Chinese Christian Sutras

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Chinese Christian Sutras
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Where was Christianity in 600?

• Europe
• Arians in north (Germany) and west (Spain)
• Irish Celts have been Christianized
• Scandinavia not yet Christian
• Middle East
• Mix of Jewish, Christian, other (Zoroastrian)
• Will quickly become Islamic (600s-700s)
• Africa
• Northern coast (becomes Muslim by 700s)
• Egypt retains Christian community (Copts)
• Ethiopia
• Asia
• Missionaries from Syria go east into Asia,
  through Persia
• India had small Syrian Christian communities (not
  native)
• China monasteries along trade routes

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Inculturation

• Religion always needs to be translated into local
  culture and ideas
• In Roman empire Greco-Roman philosophy,
  political structures
• In China Buddhist ideas
• In Christianity, this relies on incarnational
  principle
• God can be translated into human in Christ
• So too Christian beliefs can be translated into
  other cultures

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Christianity in China

• Isolated communities by 600s and 700s
• Established by Syrian Christians
• Along international trade route, the Silk Road
• Evidence Christians in China by 635
• Perhaps 12 monasteries, ca. 3000 Christians
• Did not last
• Buddhist, Christian, and Muslim missionaries
  active along Silk Road
• Chinese govt was Confucian
• 845 govt banned foreign religions (Christian,
  Zoroastrian, Buddhist)
• Monks and nuns had to leave China or be secularize

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Chinese Christian sutras

• Modeled on Buddhist sutras (scriptures)
• Discussion
• What elements sound Eastern/Buddhist?
• What elements are same as Western Christianity?
• Does inculturation enhance the message of
  Christianity? Change it?

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For next time

• Christianization of Russia
• How did a whole region become Christianized?
  Forcibly?
• Why did the prince choose Eastern Christianity?
• What roles does politics play in deciding the
  religion of a country?