聖嚴法師所著、譯之《世界佛教通史》系列作品，包括《印度佛教史》、《中國佛教史概說》、《西藏佛教史》及《日韓佛教史略》等，如果放置在近代中國佛教史學的脈絡中來加以審讀，才可以對其特點與貢獻，做出歷史而客觀的闡明。本文將從近代佛學論述中之「經、史移位」，即民國期間中國佛教學之書寫，如何由傳統之經學中心而轉移到史學中心，以及民國佛教通史著述的形成等脈絡，來闡釋聖嚴法師《世界佛教通史》一系列的撰寫。以期說明其關於佛教通史之撰述，是如何一面延續近代以來佛學史著的傳統，而又有新的擴展。

The serial works of History of the World Buddhism, written or translated by Master Sheng Yen, are all Buddhist works concerning with the general history, and only when we examine his historical works in the context of modern Chinese Buddhist historiography, can we reveal their features and contributions historically and objectively. Chinese Buddhist studies, in the sense of modern knowledge, were formed during the second decade to the fourth decade of 20th century. Studies on the formation of the Chinese Buddhist studies in this period would have an important academichistorical significance to the understanding of the evolvement and the characteristics of modern Chinese Buddhist studies. This article is specified in the transition from classichermeneutics to historiography, that is, how the Chinese Buddhist research paradigm in modern China changed from classichermeneutics- centered to historiography-centered, the formation of the Buddhist general historical books in modern China and its influence on the general historical works written or translated by Master Sheng Yen. It will expound how his writings on Buddhist general history made new progress as well as inheriting the tradition of Buddhist historiography of the modern age.