Faith First Media

Early Chinese Christian Documents, c. 635-718 A.D.

by Matthew Elton

The Persian Christian Monk whose Chinese name is Āluóběn is the earliest recorded Christian missionary to China. In the year 635 A.D. he led a group of Christians from the Church of the East, an ancient Christian church based in Persia, along the Silk Road to Cháng'ān (present day Xī’ān), capital of Tang Dynasty China. He was received by Emperor Tàizōng, who decreed that Christianity be preached in China. Churches were built in many provinces, and enough people accepted the faith that the Church of the East established a Metropolitan (a church headquarters led by an archbishop) at Cháng'ān. After an explosion of initial growth in the seventh and eighth centuries, Christianity suffered extreme persecution beginning in 845 A.D. The emperor, who had claimed to be related to Lǎozǐ (founder of Daoism, the only religion that had originated in China) in order to justify his rule, made Daoism the state religion and banished all foreign religions, including Buddhism and Christianity.

However, Christianity later flourished in China again under the Mongol rule of the Yuán Dynasty of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. When Marco Polo arrived in the late thirteenth century he found Christian churches already operating in China, as recorded in his diary. By the thirteenth century, Christianity had spread from its initial entry into China at Cháng'ān to the farthest reaches of Chinese territory. Marco Polo discovered a Christian church Fúzhōu where Chinese Christians sang psalms from a Chinese translation of the Book of Psalms. The Christians claimed that the church was already seven hundred years old, placing its construction at about 570 A.D. Marco Polo discovered churches in other cities as well, including a Christian monastery southwest of Běijīng that still exists today, just a few miles to the south of Yān Shān. He even found Christians serving in high places of the Chinese government. According to Marco Polo, a thirteenth century census by the Chinese government found there to be 700,000 Christians in China, long before the first European missionaries ever showed up. Christianity was a protected religion under Kublai Khan's rule (1260-1294), for Kublai Khan's own mother, Sorkaktani, was a Christian. Kublai Khan promised Marco Polo that he would become a Christian himself if the pope would send 100 missionaries to China. Unfortunately the pope made no reply.

But in 1280, only a few years after Marco Polo became the first European to travel to China, two Chinese Christians - known in the West as Mar Yaballaha III and Rabban Bar Sauma - became the first Chinese to travel to Europe. Both were priests at a cathedral in Běijīng. After visiting the Holy Land, they continued into Europe, where Rabban Bar Sauma met the the pope to ask for an alliance between the Europeans and the Mongols against their common enemy, the Arab Muslims. Mar Yaballaha III and Rabban Bar Sauma were in Italy during the eruption of Mount Etna, Italy's largest active volcano, in 1287. Later that same year Bar Sauma met King Edward I of England at his Court in France. Bar Sauma died in Baghdad in 1294, during the return journey back to China. Mar Yaballaha III stayed in the Middle East and went on to become Patriarch of the Church of the East. Here's a map of their journey: http://imageshack.us/m/190/4681/voyagesofrabbanbarsauma.jpg

The collapse of the Yuán Dynasty in 1368 marked the beginning of the end of early Christianity in China. The Míng Dynasty (1368-1644) was intolerant of Christians and destroyed many churches, although Church of the East churches in the southern coastal city of Xiàmén, where I will be living this Fall, survived until the fifteenth century. By the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the Church of the East was extinct in China, but new kinds of missionaries were now entering China for the first time - Catholics and Protestants.

The oldest surviving Christian church in China was built in 640 A.D. near Lóuguāntái just outside present day Xī’ān. The main building was destroyed by the communists in the 1960s, but the church tower was left standing. In 1998 archeologists confirmed that the building, now abandoned, was indeed a Christian church - a fact that local legend had already well established. The Chinese government funded the restoration of the tower, and statues of the virgin Mary and of Jonah were discovered inside. Sealed underground rooms located beneath the tower are about to be excavated, and could unveil a treasure trove of Chinese Christian artifacts. Here's a picture of the tower: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Da_Qin_Pagoda.jpg

According to a list of scrolls counted by the Chinese Christian monk Jǐngjìng in the eighth century, Āluóběn had brought 530 Christian scrolls to China in 635 A.D., including the complete New Testament and many Christian documents written in Syriac by Persian Christians between the first and seventh centuries. According to Jǐngjìng's list, at least 30 scrolls were translated into Chinese in the seventh and eighth centuries, including the Torah (or at least part of it), 1-2 Kings, Psalms, Luke, Acts, and at least one epistle of Paul. Although these early Bible translations are now lost, several early Chinese Christian scrolls were discovered in a cave at Dùnhuáng in the nineteenth century. These include the list of scrolls already mentioned, a church liturgy, a teaching expounding on the Sermon on the Mount, a scroll describing the life of Jesus, and other documents.

We know from these documents that early Christians in China were radically committed to nonviolence, were vegetarians, practiced baptism, prayed seven times a day, and believed in evangelizing and proclaiming the gospel message across all of China. Amazingly, they used the B.C./A.D. calendar system that had been invented in Europe (based on an estimate of when Jesus was born) just years before the first mission to China. In fact, the earliest surviving usage of this system comes from a Chinese Christian document written in 641 A.D. Early Chinese Christians also adopted the seven day week and observed the Sabbath every seven days, at which time they had an "audience with Heaven," which is possibly a reference to communion, and/or a weekly prayer meeting. This is in contrast to the traditional Chinese calendar system that is based on cycles of the moon instead of seven day weeks. Seventh or eighth century Chinese calendars have been discovered that follow the traditional Chinese lunar calendar but have a special mark added every seven days. These marks are believed to have been added by Chinese Christians to mark the Sabbath day.

The most important artifact of the early church in China is the giant stone monument built by Chinese Christians at Xī’ān, China in 781 A.D. At the top of the monument is a large engraved image of the cross standing on a lotus flower with dragons on either side. Beneath this are large Chinese characters that say 大秦景教流行中國碑 which means "Western Christian Teaching Popularized in China Monument." Beneath this are almost 2,000 smaller Chinese characters, carved into the stone with beautiful precision, telling the history of the first 150 years of Christianity in China. The text was composed by the Chinese Christian monk Jǐngjìng in 781 A.D., and engraved The monument is currently located in the Forest of Stone Monuments Museum in Xī’ān, China. I hope to see it with my own eyes when I visit Xī’ān this Fall. Here's a super high resolution scan of the monument's surface, showing the thousands of detailed Chinese characters engraved on it: http://itsee.bham.ac.uk/online/stele/stele.jpg

Below is an excerpt from this monument, translated into English by Martin Palmer (from his book, The Jesus Sutras, which I strongly recommend) with additional input from Charles F. Horne's more literal 1917 translation, and an examination of the Chinese text by myself here: http://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/大秦景教流行中國碑頌 This is followed by an excerpt from the Jesus the Messiah Sutra, a Chinese Christian scroll written circa 635 A.D. that describes the gospel message in Chinese. Translated into English by Charles F. Horne.

Christianity has a long history in China that challenges the commonly held assumption that Christianity is only a "Western" or "European" religion. In fact, Christianity began at the crossroads of three continents and spread rapidly in all directions. Churches in the Middle East, India, and Ethiopia trace back to the first century. In fact, the oldest Christian church in the world to still be in operation today is in India. Christianity was spreading peacefully in China at the same time that Christians were fighting armies of pagans in in England. The truth is that Christianity is neither a Western nor an Eastern religion. It is a heavenly religion that transcends all boundaries of nation, culture, language, and race, for as Jesus said, "My Kingdom is not of this world."

Excerpt from the "Western Christian Teaching Popularized in China Monument," 781 A.D.

The sacred doctrine that brought light to the world came here during the reign on Emperor Tàizōng. The glorious teachings were carried by Āluóběn, a man of high virtue from the Western Empire. He came on azure clouds bearing the true Scriptures, and after a long and arduous journey, arrived in Cháng'ān during the ninth year of Zhēnguān. The emperor sent his minister Fáng Xuánlíng to greet him at the western suburb. The visitor was welcomed into the palace where he as asked to translate his scriptures. When the emperor heard the teachings, he realized deeply that they spoke the truth. He therefore asked that these teachings be taught, and in the seventh month in the autumn of the twelfth year of Zhēnguān, he issued a decree: "The Dao does not have a common name and the sacred form is not common. Proclaim the teachings everywhere for the salvation of the people. Āluóběn, the man of great virtue from the Western Empire, came from a far land and arrived at the capital to present the teachings and images of his religion. His message is mysterious and wonderful beyond our understanding. The teachings tell us about the origin of things and how they were created and nourished. The message is lucid and clear; the teachings will benefit all; and they should be practiced throughout the land." On the street named Yì Níng ("Righteous Peace") in the capital, the Western Monastery was erected for twenty-one Christian monks. Through his great virtue and his ascension to the blue skies in the West, the light of the Way and the Christian Spirit has reached the Great Tang. On the eastern gate of the monastery is an imperial declaration penned by the emperor: "Reveal the splendor and brightness of Heaven, glorify the Christian saints, and let the benevolent teachings illuminate this realm of existence." According to the maps of the Western territories and the records of the Hàn and Wèi histories, the southern part of the Western Empire touches the coral seas. Northward it stretches toward the mountains of the many treasures. Westward it overlooks the flowering woods of paradise. Eastward it extends to lands where the wind never stops and where rivers are few. From there came cotton-filling to make warm clothing, frankincense, shining pearls, and bright gemstones. In that land there are no thieves. People are happy and healthy. Only the Christian teachings are practiced, and nothing other than virtue is promoted. The buildings are large and spacious, and the country is rich in culture and learning. The Emperor Gāozōng praised his ancestor for recognizing the value of the true teachings and decreed the building of Christian monasteries in many provinces. He conferred on Āluóběn the title "Lord Protector of the Great Teachings." The teachings spread to the ten directions and the country prospered. Monasteries were built in hundreds of cities and many people received blessings from the Christian Church. In the following years, the Buddhist teachers from the eastern district spread vicious rumors and gathered a group of dishonorable people in the western suburb to slander. The chief priest, the honorable Luóxián, brought out the golden religious objects, and the high monks defended the wondrous doctrine. Thus, a disaster was averted. The pious Emperor Xuánzōng ordered five princes from the Dukedom of Ning to supervise the building of a church where the doctrine could be taught to more people in simple and straightforward ways. Within a short time, many people were converted. In the early years of Tianbao, the emperor ordered General Gāo Lìshì to attend the consecration of the Acts of the Five Saints Church. He also sent gifts of one hundred bolts of satin and a commemorative tapestry. On the tapestry was embroidered: "The dragon may be far away, but the bow and sword can reach the corners of the sun to bring light and celestial music to the three realms." From the Western Empire came the monk Jiehe, who observed changes in the stars and gazed at the sun in an audience with the Lord. The emperor also asked the Honorable JIehe, Lexie, Bulun, and seventeen other monks to perform a high ceremony of prayer and offering at the celebration hall. At the Tiandi Monastery there is a plaque written by the emperor. Decorated with sparkling jade and suspended from a high rafter, it floats like a many-colored cloud from heaven. On it is written: "As great as the Southern mountains, as grand as the largest lakes, and as deep as the Eastern Seas, the Way can accomplish anything, and what it accomplished must be described. There is nothing that the holy ones cannot achieve, and what they have achieved will always be recorded." The enlightened Emperor Sùzōng established Christian monasteries in Língwǔ and four other provinces. He supported charitable works and celebrated the great festivals. Thus he was blessed, and his reign was prosperous. The scholar and military emperor Dàizōng continued to promote the sacred Way and follow the principles of actionless action. On Christmas morning he offered incense and honored the Christians with an imperial declaration. It read: "Due to your wonderful and meritorious works, many people have found salvation. Because the sacred took on human form, the poisons of the world can be stopped." During the years of Jianzhang, my pious emperor issued eight edicts and drove away the darkness. He opened the nine realms and renewed the life of the Christian Church to penetrate the mysteries, to bless with a good conscience, to be great and yet empty, to return to stillness and be forgiving, to be compassionate and to deliver all people, to do good deeds and help people reach the other shore - these are the great benefits of our path of cultivation. To calm people in stormy times, to help them understand the nature of things, to maintain purity, to nourish all things, to respect life, and to answer the needs of those whose beliefs come from the heart - these are the services the Christian Church can offer. The Minster of Religious Affairs and Assistant Provincial Governor of the tribute kingdoms bestowed the purple robe on the mink Yishi in the examination room on behalf of the emperor. In a harmonious and benevolent way, this monk dedicated his life to spreading the teachings from the capital to the heart of the country. His skill was impeccable and his learning was without peer. In the beginning he befriended the governor. Later, he made himself known in the community of scribes. Finally, he got Duke Guo of Hànyáng to introduce the rites of abstinence in the tribute kingdoms. When the Emperor Sùzōng saw that his father was bedridden and unable to walk, he vowed that he would continue the policy of his ancestor. He sent messages to his ministers and ordered them to distribute his wealth generously, and to send a tithe of cloth and gold. He offered to renovate the older monasteries, rebuild the churches, and redecorate the halls and chambers. He also asked the Christian Church to follow the principles of virtue and benevolence. Every year, he invited the monks of the four monasteries to plan their charitable activities together with him. He bid them to feed the crippled, give clothing to those suffering from cold, heal the sick, and bury the dead. His devotion was so great that he asked a white-robed Christian priest to write a plaque to glorify the luminous doctrine. The text reads: "The True Lord of the primordial void, in absolute stillness and constant naturalness, crafted and nourished all things. He raised the earth and established the heavens. He manifested himself in the flesh with limitless compassion. The sun rises, darkness is banished, and we are witnesses to the true wonder." The glorious and resplendent, accomplished Emperor, whose principles embraced those of preceding monarchs, took time to prevent chaos. Heaven was expanded and the earth was enlarged. The bright, luminous Christian teachings were brought into our Tang Empire. Scriptures were translated. Monasteries were built. These teachings are like a raft, carrying salvation, blessings, and goodwill to the people of my country. Following the footsteps of his ancestors, the Emperor Gāozōng built beautiful monasteries and churches throughout the land. The true Way was proclaimed and the title "Lord Protector of the Great Teachings" was conferred. The people were happy and there was prosperity everywhere. The Emperor Xuánzōng promoted the sacred doctrine even further. He followed the true teachings, penned declarations to endorse them, and issued imperial decrees to support them. In simple and glorious words, he praised them and deemed them worthy of celebration. The Emperor Sùzōng revived the Way of Heaven and observed the holy days. Within one night, the fair winds swept away the impurities that had corrupted the palace. The dust was cleared and the country was made whole again. The Emperor Dàizōng was filial and virtuous. His piety was as great as heaven and earth. He opened the imperial treasury and gave gifts of precious materials and jasmine incense. To those who were virtuous, he rewarded them with gemstones that were as bright as the full moon. The reigning Emperor of Jianzhang believed in the enlightened teachings. During his time, the military and the generals kept peace in the four corners of the land and the scholar officials were honest and upright. His light penetrated the secrecies of men, and to him the diversities of objects were seen as in a mirror. People in the six directions were enlightened, and all outer nations followed him as an example. This doctrine is great and its workings are powerful and mysterious."

Jesus the Messiah Sutra, verses 160-206, c. 635 A.D.

And when Jesus the Messiah was born, all the people of the world saw bright signs in heaven and on earth. At last, a new star appeared in heaven above, which the people saw from their dwelling places. The star was as big as a cartwheel shining bright and clear over the place where the Lord of Heaven was to be found. Just about that time, the one was born in the city of Jerusalem in the country of Ephraim. When he was born as the Messiah, after the elapse of five times of one year, he began to talk. And he preached to the people admonishing them to do good deeds. When he was over twelve years old, he came to a purifying place named the Jordan and sought to be baptized. And consequently, he went to John and was immersed for washing. At first, the Messiah submitted as a disciple. This sacred John dwelt in a wild ravine. He neither ate meat nor drank wine from his birth. He only lived on raw vegetables and honey - honey on the ground. At that time, there were many people who came to John. They al worshipped him, and from him they also received the precepts. And now, John thought it proper to make the Messiah enter the Jordan. The Messiah, after finishing the washing, came out of the water, when the Holy Spirit descended from the Heaven in appearance of a dove and sat upon the Messiah, whilst a voice sounded in empty space, saying: “The Messiah is my Son; all the people in the world must do what is told by the Messiah, obeying his command to do good.” The Messiah, then, showed to all the living beings that the Way of Heaven is no other than the decided will of the Lord of Heaven. His decided will is to make all the living beings give up serving false gods. Therefore, if any living being should hear these words, let him give up serving these false gods. Let him stop evil deeds, and forthwith do the good work in faith. The Messiah, from the twelfth year of his age until he was a little over thirty-two years old, sought for all people of evil life and made them return to the good life and the right way. When the Messiah got as many as the twelve direct disciples, he proceeded finally to endure suffering. The dead were restored to life. The blind received their sight. The deformed and strangely colored people got cured slowly, whilst the sick were healed and restored at once, and those who were possessed of devils got their devils cast out, and the lame were specially healed. Those who had all sorts of diseases came to the Messiah and wished to touch or get ahold of his kāṣāya and they all were cured. But the doctors of the sacred Law, winebibbers and eaters of meat, who served their false gods, complained about the Messiah, and sought any occasion to destroy him. There were also a large number of people who believed in his teachings. When he was over thirty-two years of age, those men who excelled in wickedness came in to the presence of the great king Pilate and managed to state out before Pilate himself: “The Messiah ought to be punished with death, O Great King! Do away with him at once!” The followers of the wicked cause of existence all bore false testimony against the Messiah in the presence of the great king Pilate, saying: “The Messiah ought to be punished with death.” Hereupon, the Great King desired to decide the case of that man, and said, “a crime deserving the death punishment I am not informed of yet, nor do I see it myself. This man ought not be punished with death. Let this matter be decided by these followers of the wicked cause of existence as they like.” And the great king them added: “I cannot kill this man.” Then these followers of the wicked cause of existence said, “If this man is not to be punished with death, what will become of us, both men and women?” The great king Pilate ordered water to be brought to him and washed his hands in front of those followers of the wicked cause of existence, and came and stood before them and said, “Indeed, I discovered no cause to kill this man.” Then these followers of the wicked cause of existence repeatedly implored the king to do what they wanted, and they so strongly pressed him that he could not help killing this man. The Messiah gave up his body to these wicked men to be sacrificed for the sake of all mankind and made the whole world know that a human life is so very precious as a candlelight. Thus, in charity he gave up his life for the sake of all mankind, suffering death for them. The Messiah at last gave up his own body to charity accepting the death. These wicked men caught the Messiah and brought him to the separated place and after they washed his hair there, they led him to the placard place named Golgotha. Subsequently, they bound him upon the tree between two highway men, one being on the right and the other on the left. That day on which they bound the Messiah upon the tree at the fifth hour was the sixth-day fast. It was at dawn that they bound him upon the tree, but by the time the sun came toward the west there was black darkness on every side, and the earth quaked and the mountains were rent, and all the gates of graves in the world were opened and the men got life. The earth trembled, mountains split asunder, all the doors of the tombs in the world opened up and some of the dead came back to life. Seeing these things, how can anyone say that he does not believe what is taught in this sutra? Those who live or die only for the sake of the Messiah are faithful believers.