a local com‐ munity of North Vietnam that belongs to the Muong ethnic group. We focus on the various spatial levels—household, village, ethnic territory, and the nation as a whole—according to which this community fashions its sense of identity, asserts its ethos, and delimitates its frontiers. We also examine how these levels take varying importance at different moments in time. Moreover, we show how specific rituals condensate different strata of meaning into one unifying event. Finally, we attempt to unearth the various ways through which an Asian rural community constructs and asserts its agency by activating the ritual resources at its disposal while respecting the constraints that weigh upon their mobilization.
Geschichte der Philologien, 2024
Dans cette contribution j’esquisserai certains des «usages» qui ont gouverné la lecture des ‹Odes... more Dans cette contribution j’esquisserai certains des «usages» qui ont gouverné la lecture des ‹Odes›,9 et je procèderai de façon thématique plutôt que chronologique. La première partie retrace les lignes d’interprétation du recueil suggérées par leur exégète autorisé, le Confucius des ‹Analectes› ; bonne part de cet héritage sera systématisée par les commentaires officiels ultérieurs, mais on peut découvrir aussi en Confucius un lecteur plu moderne et plus surprenant qu’on ne l’imagine habituellement. La deuxième partie nous transporte au début du vingtième siècle lorsque les ‹Odes› sont lues par Marcel Granet en fonction de leur contexte rituel et du rôle qu’elles y reçoivent, en insérant la lecture dans la découverte ou la redécouverte de la «littérature orale» – approche des plus innovantes mais dont certains présupposés restent sujets à débats. La troisième partie élargit l’approche de Granet et montre comment les ‹Odes› peuvent être abordées comme un document ethnographique, et particulièrement d’ethnographie religieuse. La quatrième partie évoque certaines des lectures qui ont trouvé dans les ‹Odes› une norme esthétique, dans la Chine classique d’abord, au début de l’histoire de leur transmission en d’autres langues ensuite. La cinquième partie prolonge cette analyse en portant l’accent sur la mise à jour de la rhétorique structurelle propre aux ‹Odes›, une tâche initiée dans la première moitié du 20ème siècle. Enfin, la dernière partie fait un retour à Confucius, non pas celui des ‹Analectes›, mais celui de l’auteur-fonction associé à un texte excavé durant les dernières décennies, texte par lequel sera relancée la question de l’intention à attacher à la lecture des ‹Odes›.
Religions, 2024
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Chinese Social Sciences Today, 2024
Some fields of knowledge are well constituted from the start. For instance, you can be a speciali... more Some fields of knowledge are well constituted from the start. For instance, you can be a specialist of European economic history on a period spanning from the time of the industrial revolution to the First World War. Some other fields stand at the intersection of several academic disciplines, and their object, method and frontiers are only progressively emerging. This is the case for me: I work in religious anthropology and I try to intertwine two research interests: on the one hand, I pay attention to the rituals through which a community gives meaning to its existence; on the other hand, I pay special attention to the comparative study of classics: throughout the reading of classics of various civilizations, I try to describe recurring patterns of thought.
Sulla Via del Catai, 2023
Father Robert Jacquinot de Besange (1878–1946), the architect of the Safe Zone that bears his nam... more Father Robert Jacquinot de Besange (1878–1946), the architect of the Safe Zone that bears his name, saved tens of thousands of civilians during the Japanese occupation of Shanghai, yet he has often been described as a loner. However, closer examination shows that his initiatives were only possible thanks to a wide network of contacts, based on the connections established by the Jesuits in the Jiangnan region. Jacquinot thus exemplifies how the successes of the Jesuit mission in Shanghai were based on their networks. This article traces the intertwining institutions, clans, and figures that helped insert the Society of Jesus into the thriving civil society of Shanghai from the 1860s to 1949.
李金远教授教学与创作57周年回顾》成都， 四川师范大学美术学院书法学院主编/出版。 , 2024
一个中国画家的记忆宫殿《李金远教授教学与创作57周年回顾》成都， 四川师范大学美术学院书法学院主编/出版。 2024年
中国社会科学报, 2023
《礼与经之间： 正在建设中的知识领域》中国社会科学报， 2023.12.29
基督教学术 / Christian Scholarship, 2023
Discussing Anew the 'Sacred' and the "Profane' in the Chinese Context:
The French School of Socio... more Discussing Anew the 'Sacred' and the "Profane' in the Chinese Context:
The French School of Sociology in Non-European Societies
The French School of Sociology in Non-European Societies
Cahiers d’Extrême-Asie, 2021
- “Jouer (et Donner) à Penser. Une Lecture de Roberte Hamayon en Contexte(s) Chinois.” Cahiers d... more - “Jouer (et Donner) à Penser. Une Lecture de Roberte Hamayon en Contexte(s) Chinois.” Cahiers d’Extrême-Asie 30 (2021): 173–207.
Christian Witness in a Multi-Religious World, 2022
“Cross-Reading the Classics: Witness Through Respect and Dialogue”, in: Christian Witness in a Mu... more “Cross-Reading the Classics: Witness Through Respect and Dialogue”, in: Christian Witness in a Multi-Religious World, ed. by Indunil J. Kodithuwakku K., Rome, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2022, pp.231-243.
Thinking with/for Many Others In Memory of Vincent Shen (1949-2018), 2023
This essay tries to capture the way Chinese and Western classics were exchanged and reinterpreted... more This essay tries to capture the way Chinese and Western classics were exchanged and reinterpreted. It further examines how a reflexive appraisal of these attempts may enrich our contemporary endeavors at reading classics, focusing toward the end on “comparative theology” as a field still in the making. By doing so, this essay is also a modest homage to Professor Vincent Shen’s contribution to cross-cultural hermeneutics.
Religions, 2022
This article uses a typology of action framework to analyze a selection of the gospels’ parables.... more This article uses a typology of action framework to analyze a selection of the gospels’ parables. It does so by connecting these parables to A. G. Haudricourt and C. Ferret’s research on the “anthropology of action”. After summarizing Haudricourt’s and Ferret’s results, I relate modes of action to types of emplotment. I select four parables as the basis of my analysis, using J. P. Meier’s findings as a guide for selection. I discern in these four parables four modes of emplotment, which enables me to insert them into larger narrative networks found within the gospels. I locate the corpus of narratives determined this way in the context of Jesus’ time so as to better appreciate how the four modes of emplotment combine into a typology of action shaped by a specific social and cultural context. Within this typology of action, I put a spotlight on the way our corpus’ modes of emplotment make use of “discontinuous actions” (coined by Ferret). “Discontinuous actions” decisively initiate or correct a specified course of events. The stress on this dimension of action applies to the relationships occurring between humans and the natural world, within the social world, and between humans and
the supranatural world, thus connecting one order of reality with another.
the supranatural world, thus connecting one order of reality with another.
La Croix, 2021
La crise sanitaire a généré des tensions dans la société, dans les familles, parfois en chacun… B... more La crise sanitaire a généré des tensions dans la société, dans les familles, parfois en chacun… Benoît Vermander, jésuite et sinologue, témoigne de ce qu'il en a été en Chine et explique comment l'idée de réconciliation peut y résonner. entretien Quelles tensions la crise sanitaire at -elle révélées ou accentuées en Chine ?