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by BISHOP OSWALD GOMIS

Three discoveries of historical importance in China add further evidence to counter the popular misconception that Christianity was first brought into this country and to other large parts of Asia by the colonial powers. The three discoveries referred to are:

1. The discovery of a huge stone stele (a carved stone slab) in a graveyard about fifty miles from Xian in Shaanxi Province in North West China around 1625,

2. The discovery of a cave library by a Taoist priest living a few miles outside Dunhuang, an oasis town on the old Silk route towards the end of the ninth century and

3. The discovery, less than a decade ago, of a Christian monastery (Christ Pagoda) in Da Qin close to Lou Guan Tai, the most famous Taoist centre in China one thousand four hundred years ago.

Before further comment it would be well to remark here that Christianity, which originated in Judea (West Asia) spread East and West after the death and resurrection of Christ. As instructed by Jesus Christ his Apostles made their way to the two great regions of the world at the time. The mission to the Roman Empire in the West was led by Peter, Paul and others while Thomas, Bartholomew and others turned eastward entering the Persian Empire. Missionaries eastward bound travelled to most of the cities of these empires and reached as far as Tibet, India and Sri Lanka.

Thomas is reported to have preached in Persia. He then came down as far as India. The Persians converted to the Christian faith, turned out to be great missionaries. Traditionally the Persians were maritime traders and they crossed national boundaries both by boat and along the Silk Route. It is recorded that some of these traders reached Tibet, present-day Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, India and China.

The stone stele referred to above records the arrival of the first mission to China. It was discovered by workmen digging a grave. Noticing the extraordinary size of the slab and the unusual characters inscribed, the find was referred to the Chinese authorities for inspection. The slab 12 feet long, three and a half feet wide, one foot thick and weighing two tons was carved with 1900 Chinese characters. It also had seventy Syriac names of clergy written in Chinese phonetically. The stone was dated 781 A.D. and contained the teachings of the Christian Mission to China in 635 A.D. during the Tang Dynasty (618-906 A.D.) Today the stele is kept preserved in the first hall of the Forest of Stone Steles museum, Xian.

One of the striking features of the stone is the carving of a Cross at its top. It rises from a cloud-wreathed lotus flower.

China at the time of the arrival of the first official mission of the Christians (635 A.D.) was a very powerful empire. It is said that even at its greatest, Rome was smaller than the capital of China Chang-an, near the modern city of Xian, the present capital of Shaanxi province. And the Tibetan Empire was huge stretching from the present-day northern India and Pakistan to the edges of the old Greek states.

Even though there had been Christian missionaries in China in the first and second centuries, the mission in 635 A.D. is considered very significant because it had official recognition from the emperor and was one well prepared.

The stone stele discovered in Shaanxi Province reveals that the mission was led by a person named Aluoben (probably a bishop or a very important monk). The delegation was led in through the gate by a noble of the imperial household to be received by Emperor Taizong. The records also indicate that gifts were exchanged between the Emperor and the missionary delegation. Among the gifts presented to the Emperor were scrolls bearing the teachings of Christianity.

Pleased with the delegates the Emperor is recorded to have issued an imperial edict which read " The Way does not have a common name and the sacred does not have a common form. Proclaim the teachings everywhere for the salvation of the people. Aluoben, the man of great virtue from the Da Qin Empire, came from a far land 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 shall be practised throughout the land". The new name given to Christianity in China was " The Religion of Light " or the "Religion of Illumination", depending on how the scholars interpret the Chinese character used.

The Emperor is also reported to have given the missionaries funds and offices to help them with the translation of the texts they had brought with them. The stone inscription also claims that thereafter monasteries were built in every province of China. Among these the monastery discovered recently in 1998, the Da Qin Christ Pagoda is one claimed to have been built under this imperial patronage. Quite obviously this is interpreted as an appreciation of the Emperor of the new faith.

The discovery of the cave library towards the end of the nineteenth century took place by accident. A Taoist monk living a few miles off Dunhuang once a popular town on the Silk Route from the capital of China to Antioch, noticed a sealed door of a rock cave cut into the mountain range. The room was a secret library that had been sealed around 1005 due to the severe religious persecution that took place in China after the Tang Dynasty. The cave was a treasure trove containing thousands of books, paintings and other material dating from the fifth to the eleventh centuries of the Christian era.

Most of these scrolls were Taoist, Buddhist and Confucian writings. But among them was also a section on Christianity. These scrolls spoke of the "Visitors" to China and their mission. They also gave the life of Christ and His teachings. These were written in Chinese. In effect these were Christian books written in Chinese known as "Jesus Sutras". They belonged to the Tang and early Sung dynasties (from the seventh to the eleventh century A.D.) and were the sacred writings of the Church in China at the time.

The discovery of this cave library paved the way for much research and study among scholars both of the East and the West. Unfortunately, some of the scrolls had perished due to the long period of time they were kept hidden, but a large part of them still remain in good condition and legible. But the bigger woe is the fact that they have been sold to persons outside China and are now in the custody of private individuals in Japan and Europe.

A careful study of some of these scrolls have revealed very interesting information not only about the history of the Christian Mission to China and other parts of Asia but also of the missionary approach of the Church of the East at the time. Four of these Sutras date from around 640 to 660 A.D. The first of these - The Sutra of the Teachings of the `World-Honoured One', was translated into Chinese in 641.

These scrolls indicate the relationship that had existed between Christianity and the other religions. Some of them refer to the dialogue of faith and life between Christianity, Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. These Sutras have been clearly influenced in their presentation of spiritual concepts by the teachings and cultures encountered in the mission field. Just as the Church in the West used the categories and concepts of western thinkers like Aristotle, Socrates etc; the Church in the East has had recourse to the concepts of Eastern thinkers and experimented with incorporating the beliefs and practices of the regions where it took root. The scrolls indicate that Christianity has tried to present its own answer to the pressing questions of the time such as reincarnation and karma, key issues of Buddhism. The theological approach in them seem to be more practically oriented.

The Da Qin pagoda discovered in 1998 is a storied building erected in Lou Guan Tai one of the Holy Cities of the Taoists. It is remarkable to note that religious edifices of all other religions have not been permitted in this city. Therefore the permission to construct the Da Qin Christ Pagoda with a Christian monastery and study centre here, has been a result of the special favour of the emperor who is reported to have believed that the Christian faith had contributed something valuable to his country.

The Da Qin monastery was abandoned by the mid-eleventh century due to religious persecutions. The pagoda was so famous that there are Chinese poems written about it by famous poets like Su Tung-po (1062) and General Yang Yong Yi (1200).

The Christ Pagoda thus discovered after several years of abandonment has now been restored by the Chinese Archaeological Authority and is indicated as 8th great Christian monastery of Da Qin in large Chinese characters displaced therein.

Remains of Christian monasteries tombs and artifacts have been found elsewhere too in China along the ancient Silk Road. It is reported that a group of Christians on the Silk Route joined the Buddhists and Manichaeans who lived around Dunhuang to hide their treasured scriptures and other artifacts in desert caves during the Tibetan occupation of the territory.

The missionary thrust of the Church in the East brought Christianity also to Tibet around the sixth century. It is likely that they entered there around 549 A.D. It is recorded that the Tibetan Christians has sent a delegation to the patriarch of the Church of the East in 549 asking for a bishop because they have been converted. The Tibetan community was considered a very loyal group and a strong Church is reported to have existed there by the eighth century. The patriarch of the Church of the East is on record having written in 794 on the need to appoint another bishop to look after the growing community.

Another country that came under this missionary influence is India. Besides the presence of the Apostle Thomas, in Gandhara, and his founding the first church in Cranganore on the west coast of India as early as 52 A.D. there were later missions sent that came to India in later years.For instance another mission has been sent from Alexandria to Mumbai towards the end of the second century headed by one Pantaenus.

Besides the above mentioned there have been missions to Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan etc. It is recorded that there have been several archbishoprics in Afghanistan as far back as 585 A.D. Artifacts and other objects found in these countries amply testify to the fact of a Christian presence.

The most recent discovery on 27, April 2001, of a sixth-century Cross with inscriptions in the Pahlavi language in Goa, is further evidence of Christian communities in this part of the world. The Cross was discovered by labourers working on the banks of the Zuari river. Pahlavi is a language used in Persia from 200 B.C. to the seventh century A.D.

All this evidence indicates a strong Christian presence in Asia long before the arrival of missionaries from the West, often in the bandwagon of the colonizing powers.

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