What was the doctrine proclaimed by the founder of Manichaeism, Mani? At first glance, Manichaeism seems to be a heretical form of Christianity. After careful examination, however, one realizes that Manichaeism can be considered an independent religion. The Prophet Mani did not begin his mission by preaching Christianity and then begin adopting new beliefs. Nevertheless, Mani's teachings are a fusion of Christian, Zoroastrian, and Buddhist elements.
But, why would the Prophet Mani draw on the diverse resources of Christianity, Zoroastrianism, and Buddhism? Mani grew up in the Sassanian Babylonia of the third century A.D. Various religious traditions prevailed in this area at the time. Thus, Mani was familiar with the teachings of the Jesus, Zoroaster, and Buddha. He deliberately chose the sycretistic method because he realized that the incorporation of the wisdom of all religions and nations would help Manichaeism prevail in the world. Mani likened his religion to "the world ocean, into which all rivers, that is, other religious traditions flow" (Klimkeit 7).
Mani started his missionary activity in the Persian kingdom of Sassanians. Then, he sent missionaries to the east as far as the Kushan kingdom and to the west as far as Alexandria. He himself conducted missionary activitiy in India and the Indus valley. Using the syncretistic method, Mani's mission ensured that in areas dominated by Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, or Christianity, an aspect of Manichaeism was emphasized that was familiar to the audience. The use of familiar concepts, myths, and symbols made the audience more receptive to Mani's new religion and ensured the expansion and survival of his religion. In addition, by accepting the validity of previous revelations, Mani related himself to other prophets that came before him and declared his religion the consummation of that of his predecessors.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Friday, January 8, 2010
Religious Syncretism and the Case of Nestorian Christianity in China during the Tang Dynasty
Happy New Year everyone! This blog entry is about the introduction of Nestorian Christianity to China. What happens to religions after what is known as " syncretism" occurs is very interesting. Religious syncretism occurs when a foreign religion is introduced to an indigenous culture of belief system and the beliefs, principles, and doctrines are mixed. In the process of transmission and establishment, the new religion takes a new shape that might be very different from its initial form. Similar to the process of sinification of Buddhism, Christian theology was progressively indigenized in China.
The government of China had a tolerant and protective attitude toward foreign faiths during the eighth century. Buddhists, Nestorian Christians, and Manicheans, among people from other faiths, could establish their places of worship and perform their own practices and rituals within the cities of China.
Nestorianism is a form of Christianity that was developed by travelers from Syria. They believed that Christ had two natures: One human and one divine. This tradition was introduced to China by the Nestorian traders and monks. The newcomers faced numerous challenges in establishing their faith in China. Foremost among these challenges was the problem of language. The Christian scriptures that were brought to China A-lo-pen and others needed to be translated to Chinese. In order to make the text understandable, translators sometimes had to borrow from local terminology and concepts. According to Flinn and Hendricks, there is evidence showing that there was collaboration between translators of Christian and Buddhist texts. Also, it is apparent that in an effort to express in Chinese their Christian theology, foreigners had to use Buddhist, Manichean, and Chinese classical terminology. Thus, it appears that Christianity interacted with the aforementioned traditions in a way that can be viewed as syncretistic.
The question becomes whether Christianity remained faithful to its origin or was transformed and changed by the sinitic culture. I think it is fair to say that, like many traditions, we cannot assume an unchanging core to Christianity. Christianity had to change and adapt to its host culture in order to survive. After all its syncretistic transformation over time, can we still call "Chinese Christianity" Christianity? Well, I do not know. As scholars, we are only interested in changes that occur in traditions in different contexts over time. It is safe to leave this sort of judgment to people practicing the faith. I appreciate everyone's feedback.
The government of China had a tolerant and protective attitude toward foreign faiths during the eighth century. Buddhists, Nestorian Christians, and Manicheans, among people from other faiths, could establish their places of worship and perform their own practices and rituals within the cities of China.
Nestorianism is a form of Christianity that was developed by travelers from Syria. They believed that Christ had two natures: One human and one divine. This tradition was introduced to China by the Nestorian traders and monks. The newcomers faced numerous challenges in establishing their faith in China. Foremost among these challenges was the problem of language. The Christian scriptures that were brought to China A-lo-pen and others needed to be translated to Chinese. In order to make the text understandable, translators sometimes had to borrow from local terminology and concepts. According to Flinn and Hendricks, there is evidence showing that there was collaboration between translators of Christian and Buddhist texts. Also, it is apparent that in an effort to express in Chinese their Christian theology, foreigners had to use Buddhist, Manichean, and Chinese classical terminology. Thus, it appears that Christianity interacted with the aforementioned traditions in a way that can be viewed as syncretistic.
The question becomes whether Christianity remained faithful to its origin or was transformed and changed by the sinitic culture. I think it is fair to say that, like many traditions, we cannot assume an unchanging core to Christianity. Christianity had to change and adapt to its host culture in order to survive. After all its syncretistic transformation over time, can we still call "Chinese Christianity" Christianity? Well, I do not know. As scholars, we are only interested in changes that occur in traditions in different contexts over time. It is safe to leave this sort of judgment to people practicing the faith. I appreciate everyone's feedback.
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