Chapter 4 Section 2 Nestorianism in the Tang Dynasty

Before the 17th century, no one knew that Christianity had been introduced to China during the Tang Dynasty.In the third year of Mingqi (1623 A.D.), a "Nestorian Monument of the Great Qin Dynasty in China" was unearthed in Zhouzhi [zhouzhi] (now Zhouzhi County, Shaanxi Province) in the southwest of Xi'an.It tells people that the Nestorian priests of Christianity did come to China in the ninth year of Tang Zhenguan (AD 635).This black stele is now in the Shaanxi Provincial Museum in Xi'an. The stele is 2.36 meters high, 0.86 meters wide, and 0.25 meters thick. The top end is engraved with flying clouds and a cross set off by a lotus platform, surrounded by a hornless dragon called "Chi" (chi eating). , with lilies on the left and right.There are ancient Syriac inscriptions of 70 Nestorian priests on the bottom and sides of the stele.On the forehead of the stele is "Ode to the Great Qin Nestorian Popular Chinese Stele and Preface", with a total of 32 lines of inscriptions and 1,780 characters. The handwriting is clear and intact.The content of the inscription is divided into two parts: the preface and the eulogy.The preface is long, first briefly describing the basic doctrines of Christianity, and then describing the development of Nestorianism under the preferential treatment of Emperors Taizong, Gaozong, Xuanzong, Suzong, Daizong and Dezong of the Tang Dynasty after it became a self-reliant religion in Aluoben China.The eulogies are short, retelling the outline of the preface in rhyme, mostly in praise of the six emperors mentioned above.In terms of doctrine, the inscriptions briefly mention God's creation of all things, the fall of the first ancestor of mankind by Satan's temptation, the savior who came to the world from the Trinity, was born of a virgin, and died for the salvation of the world and ascended to heaven, etc., but did not involve Nestor Levant's theory of two natures and two persons of Christ.

The author of the inscription, Jing Jing, is a Nestorian priest with the Christian name of Adam. He once served as the "Godfather of China", "Township Bishop", and "Elder".His grandfather Min (Wang Feng) [li Li] was a Nestorian priest who came to China from Balkh (now northern Afghanistan).His father, Yisi, was a "white-clothed" priest of Nestorianism. He served the imperial court during the reigns of Suzong, Daizong, and Dezong.Jing Jing may have grown up in China since she was a child and received Chinese traditional cultural education.Japanese scholar Konan Junjiro (AD 1866-1945) discovered that Yuanzhao, a monk of Ximing Temple in the Tang Dynasty, was recorded in the "Zhenyuan Xinding Buddhist Catalog" compiled by Emperor Dezong. The Huayan sect's eminent monk Prajna (translated as Prajna) "is not busy (Xian) Hu language (Thuoluo language), but has not yet understood Tang dialect", "it is with Daqin Temple Persian monk Jing Jing, according to Hu's "Six The Paramita was translated into seven volumes".Since Buddhism attacked Jing Jing for "interpretation", "the teaching of Mishihe (Messiah) should be taught", "I don't know Sanskrit, and I don't understand Buddhism", so I shouldn't "indiscriminately interfere".This incident happened within a few years after the Nestorian monument was erected, which not only proved that Jing Jing had a reputation for translating books, but also showed that he had close contacts with Buddhist monks.However, at that time, Christianity was still in the initial stage of transmission, and had not yet formed its own set of terminology, so Jing Jing borrowed many terms from Buddhism, even Taoism and Confucian classics, to explain Christian doctrines.Such terms as "Araha" (God), "World Honored One" (Jesus), "Jingfeng" (Holy Spirit), "Trinity" (Trinity), "Mishha" (Messiah), "Temple" (Satan), "Temple" (church), "Monk" (priest), "Shangde" (bishop), "Buddhism" (worship mass), etc., are now abandoned.

Nearly 300 years after the Nestorian stele was unearthed, seven more documents related to Nestorianism in the Tang Dynasty were found in the Mingsha Mountain stone chamber in Dunhuang, Gansu.These documents are manuscripts of scrolls on jute paper.One is "The Great Qin Nestorian Three Ways of Meng Duzan". "Sanwei" refers to the majestic God of the Trinity of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and "Mengdu" means to be redeemed.This is the Chinese translation of "Ode to the Lord" commonly used by Christian churches in the Tang Dynasty. It is translated from Syriac and mixed with Buddhist and Taoist terms. The translator may be Jing Jing.One is "Zunjing", which is a work of prayer and praise to the "Dharma King" and the scriptures.The so-called King of Dharma is the 21 apostles, saints, godfathers or Nestorian patriarchs listed after the trinity of "Wonderful Body" (Holy Father), "Ying Body" (Holy Son), and "Virtual Body" (Holy Holy Spirit), as well as " The general term for the 24 prophets in the Bible Old Testament.The catalog of the 35 scriptures listed in the scriptures, most of which are transliterated from Syriac, are quite difficult to identify.There is a postscript after the text that makes an important historical note:

I would like to list the catalogs of the scriptures. There are 530 scriptures in this teaching and they are all in Bayeux Sanskrit.In the ninth year of Emperor Zhenguan of Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty (AD 635), Aruo, a monk from the Western Regions, attended this session and played the original purpose.Translated by Fang Xuanling and Wei Zhengxuan.Later, Jing Jing, a great virtuous monk of the Ben religion, was called to translate more than 30 volumes. Most of the remaining volumes are in the Bayeux wallet, which have not yet been translated. According to the postscript, there are a total of 530 Nestorian scriptures, of which only 30 had been translated into Chinese by Jing Jing at that time.Among the seven Nestorian documents that have been discovered, the "Sanwei Mengduzan" is probably the "Sanwei Praise Sutra" in the "Zunjing", which is a translation, and most of the others are Chinese writings that explain the teachings of Nestorianism.

"Da Qin Xuan Yuan Ben Jing", "Zhixuan An Le Jing" and "Preface to Ting Mi Shi Suo Jing" are all missionary works that recounted Christ's preaching of the Gospel. "Daqin Xuanyuan Benjing", namely "Xuanyuan Zhibenjing" in "Zunjing", ranks second in the list of scriptures listed, but unfortunately it is incomplete, only the first and last 40 lines.At the end of the scriptures, it is indicated that it was written in the fifth year of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty (717 A.D.). "Zhixuan Anle Jing" is the preaching of the "Supreme Mishiha" (Christ) to the "Cen Wen Sangha" (Simon Peter), all in question and answer style.The texts of the above two scriptures are similar to the Nestorian inscriptions, and may have been written by Jing Jing. "Preface to Ting Mi Shi Suo Jing" means "Jesus Christ Sutra". "Xu Ting" should be "Xu Cong", and Tang Yin pronounced it as Jesus. "Mishisuo" should be "Mishihe", which is the transliteration of Messiah (Christ).The text of the scriptures is abysmal, and it may have been written in the early days of missionary work.The other "Monotheism" is composed of three small volumes: "The First Day", "The Second Metaphor", and "The Third Theory of the World Honored One". "One Day Theory First" is the theological elaboration of Nestorianism, while "The Second Metaphor" uses various metaphors to illustrate monotheism. "The World-Honored One (Christ) The Third Theory of Giving" talks about Jesus' preaching activities, citing a lot of content from the "Bible New Testament". The first 42 lines are the narration of the sixth and seventh chapters of "Matthew's Gospel".The first part of the sutra is incomplete, and the text is difficult to read. It is probably also the work of A Luoben when he first came to China.In addition, there is also the "Da Qin Nestorian Great Sage Tong Zhen Gui Dharma Praise", which is referred to as "Tong Zhen Jing" in the catalog of scriptures listed in "Zun Jing".Some people think that this is a hymn about Jesus ascending a high mountain and being transfigured in front of his disciples. See Chapter 17, verses 1-9 of the New Testament Matthew.The date indicated at the end of the article is the eighth year of Emperor Xuanzong's Kaiyuan (720 A.D.).

These documents and Nestorian steles prove that Christianity was introduced to China more than 1300 years ago and was active in the Tang Dynasty for 250 years.As for before the Tang Dynasty, some popular legends in the West said that Christianity had been introduced into China.The Roman writer Anobius wrote "Heretics" written at the end of the 3rd century, saying that Christianity had been preached in China before the 3rd century. After the 16th century, Jesuit priests preached in India that Thomas, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus, had transferred from India to China to preach and established a church.These legends have no historical basis and are not credible.In the Chinese historical materials "Luoyang Jialan Ji", it is recorded that during Emperor Xuanwu of the Northern Wei Dynasty (500-515 A.D.), "Buddhist scriptures flourished in Luoyang, foreign monks, salty and converging [fucou 福势], holding the scriptures in tin, Shizi Paradise", "Sramanas from hundreds of countries, more than 3,000 people, those from the far western regions, and even the Great Qin Kingdom." (Volume 4: Yongming Temple) Here are the recluses from Daqin, who may be Nestorian priests who came to preach.An inscription "Zhai Tusha's Epitaph" in the Sui Dynasty said: "Jun Taboo Tusha, He Biduo, and a native of Taiyuan, Bingzhou. Father's robe, Maha, Dasa treasure." Because of meritorious service, the official went to Chufenwu , It is proposed to pass the guard (equivalent to the official position).He died in Jiashanli, Chongye Township, Luoyang in the 11th year of Daye in the Sui Dynasty (615 A.D.) at the age of 70.Tusha is translated from the Persian word tarsa, and it is translated as Dasha in the Nestorian stele. It is a priest who wears a religious uniform and lives in a church. It is different from the "white Jingshi" among lay people.It is possible that Zhai Tusha was an early Nestorian priest in the Central Plains. His father, Shamaha, was probably a Central Asian Turkic who immigrated to Shanxi during the Northern Qi Dynasty or Northern Zhou Dynasty, and served as an official in charge of Central Asian (Persian) immigrants who were doing business and living abroad.Sabao means "caravan leader" in Turkic. He is the leader of the expatriates who immigrated to the inland, and later became an official in charge of disciples.In the Sui Dynasty, Sabao was set up in each prefecture, and Chang'an and Luoyang set up Dasabao.Sha Maha was appointed as the great sabao, managing the expatriates in Central Asia, and may also be a Nestorian.Although the above historical materials provide clues to the introduction of Prospectism after the Tang Dynasty, it is still not enough to conclude that Nestorianism has begun to preach in China.Only the activities of Nestorianism in the Tang Dynasty, as evidenced by Buddhist literature and historical records such as "Buddha Tongji", "Seng Shilue", "Shimen Orthodox", are credible historical facts.

According to records, in the ninth year of Tang Zhenguan (635 A.D.), A Luoben, the great virtuoso of the Great Qin State, "occupied the Qingyun and published the scriptures, and watched the wind and law to overcome hardships and dangers." He came to Chang'an, the capital of the Tang Dynasty, and was treated by Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty.Tang Taizong not only sent Prime Minister Fang Xuanling to "always fight in the western suburbs and welcome guests inside", but also asked A Luoben to "turn through the scriptures and book halls and ask about the forbidden chamber".Three years later, that is, the twelfth year of Zhenguan (AD 638), Emperor Taizong of Tang passed the translated "Bible" and personally inquired about the truth of the Gospel.The imperial decree said: "The name of Tao is impermanent, the body of sage is impermanent, and teachings are set up according to the direction, and the secrets are used to help all the students. The Persian monk Aluoben will present the scriptures and teachings to Beijing. In detail, it is mysterious and inaction. Looking at the Yuanzong, the key to its establishment It is suitable to travel to the world to benefit people. The director built a temple in Yiningfang, and there were 21 monks." ("Tang Huiyao" Volume 49) This edict is basically the same as the Nestorian inscriptions. It's the same, except that the inscription calls A Luoben "the great virtue of the Great Qin Dynasty", while "Tang Huiyao" calls it a "Persian monk".Ancient historians didn't know much about Nestorianism, and often mistaken it for a sect of Buddhism.In the Tang Dynasty, apart from Buddhism, there were three foreign religions, Zoroastrianism and Nestorianism. They all came from Persia and were introduced to China almost at the same time.The Nestorian priests were originally from Antioch, mostly Syrians.In the early Tang Dynasty, the Eastern Church of the Nestorians had been prevalent in the Persian Empire for a long time, and there must be many Persians who converted. Malabar (536-552 A.D.), the patriarch who reformed the Eastern Church in the middle of the 6th century, was a converted Persian Zoroastrian.Aruben, who was sent to China by the Nestorian patriarch Yishuyehb (628-643 AD), may also be a Persian.

During Tang Gaozong (650-683 A.D.), Nestorianism had a great development.Emperor Gaozong inherited Taizong's policy of preferential treatment, "still revered A Luoben as the great dharma master of the town", and built Nestorian temples in various states.The inscription boasted that Nestorianism had spread to all parts of the country at this time, and Nestorian temples were built in 100 cities.Exactly how many Nestorian temples were built across the country, and how large-scale Nestorian missionary activities reached, we have no way of checking, but the establishment of Nestorian temples must be quite common.In addition to Chang'an and Luoyang, there are clues to the construction of temples in Yuxi, Lingwu, Chengdu, Yangzhou and other places.From Empress Wu's proclaiming to the Emperor Ruizong's abdication (AD 683-712), Nestorianism was ostracized and attacked by Buddhism, lost support in the ever-changing court politics, and once declined.In 698 and 712 AD, Nestorianism was slandered and ridiculed by Buddhist monks and Confucian scholars in Luoyang and Chang'an successively.After Tang Xuanzong (713-755 AD) came to the throne, he resumed Tang Taizong's policy of "inclusiveness" of various religions.Nestorianism also continued to send priests to China to pay tribute, and did everything possible to please the Tang emperor. The priests also dealt with princes and dignitaries, and preached by practicing medicine and other means.According to records, in the second year of Kaiyuan (714 A.D.), "Persian monks and lie etc. widely made strange and ingenious weapons" (Volume 546 of "Cefu Yuangui"). "In the twentieth year of Kaiyuan (732 A.D.) in August Gengxu, the Persian king sent the leader Pan Nami and the great monk Ji Lie to the court. (Tang Xuanzong) awarded the leader a pair of purple cassock and fifty pieces of silk Let them go back to the Fan.” ("Cefu Yuangui" Volume 975) In addition, in the winter of the twenty-eighth year of Kaiyuan (AD 740), Xuanzong's brother fell ill, and Chongyi, who treated him, was a A Nestorian priest skilled in medicine.The Nestorian stele says that Xuanzong ordered his brother Ningguo and other five princes to go to the Nestorian Temple to "build a mandala" and repair the damaged buildings.In the early years of Tianbao (742 A.D.), he sent Gao Lishi, the general in charge, to place the portraits of the five emperors Gaozu, Taizong, Gaozong, Zhongzong, and Ruizong in the temple, and "gift a hundred pieces of silk".In the third year of Tianbao (744 A.D.), the new bishop Jihe came to China. Xuanzong summoned the Nestorian priests Luo Han and Pu Lun to go to Xingqing Palace to "cultivate merit".In the second year, Emperor Xuanzong formally issued an edict to change the name of Jingjiao Temple from Persian Temple to Daqin Temple, and there was a plaque inscribed by the imperial pen himself on the "Tian Ti Temple List, with Dragon Book on the forehead".Nestorian missionary activities in China reached their climax at this time, and the Nestorian stele praised Xuanzong, saying that "Chonglai is as steep as Nanshan, and Peize is as deep as Donghai".

The change of the name of the Nestorian Temple shows that Nestorianism has got rid of the status of being attached to Buddhism, and it is no longer mixed with Persian Hujiao, which is a sign of its deepening mission.Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty issued an edict to build the Nestorian Temple in Yiningfang, Chang'an for Aluoben, which was originally called "Persian Temple".In the Song Dynasty, Song Minqiu mentioned "North Bosihu Temple in the east of Yiningfang Street" in Volume 10 of "Chang'an Zhi".The temple built in Luoyang Xiushanfang is also called Persian Temple. 107 years later, in September of the fourth year of Tianbao (745 A.D.), Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty issued an edict saying: "Persian scriptures came from Daqin. They were passed down and learned, and they traveled to China for a long time. The temple was built at the beginning, because it was named. It will be shown to others. It must be compiled. The Persian Temple in the two capitals (referring to Chang'an and Luoyang) should be changed to Daqin Temple. Those who set up in all the prefectures and counties in the world should also agree to this." ("Tang Huiyao" Volume 49) As for "Nestorianism" It is still unknown when the name came into use.The edict issued in the twelfth year of Zhenguan (638 AD) by Emperor Taizong is called "Jingjiao".Xuanzong Tianbao's four-year edict is called "Persian scriptures".The popular titles in the Tang Dynasty also included Daqinjiao and Mishihejiao.It was not until the first month of the second year of Emperor Dezong's Jianzhong period (781 AD) that the Nestorian monument was erected that the name "Nestorianism" appeared in the inscription.In Chinese and foreign literature, we cannot find the origin of the word "Nestorian".The inscription says, "The true way is wonderful but difficult to name, and its functions are obvious, so it is called Nestorianism."It can be seen that "Nestorianism" is the "strong name" of Christianity by the Nestorians.This appellation appeared after the Jingjiao Temple was renamed.

In the winter of 755 AD, the Anshi Rebellion broke out, and Xuanzong fled to Shu in a hurry.Prince Li Heng is the emperor in Lingwu, and he is Suzong.Although Suzong was the emperor in exile, he still protected and supported Nestorianism.The Nestorian stele says that he "re-established the Jing Temple in Lingwu and other five counties".Emperor Zong succeeded to the throne in AD 762, and he highly respected Nestorianism.The Nestorian stele says that he "on every birthday, bestows heavenly incense to mark success, and bestows royal delicacies to honor everyone".Zong died in 779 AD, and Li Shi, Emperor Dezong, came to the throne.The Nestorian tablet says that he "only has a new life in Jingjiao", that is, he still has a good impression of Nestorianism.During the reign of Emperor Suzong, Huihe and Huihe led the army to help. The Nestorian Isi came to the Lingwu Palace to act as a staff member and interpreter. The official went to Dr. Jin Ziguanglu, tried the prison in the palace, and gave purple cassocks.Suzong appointed him as the deputy envoy of Tongshuofang Jiedu, under the command of Shuofang Jiedu envoy Guo Ziyi, and participated in the battle to put down the Anshi Rebellion.Yisi contributed a lot to the reconstruction of Jingsi Temple in the Five Counties of Lingwu.He also "can scatter rewards and don't accumulate them at home", "deliver benefits according to benevolence", and "provide pious things carefully". The Longyou and Hexi areas were revived.The Nestorians praised him for his achievements in the three dynasties of Suzong, Daizong and Dezong, "I would like to engrave a monument to praise Xiulie".Therefore, in 781 AD, Jing Jing wrote an article to build the Nestorian Monument to commend Yisi, praise the pioneers, and record the nearly 150 years of Nestorian missionary experience in the Tang Dynasty.

After the establishment of the Nestorian Monument, after the Shunzong, Xianzong, Muzong, Jingzong, and Wenzong dynasties, Nestorianism was probably in a period of decline.In the fourth year of Changqing of Emperor Mu Zong (824 A.D.), Shu Yuanyu wrote "Preface to the Stele of Chongyan Temple" and said, "Sanyi Temple, which combines the world (Daqin, Zoroastrianism, Mani), is less than the number of my Shishi's small town." (Volume 727 of "Quan Tang Wen").It can be seen that although Nestorianism won the support of the royal dignitaries, under the competition of Buddhism and Taoism, the progress of missionary activities was extremely limited. In August of the fifth year of Huichang (845 A.D.), Tang Wuzong issued an edict to exterminate Buddhism, and Nestorianism was banned at the same time.At that time, "the number of monks and nuns in the world is innumerable", and "it is impossible to know the Ji Jiji when temples are recruited". "Monks and nuns consume the world", and the fiscal revenue of the feudal state was also affected.After the edict was issued, "4,600 or 40,000 temples were destroyed in the world. There were 265,000 monks and nuns as citizens, 150,000 slaves and maidservants, tens of millions of acres of land, and more than 2,000 people in Daqin" (" New Book of Tang · Shihuozhi").The edict stated: "My great ancestor, Taizong, used martial arts to fix disasters, and used literature to rationalize China. Holding these two handles is enough to govern the state. How can mere Western religions compete with me?" That is to say, these foreign religions and traditional The syllabi are often incompatible with each other.In the same year, Zhongshumen Xiatiaozuo pointed to "Daqin, Muhu and other shrines" and said: "Since Buddhism has been reformed, evil methods cannot survive alone. They are all reincarnated, recursively, and taxpayers. Like foreigners, Send it back to this office for collection." This blow was indeed fatal to Nestorianism. Only two years later, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty revoked the order to "exterminate religion" in the first year of Dazhong (847 AD), and Buddhism revived again. , but Nestorian never recovered.According to the Records of China and India written by Arab Abu Said Hassan in the 10th century, when Huang Chao captured Guangzhou in AD 878, Christians, Jews, Muslims and Zoroastrians living in the city were expelled and killed. Nestorianism has since disappeared in mainland China.In the Chinese historical records of the Five Dynasties and the Song Dynasty, there is no record about Nestorianism.In the fifth year of Song Taizong's Taiping Xingguo (AD 980), a Nestorian priest named Nai Jilan was ordered by the church to come to China with five other priests to rectify the religious affairs. In Baghdad in 987, he said: "Christianity in China is completely dead. The believers have all died violently and the churches have been destroyed. In the whole country, there is no second Christian except one person. Searching all over the country, there is no one who can teach. Therefore, I am eager to return." However, although Nestorianism disappeared in the interior of China, it continued to exist and prevailed in the remote areas of the northwest, such as the Naiman, Kelei, Mierqi, Wanggu and other tribes in Mongolia, as well as the ethnic groups such as for a while. The existence of Nestorianism in the Tang Dynasty is a historical fact.Since Bishop Aluoben came to Chang'an from Persia, and Emperor Taizong of Tang officially ordered the construction of temples to preach, Christianity has received preferential treatment from the six emperors of the Tang Dynasty one after another, and has been active for more than 200 years.In the end, due to Tang Wuzong's "destruction of Buddhism", the Nestorianism of the Great Qin Dynasty was implicated, and the first mission of Christianity in China finally ended in failure.

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