JINGJIAO: THE EARLIEST CHRISTIAN CHURCH IN CHINA. By Glen L.Thompson. Foreword by Samuel N. C. Lieu. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2024. Pp. x + 269. Paperback, $29.99.
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: Thompson, a professor of history at Asia Lutheran Seminary and an expert on Christianity in China during the Táng and Sòng Dynasties, has written a compelling study on the historical process, social impact, and cultural heritage of the spread of Jǐngjiào 景教 in China. The book is organized into seven chapters. Chapter One provides a background for the entire book by introducing the development of Syriac Christianity, the mother church of Jǐngjiào, in the Middle East and its mission to the East. Chapter Two elaborates on the discovery process and specific content of the stone tablet known as the Monument of the Spread of the Dà Qín Luminous Teaching in China 大秦景教流行中國紀念碑. Chapter Three outlines the historical development of Jǐngjiào from its first entry into China in 635 until the creation of the stele in 781. Chapter Four discusses newly discovered Jǐngjiào documents, primarily the Dūnhuáng treasures and the Dharani pillar found in Luòyáng. Chapter Five summarizes the Christian doctrines teaching in Jǐngjiào documents. Chapter Six describes the organizational structure of Jǐngjiào and its history from the mid to the late Táng Dynasty until its eventual suppression. Chapter Seven provides an overview of the brief revival and subsequent demise of Yēlǐkēwēnjiào 也裡可溫教 during the late Sòng and Yuán dynasties. This book offers a thorough overview of the history of Jǐngjiào in China, presenting detailed historical documentation. It not only enriches the scholarly discourse on Jǐngjiào but also promotes the study of early Christianity in China, the spread of the Syriac Church in Central and East Asia, and early East–West intercultural dialogue.
Source: Religious Studies Review
Author: Wei Xiong
Institution: Central China Normal University
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W4405114125