Polishing Jade with Stones from Another Hill: The Influence of Karl Barth on T.C. Chao

Abstract In 1939 the first book‐length study of Karl Barth's theology appeared in Chinese. Its author was T. C. Chao (1888–1979), one of the twentieth century's foremost Chinese Protestant theologians. Chao is often described as becoming “Barthian” or “neo‐orthodox” after writing The Religious Thought of Barth in 1939, although how this actually happened remains unclear. In this article I propose a new way of understanding Barth's influence on Chao. Against contemporary “neo‐orthodox” readings, I argue that Barth's influence was substantively “christocentric,” shaping Chao's thinking such that Jesus Christ began to function as the controlling center of his method or approach to theology. This form of christocentric influence can be seen in light of two theological principles that Chao borrowed from Barth's writings, treating them as “stones to polish his own jade,” influencing his own pursuit of dogmatic or systematic theology in China.