Rising from Dispute and Vanishing in Tribulation: On the Origin, Development of Nestorian Christianity and its Demise in Tang Dynasty China
LIU Boyun, Peking University
Abstract:
This article offers an analysis of the origin and the development of Nestorian Christianity, as well as its propagation in China, and its final demise. It gives an account of the Nestorian theological dispute in early church history, the political and social surroundings in the Middle East where Nestorians situated themselves in the following centuries, the general circumstances when they made their first entry into China, as well as their unrefined theology and propagation policy, which contributed to their own downfall. In a word, Nestorian Christianity itself was controversial from the beginning, and in the later years it failed to further construct and popularize its theology; on top of that, it found itself in an environment that was often more hostile than favorable. As a result, not even their flexibility to adapt could safeguard their survival.
Keywords:
Nestorian controversy, the Persian Nestorian Church, Nestorian Christianity in China vanishing
Full Text (International Version):
Full Text (Simplified Chinese Version):
