Today being Christmas, let’s look at one treasure from the Tang dynasty that documented the first Christians arriving in China preaching the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
National Treasure 国宝
Nestorianism Spread in China Stele (Rubbing) 大秦景教流行中國碑（拓本）
Rubbing of original stele in Xian Beilin Museum | Tang dynasty in the year 781 AD | Dimensions : H: 279cm | National Museum of China 托本（原碑藏西安碑林博物馆）｜唐建中二年（公元781年）｜通高279厘米｜中国国家博物馆
Nestorianism Spread in China Stele 大秦景教流行中國碑 is a Tang Chinese stele erected in 781 that documents 150 years of early Christianity in China. It is a limestone block 279 centimetres (9 ft 2 in) high with text in both Chinese and Syriac describing the existence of Christian communities in several cities in northern China. It reveals that the initial Church of the East (aka Nestorian Church) had met recognition by the Tang Emperor Taizong 唐太宗李世民 (r. 626-649), due to efforts of the Nestorian missionary Alopen 阿羅本 in 635.
It tells the story of the arrival and spread of Alopen in China in beautiful Chinese poetry and includes a fascinating version of the Gospel working with Christian, Taoist, Buddhist and Confucian imagery and terminology.
The Stele also has the best preserved texts from the Church of the East, which from the 5th century to the 13th century was two to three times bigger in terms of numbers than the Roman Catholic Church and spread at its height from present day Iraq through Iran, the Arabian Peninsula, East Africa, Iran, the Central Steppes, Afghanistan, India, China, Mongolia to Japan and Korea. Yet, its history is almost unknown in the West.
Alopen 阿羅本 was received by the Chancellor of the Tang court Fang Xuanling 房玄龄 under the instruction of Emperor Taizong, who examined the scriptures at that juncture. Twenty-one Nestorian priests formed the first Church of the East.
Names of prominent Christians in China, including Metropolitan Adam, Bishop Yohannan, ‘country-bishops’ Yazdbuzid and Sargis and Archdeacons Gigoi of Khumdan (Chang’an) and Gabriel of Sarag (Loyang). The names of around seventy monks are also listed.
In terms of Christian history, the Stele is deeply significant. It conveys a form of Christianity that taught Original Goodness not Original Sin. It was a non-power based form of early Christianity unlike the Roman Empire and Christianity and as such offered a completely different way of being Christian; it had women ministers, was largely vegetarian and refused to own slaves – unlike, for example, Buddhist monasteries in China.
The Decline of Nestorian Church
The Nestorian church flourished in the religious open environment in early Tang dynasty. However with the rapid rise of Buddhism resulting in large monetary donations (and tax exemption) for those in clergy and monkshood, Emperor Wuzong 唐武宗 (who was a staunch believer of Taoism) decided to force all the monks and nuns to return to laity . Called Huichang Persecution of Buddhism 会昌灭佛 (840-846), the persecution was directed not only towards Buddhism but also towards other religions, such as Zoroastrianism, Nestorian Christianity, and Manicheism.
And with the destruction of the church, the stele was lost for a period of time until it was unearthed in late Ming dynasty (1625) beside Chongren Temple (崇仁寺) in the west sector of the Xi’an old city. According to the account by the Jesuit priest Alvaro Semedo, the workers who found the stele immediately reported the find to the governor, who soon visited the monument, and had it installed on a pedestal, under a protective roof, requesting the nearby Buddhist monastery to care for it.
The Danish scholar and adventurer Frits Holm came to Xi’an in 1907 planning to take the monument for himself to Europe. Local authorities prevented him and moved the stele, complete with its burden-bearing turtle (actually it is one of the nine sons of the dragon) called bixi 赑屃, from its location near Chongren Temple to Xi’an’s Beilin Museum (Forest of Steles Museum). It has remained there since, and in 2003, the stele was included into the official list of Chinese cultural relics forbidden to be exhibited abroad.
Roman Nestorianism Stone Sutra Pillar 大秦景教石经幢
Stone pillar | Tang dynasty (618-707 AD) | Luoyang Museum Collection, Excavated at Chengjiao Village in Lilou Township, Luoyang, 2006 石幢｜唐代（公元618年-907年）｜洛阳博物馆藏，2006年洛阳李楼乡城角村东北出土
Besides the famous Nestorian Xi’an Stele, there are other Nestorian pillars and steles scattered around the country, including this one called the Nestorian Pillar of Luoyang. The official title of the pillar is 大秦景教宣元至本經 “Sutra on the Origin of Origins of Daqin Luminous Religion”, based on a text of the Jingjiao Documents that was Sinicised by Adam, the Priest of the church.
The Nestorian pillar of Luoyang was erected in 814–815, which contains inscriptions related to early Christianity in China, particularly the Church of the East. The pillar was moved to another location in 829, as explained in one part of the inscriptions. The “sutra” which starts with a Trisagion (Qadishā Alāhā) was dedicated to a deceased Lady An (安氏太夫人) of Sogdian descent.
And for an excellent exposition of the Nestorian monks and their mission to the Great Tang region, watch this video by the China History Podcast.
经幢为一石灰岩质青石制成的八棱石柱，经幢底部已残损，上有景教经文《大秦景教宣元至本经》和《经幢记》，以及完整的十字架图像。其中《大秦景教宣元至本经》是唐朝景教大师景净所造的伪经，是一部中国化的基督教神学本体论论文。《经幢记》则记载了立经幢的时间（唐宪宗元和九年）、原委、经过、参加人员等。残石经文可与敦煌遗书《景教宣元本经》进行补订校勘。此经幢原来立于一位来自中亚、移居洛阳、受后葬于洛阳的“安国安氏太夫人神道”，建造者为其 “承家嗣嫡”亲子。景教是源自古叙利亚经波斯（伊朗）而逐步东渐的基督教东方教会，唐代在长安和洛阳两京地区传播。
『大秦』是中国古代对罗马帝国的称谓，『景教』是基督教聂斯脱利派传入中国后的名称。碑文记述了景教的教旨、仪式，以及自贞观年间景教传入中国后一百多年的活动情况，并有用古叙利亚文刻写的僧徒题名。此碑为研究古代中外文化交流和基督教在中国的早期传播提供了宝贵资料，是闻名海内外的世界四大名碑之一。碑石原立于唐长安大秦寺，明天启五年（1625）于西安城西出土，清光绪三十三年（1907）移存西安碑林。
About Chinese National Treasure Series
中華國寶系列 Chinese National Treasure series feature specific artefacts and relics from museums all around the world that are historically significant to be considered a National Treasure. The series covers the 5,000 years of Chinese civilisation from Neolithic periods before the Xia dynasty (c. 2070-1600 BC) to modern day.
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