Christianity In Ancient China Essay

484 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Christianity in china research paper

In ancient China, Christian missionaries propagated their faith into China through innumerous efforts, but the unique eastern culture forced them to blend Chinese background into the doctrines, and the governments greatly hindered their work. The first Christians in China were Nestorian Christians, who were under the doctrines of Nestorianism in the Persian Empire. Close to China geographically, the Nestorians approached China in the 7th century successfully and built a Nestorian Christian church in northern China, and their achievements were recorded on the Nestorian Stele. According to the Stele, a missionary from Persia named Alopen Abraham gained permission from the Tang emperor to preach in northern China. The Stele also introduced Nestorian …show more content…

The primary changes in the doctrines included “accepting worshipping of ancestry and denying the position of holy Mary or after-death purification.” Despite of the smooth start, the emperor expelled all religious movements in 845, and the Nestorians were sent back to Persia. Christianity quitted China temporarily, and in 1278, the Roman Catholic Pope Nicolas III sent five Jesuits to China and wrote to the emperor Kublai Khan to take care of the Jesuits and protect them when they came back to Rome. This marked the beginning of Jesuits’ work in China, which continued intermittently because of government interventions. Catholic missionaries took the same approach as Nestorians, using languages from Buddhism and Confucianism to blend into Chinese culture. The Jesuits published pamphlets and “versions of parts of the Scriptures, especially the Gospels” to approach non-Christians, but there were no publication of the complete Bible. Although efforts were made to please the emperor, the emperor grew resentful to all foreign religions again, and Christians were expelled for a second

Show More
Related

  • The Great Anti-Buddhist Persecution In The Tang Dynasty Writings Of Han Yu

    2051 Words  | 5 Pages

    However, the trend toward supporting Taoism provided a reactionary means in which Emperor Wuzong and court officials, such as Han Yu, were able to invert this form o cultural tolerance to a more xenophobic governmental movement to remove Buddhism from China. In the writings of Han Yu, it is apparent that the weakness of Chinese Emperors tended to be directly related to the practice of Buddhism by elites. More so, Chinese government officials began to become hostile to Buddhist, which set the Great Anti-Buddhist Persecution into motion as a formal movement action against non-Taoists throughout the

    Read More

  • Buddhism in China

    807 Words  | 2 Pages

    legal action because of faith but as a whole it would not prosper. To understand the level

    Read More

  • Spread of Buddhism in China

    922 Words  | 2 Pages

    Buddhism and the Chinese government, along with the strict Confucianists, did not have promising results. The Chinese government was unstable and had complications during the coming of Buddhism, it was threatening to them and to the strict Confucianists who had these new, unknown ideas coming at them. The two sides had completely different views on Buddhism and both were stuck with the positives and negatives. After 570 C.E., China’s imperial structure was restored due to the shrinking influence of Buddhism.

    Read More

  • Jesus in Beijing

    1279 Words  | 3 Pages

    In this book, David Aikman as a journalist and policy consultant was also a commentator and freelance writer. He was a Time Magazine correspondent in the 1970s. His book, Jesus in Beijing, introduces the reader to the changing of society and culture in China due to Chinese Christianity. Around 1998, his relationship with the church became very earnest as he grew intrigued on the topic of Chinese Christianity. Aikman then elaborates on his various travels to China as well as give background information on the influence of Chinese Christianity, and the involvement of the church. He gives his input on the Chinese church movement and its leaders. During the Cultural Revolution in the 1970s, the older generation of male leaders of the Chinese Christians was the brave defenders of their faith. Before communism swept the land, they rose up to fight for their faith. They have been so influential that the youth of the congregation shows the same dedication and zeal for their faith while upholding the relationship within the underground organization. The younger generation showed a wide variety of understanding of their religion. Before the Cultural Revolution, the attempts to stifle the efforts of the Chinese Christians just seemed to cause them to become even more determined to fight for their right to practice their theology. Aikman makes it seem as if the Chinese Christians are of the oppressed people because of their beliefs. He often glorifies the actions of the members, with little mentioning of the brute force used.

    Read More

  • Buddhism's Expansion and Influence in Ancient China

    1135 Words  | 3 Pages

    The cause and responses of the spread of Buddhism in China is similar to and reflect that of Christianity’s spread throughout western Europe. The universality aspect of both of these religions makes it possible to draw the comparison between the two. Buddhism and Christianity shared a positive response concerning the recognition of its unifying effects to create a more orderly society. Regarding Buddhism, this is seen in document 5, and regarding Christianity, this is seen in the way it became the unifying force in the Roman

    Read More

  • Egyptian And Ancient China Compare And Contrast Essay

    1228 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ancient Egypt and Ancient China often seem like polar opposites in almost every way. However, in one way, they are more similar than most people think. The beliefs of both of these civilizations were remarkably parallel, yet perplexingly different at the same time. Religion before 600 B.C.E. varied from society to society all around the globe, with just a few major religions taking hold in large areas. In both Egyptian and Chinese religions, they adhered to a polytheistic religion. Boths religions believed there were many gods who individually ruled over the many different parts of life, instead of one god ruling over all. Both Egyptian and Chinese cultures believed in life after death. Each one of these religions believed in some form of

    Read More

  • European Missionaries

    1051 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...to convert people to Christianity. While some of the methods were different, most of the underlying factors of Proselytism such as language and knowledge were emphasized which made Christianity more appealing and accessible to the culturally and ethnically diverse population of Asia.

    Read More

  • Chinese Influence on Korea and Japan

    1101 Words  | 3 Pages

    Regarding religion, Chinese culture saw the emergence of Confucianism and Buddhism as the major influence. Confucianism stressed filial piety which meant respecting elders and superiors, ruling righteously, and obeying commands and orders. Confucianism was introduced by the Chinese thinker Confucius. Buddhism was brought to China, but originated in India and was founded by Siddhartha Gautama. Followers of Buddhism worshipped Buddh...

    Read More

  • Buddhist Art of The Wei Dynasty

    1903 Words  | 4 Pages

    Although Siddhartha Gotama spread the religion of Buddhism in India, his teaching had a great impact on other countries. Buddhist first made their way to China via the silk route; this was a network of caravan tracts that linked China to the rest of central Asia to the Mediterranean region. Buddhist monks also made their way into China with Buddhist scriptures and Buddhist art in their possession. This is the first time that Buddhism made a substantial impact on the Chinese. Quickly many Chinese began to convert to the new religion that was brought into china.

    Read More

  • Bruce Almighty

    1795 Words  | 4 Pages

    Christianity was first brought about by Jesus, who preached he was the son of God. After Jesus was hung on the cross and then resurrected one of his apostles, Paul, started the church. It first became popular in Jerusalem, and then continued to spread throughout the rest of the Middle-East, eventually reaching ...

    Read More

  • Buddhism in China: Acceptance, Rejection, or Encouragement

    1228 Words  | 3 Pages

    In China, the citizens' inclination of Buddhism varied from that of other states. There was a plethora of mental outlooks on how Buddhism was changing the Chinese society as it expanded from India, where it was founded in the sixth century BCE. The responses are organized depending on their acceptance, rejection, or encouragement of a combination of Buddhism with other religions. These categories are illustrated by the following documents; the acceptance by documents two and five, the rejection by documents four, six, and three, and last, the encouragement by documents two, five, and three. Additional documentations that would be helpful in classifying the reactions of the Chinese people would be a testimony or statement of a Chinese woman, or group of women, and of peasants. These would be helpful as we'd be able to examine exactly how the Chinese were affected by Buddhism's grasp. We would be able to see how Buddhism affected their daily lives and what they thought about the sudden religion.

    Read More

  • Rise Of Christianity Essay

    1432 Words  | 3 Pages

    The rise of Christianity in western civilization is arguably among the most important memories in history. There is no denying what the spread of Christianity has done for the world, for better or worse. Its impact on western civilizations is unrivaled and unprecedented. Christianity slowly became something for many individuals to turn to; in times of hurt its provided comfort, in times of pleasure it has given thanks. The will and belief for salvation has driven individuals to be better, and to have a reference while in need. The rise of Christianity more than 2000 years ago provided necessary building blocks for the future. Without Christianity there would be no cathedrals, no monasteries, no music from one Johann Sebastian Bach, no paintings from Michelangelo, nor no philosophy from Saint Augustine (Backman 205). There are countless times in history, whether good or bad, that can be credited to

    Read More

  • Key Features And Characteristics Of The Chinese Popular Religion

    1037 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Buddhist brought with them the concept of multiple gods and Buddha’s “spiritual state to provide the power for humans to make the transition into death and the afterlife successfully” (Corduan, 2012, p.410). Confucianism brought the obedience of the child to the parent into Chinese mainstream life, plus the “social stratification and codes governing dress, actions and communication” (Corduan, 2012, p.409). Taoism introduced the balance of forces in harmony in spirits in the form of yin and yang, thus creating that balance of nature and humans (Corduan, 2012). Christianity influenced Chinese life both socially and economically by introducing the concepts of “love for one’s neighbor, self-discipline, and trust” (Lu, 2014, p.2) as both essential and beneficial (Lu, 2014). All of these together with the traditional Chinese religion, give the Chinese culture it’s popular religion

    Read More

  • Primary Source Analysis: The Travels Of Marco Polo

    893 Words  | 2 Pages

    Xuanzang was a highly educated Buddhist monk from China, who in 629 C.E. made the long and treacherous journey along the Silk Road to India. His main objectives in his sixteen years away from home were fundamentally religious; he only wanted to study more complete scriptures to answer questions he had, which he deemed unsolvable in his own country. It is important to understand Xuanzang’s own position within the Chinese society and the type of situation it was in: Chinese Buddhists had many disagreements

    Read More

  • The Silk Road

    3020 Words  | 7 Pages

    The four hundred years between the collapse of the Han dynasty (206 B.C.E.- C.E. 220) and the establishment of the Tang dynasty (618-906) mark a division in the history of China. During this period, foreign invasion, transcontinental trade, and missionary ambition opened the region to an unprecedented wealth of foreign cultural influences. These influences were both secular and sacred. Nomads, merchants, emissaries and missionaries flooded into China, bringing new customs, providing exotic wares, and generating new religious beliefs. Foremost among these beliefs was Buddhism, born in India, but which now took root in China. These new influences entered China by a vast network of overland routes, popularly known as the Silk Road

    Read More

More about Christianity In Ancient China Essay

Open Document