The international version of Journal for the Study of Biblical Literature (JSBL) is a semi-annual, peer-reviewed journal published in traditional Chinese script since 2017 (ISSN 2520-0887). The publishers of the Journal are the Institute for the Study of Biblical Literature at Henan University, jointly with the Divinity School of Chung Chi College, Chinese University of Hong Kong, and the Journal is sponsored by Seekers Christian Research Center, USA, and the Hong Kong-based Institute of Sino-Christian Studies.

The Journal for the Study of Biblical Literature has been published in a simplified Chinese version since 2007. Since 2010, JSBL has been included in the network of China National Knowledge Infrastructures (CNKI), and WANFANG DATA; and since 2013, it has been indexed in Chinese Social Sciences Citation Index (CSSCI).In 2023, the journal was included in “AMI Comprehensive Evaluation Collection of Chinese Humanities and Social Sciences Journals (2022)” released by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Evaluation Studies (CASSES). In 2024, it was selected as one of the “High-Impact Academic Journals（2024）” by China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI).

The Journal aims to provide a global platform for high-level academic discussion, with an emphasis on exploring the frontiers of international biblical scholarship in relation to Chinese culture and intellectual resources. Section divisions in the Journal include: Bible Reading in a Chinese context, Bible in China, Chinese Bible Translation Studies, Bible & Literature and Art, Studies on the Hebrew Bible, Studies on the New Testament, Diverse Topics in Biblical Studies, Marxism & Biblical Studies, Bible & the Ancient World, Introducing Pathbreaking Scholarship, etc.

JSBL is the only Chinese academic publication with the Bible as its research object. The Journal is primarily oriented to Biblical research in the Chinese context, that is, to promoting biblical academic research among Chinese and overseas scholars based on Chinese cultural and textual resources, in order to enrich Chinese learning and contribute to international biblical research. To this end, sub-sections of the Journal include Bible Reading in a Chinese Context, Bible in China and Chinese Bible Translation Studies. Other sections, such as Bible & Literature and Art, also include articles on topics such as the Bible and Chinese literature. The journal emphasizes the hermeneutics of social location, showing how the Bible has been interpreted in Chinese or Asian contexts, and how these interpretations may illuminate our understanding of the biblical texts that cannot be gleaned through traditional (or mainstream) historical and literary criticism dominated by the West.

The Journal is continually expanding its international perspective and addressing latest trends in Biblical academic research. The 27 advisory members of the Journal are currently from the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Slovakia, Australia, Israel, Singapore, the Chinese mainland, as well as Hong Kong and Taiwan, reflecting a significant international representation. The more than 200 contributing authors to date come from mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, the United States, Canada, Britain, Germany, France, Holland, Finland, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Slovakia, Australia, Botswana, Israel, Japan, Singapore and Malaysia. These contributors display an international diversity, manifest diverse ethnic backgrounds, and represent an overall gender balance. One sub-section of the Journal is dedicated to publishing the significant research papers of Biblical scholars who have made outstanding contributions to the field. Other rotating sub-sections such as Diverse Topics in Biblical Studies, Marxism & Biblical Studies, Bible & the Ancient World allow discussion of vanguard issues in international biblical research. JSBL advocates interdisciplinary approaches, social-scientific methodologies, and dialogue with science.

The Journal is professionally run and administered. Its editorial team is supported by an Advisory Committee composed of a group of leading international scholars (Robert ALTER, Leland RYKEN, David L. JEFFERY, Roland BOER, Gerd THEISSEN, David CLINES, Meir STERNBERG, James DUNN, Marián GÁLIK, Gary RENDSBURG, Archie LEE, ZHUO Xinping et al.) who oversee guidelines for the running of the Journal. The Editorial Committee appoints renowned scholars as executive editor of each issue, and plans the topics of Journal sections. The Chinese text is copy-edited by the full-time editor for the Divinity School of Chung Chi College at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, while academics from Yale University and Chung Yuan Christian University in Taiwan copy-edit the English, to ensure the accuracy and standardization of the traditional Chinese text and English expression. Two senior professors from the Divinity School of Chung Chi College, Chinese University of Hong Kong, serve as publishing directors to monitor the compliance of each issue with international publishing standards.

The editor in chief LIANG Gong, a professor of Henan University, has been engaged in Biblical Literature Research for nearly 40 years. He received special funding from the State Council of China and has been a visiting scholar at Luther Seminary, St. Paul (LSSP, 1994) and Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (LSTC, 1995).

Publication information is presented on the cover or copyright page, including Chinese and English titles, international unified publication number (ISSN 2520-0887), publication year and issue number, joint publishing units and their contact information, as well as the composition of Advisory and Editorial Committees. Table of contents follow in Chinese and English, consisting of three parts: Subsection name; title of each article and author's name; starting page number. Appendices are included at the back of the journal (notes to contributors, annotation format and examples, postscript, etc.).

Each paper consists of four parts: 1. Title, author’s name, abstract, key words, author’s organization and contact information (this may also include acknowledgment of financial support, etc.). 2. Text. 3. Information quoted in the text in the form of footnotes at the bottom of each page. 4. References listed at the end of the paper. The main body of each page lists Chinese and English titles, the author’s name in Chinese and the title of the article in the header, and the Chinese and English date of publication and issue number in the footer.

Since English is the international language of scientific literature, the Journal attaches importance to presenting all key information in English. In footnotes and references, Chinese documents are transcribed in pinyin romanization and English translation. English annotation accords with Chicago Manual (17th Edition) style. Chinese annotation accords to international practice with consideration for Chinese habits of expression.

The Journal has a wide influence among mainland and overseas Chinese scholars. It provides a print publishing platform and reference material for biblical scholars of literature, philosophy, religion, culture and history. It has been designated an important teaching resource by many universities, scientific research institutions and seminaries. According to (incomplete) statistics obtained from CNKI (Beijing), 280 papers published in this Journal from 2010 to 2019 have been downloaded 54427 times and cited 271 times. Each paper has been downloaded on average 194 times and cited approx. 0.97 times.

The Journal has been extensively recognized and praised by peers. According to Distinguished Professor Gary Rendsburg of Rutgers University, USA, JSBL has become “the leading journal of Biblical Studies in China. Its readership continues to grow, as first-class scholarship finds its way to more and more Chinese students and scholars interested in the subject.” And as the renowned specialist David L. Jeffery of Baylor University, USA comments, “JSBL is a publication worthy to be compared with the likes of JBS, CBQ and Interpretation.”