Stones indicate earlier Christian link? (Possible Christians in China in 1st Century AD)

China Daily ^ | 12/22/05 | Wang Shanshan

[blam]

Christian Designs Found In Tombstones Of Eastern Han Dynasty

"Further studies showed that some of these engravings were made in 86 A.D., or the third year under the reign of "Yuanhe" of Eastern Han Dynasty, 550 years earlier than the world accepted time of Christianity's entrance into China."

[Cicero]

I'd like to see all the pictures in greater detail, but this sounds pretty persuasive.

St. Thomas's journey to India has quite a lot of support, and it's not improbable that he managed to continue his missionary journey to China.

Christianity has been growing rapidly in China, despite the best efforts of the Communist leadership to put a lid on it. This could have a very positive effect on that, because it reinforces the idea that Christianity is not just a colonialist imposition on the East, but an ancient tradition.

The continued growth of Christianity in Africa and Asia is not only good in itself, but is one of the few things that might challenge and ameliorate the challenges to the West represented by Islam and Communist China.

[Irish_Thatcherite]

If Wang is correct, that is amazing!!

If Wang's suspicions are right, the time of Christianity's arrival in China could be as early as the end of the 1st century, more than 500 years before the widely recognized date.

Bear in mind that Christianity arrived in Ireland shortly before Saint Patrick, Palladius arrived two years before him!

[Marine_Uncle]

Interesting blam. The time frame fits nicely into the range where Jesus would have sent his diciples out. And as we know, Thomas went eastward into Iraq and then into parts of India. He was killed in India on a return trip based on my books.
At any rate, thanks for that 2002 posting.

[metmom]

Yeah, it could verify it for some of the more skeptical out there who want more *proof*.

[metmom]

"Eternity in Their Hearts" by Don Richardson, who also wrote "The Peace Child" I've been meaning to get that book for myself, it's great. In it he makes reference to another work that covers the Chinese character writing much more throughly.

[The Spirit Of Allegiance]

Great resources pertaining to earth's age and life forms:

www.AnswersInGenesis.org
www.ICR.org

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Waggs! Here's an old thing from the hard drive, related:

Nestorian Tablet
by Paul Halsall
July1998

This remarkable record of the fact that Christianity flourished in medieval China is a huge stone about ten feet high. Carven dragons and a cross adorn its summit, and its main shaft is completely covered with some two thousand Chinese characters. It stands now in the Peilin or "Forest of Tablets" in Sian-fu, this Peilin being a great hall specially devoted to the preservation of old historic tablets. Up to a few years ago the ancient stone stood with other unvalued monuments in the grounds of a Buddhist monastery, exposed to all the assault of the elements. Only European urgence has led to its being preserved in the Peilin... [I]n the year A.D. 781 erected this stone in commemoration of its triumphs. Now, alas, only the stone remains. The record of the sect's decay has needed no stone to make it manifest. Nestorian Christianity, shut off from its mother land by the rise of the Mohammedan powers in between, proved unable to resist the inroads of ignorance and superstition and changing political affairs. It degenerated and disappeared.

To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list. Thanks.

Please FREEPMAIL me if you want on or off the
"Gods, Graves, Glyphs" PING list or GGG weekly digest
-- Archaeology/Anthropology/Ancient Cultures/Artifacts/Antiquities, etc.
Gods, Graves, Glyphs (alpha order)

[SunkenCiv]

The City of Light: The Hidden Journal of the Man Who Entered China Four Years Before Marco Polo by Jacob D'Ancona tr by David Selbourne	Legends of the Chinese Jews of Kaifeng by Xin Xu tr by Beverly Friend illus by Ting Cheng reviewed

[SunkenCiv]

---

A History of Christianity in China by Samuel Hugh Moffett	Christianity in Asia before 1500 by Ian Gillman and Hans-Joachim Klimkiet	The Jesus Sutras: Rediscovering the Lost Scrolls of Taoist Christianity by Martin Palmer

---

[mfccinsd]

I have one called "Genesis and the Mystery Confucius Couldn't Solve" (by Nelson and Broadberry) that sounds very similar to the one you are mentioning (this one was also published as "Mysteries Confucius Couldn't Solve") but it is dedicated to the man who wrote "The Discovery of Genesis" (Heng).

Not sure, but I suspect if I dig through this one, I might find the title of the one you read...because this book was very much along the same lines. And VERY interesting reading...and now back on my nightstand for a second read thanks to this thread (and you getting me over to grab this book to find the title to see if it had been the same one! Ha!)

[El Cid]

Re: Post 11:

The Discovery of Genesis; by Kang/Nelson

Genesis and the Mystery Confucius Couldn't Solve; by Nelson/Broadberry

Eternity in Their Hearts; Richardson

I thought the books on the Chinese Alphabet (the first two books) made some pretty compelling arguments in comparing the 'pictogram' characters with Genesis accounts. A couple such examples were: the Chinese character for boat is made up of the individual characters of: '8', 'people', and 'vessel' - perhaps a memory of the 8 people on Noah's Ark; and another example was the character for 'create', which is made from the combination of the characters for 'dust', 'a mouth', 'movement of life', and 'able to walk' -- which overlays well with the Genesis account where the Lord God created man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a walking, living being...
I have to admit, though, when I showed these books to a couple of close friends who grew up in Communist China that they were unimpressed (they contended that although some of the character arguments were 'interesting', many of them were a 'stretch', and the book was overly extrapolating). Nonetheless, I recommend these books for a good read.

[restornu]

Had to do what?

[Tax-chick]

could verify it for some of the more skeptical

Oh, I doubt that, but I still think it's very interesting. I certainly hadn't given any thought to the Gospel's reaching China in the first century!

[Tax-chick]

Christianity arrived in Ireland shortly before Saint Patrick

I hadn't heard that.

[madison10]

Always thought Chinese language characters looked liked tiny pictures. Thought it was just me.

[madison10]

Oh, I doubt that, but I still think it's very interesting. I certainly hadn't given any thought to the Gospel's reaching China in the first century!

Who knows...maybe that's where God zapped Philip off to after he had the theological discussion with the Ethiopian.

[conservatrice]

Fascinating!

I love how the government official tries to play it down:

"Fancy those stones having anything to do with Christianity!" he said. "I am more than familiar with those reliefs in the Jiunudun Tomb and cannot imagine their telling the Bible stories. It's impossible."

No compelling argument against it - just that it's "impossible."

[adam_az]

Sized larger for easier viewing

[Dustbunny]

Excellent find. Now that it is very public, I am sure the Communist government of China will find a way to destroy or hide the stones.