The Chinese prayer book of Bishop Gury (Karpov), a copy of which is stored in the Tokyo's Toyo Bunko Library, became available to researchers of Chinese Orthodox texts, through the joint efforts of the diocese of Sendai Diocese of the Japanese Autonomous Orthodox Church and the Orthodox Brotherhood of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Hong Kong.
Electronic version published on the Web site "Orthodoxy in China".
Bishop Gury (in the world: Platonovich Grigory Karpov) was born in 1814 in Saratov, to the family of a priest. After completing the theological seminary in 1837, he taught Latin in the Saratov branch of the county's higher religious schools. On completing the St. Petersburg Theological Academy with a 'candidate of theology' degree, he was tonsured a monk with the name Gury.
By special decree of the Holy Synod, he spent nearly 20 years working in the Beijing Spiritual Mission. Bishop Gury translated the Gospels, the service book, the lives of saints and other liturgical books into Chinese. In China, he laid a sound foundation for further theological and apologetic works.
From 1867 until his death in 1882, he administered the Taurichesky cathedra. On April 18, 2008 the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, presided by Metropolitan Vladimir, decided to add the XIX century ascetic bishop Gury (Karpov) to the list of locally venerated saints.