[Buddha-l] persecuting Christians in Tang China

[Dan Lusthaus]

> you may want to place the maintainers of
> http://www.nestorian.org/nestorian_timeline.html under house arrest, since
> they claim that 698-705 was the time when Chinese Christians were
persecuted
> under Empress Wu.

Yes, that page does say that. Probably written by one your former students.
As I mentioned, Nestorians possibly had conflicts with Buddhists in Loyang
(see below), but it doesn't rise to the level of persecution. Persecution of
Nestorians in China didn't come until later, under Wu Zong (who was NOT
Empress Wu) and Xuan Zong - who were Daoists, not Buddhists.

As for the alleged big nasty persecution, this is -- as I suggested -- a
rivalry issue and not a "persecution" as that term is usually understood.
The Jesuits found an inscribed stele made in 781 commemorating Nestorian
history up to that point. According to Martin Palmer (who is rarely reliable
in historical matters):

"the Stone reads that persecution came, around 698, when a group of
Buddhists and some rather disreputable people slandered the Church. The main
priest, presumably the equivalent of a bishop, defended the Church by
displaying what appears to have been special reliquaries and the main monks
defended the teachings in debate. "Thus, a disaster was averted," records
the Stone."
http://www.chinahistoryforum.com/lofiversion/index.php/t3941.html

By this standard, our resident Coyote is guilty of "persecuting" Buddhists.

As for Wikipedia, I'm not sure what you are pointing to:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Christians#Persecution_of_Christians_in_China

Mentions Tang Emperor Wu Zong (who ruled in the 840s, 150+ years after
Empress Wu) -- who was a Daoist, male, and not Empress Wu. It does not
mention her on its "Persecution of Christians" page.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nestorianism

states: "The Christian community later faced persecution from Emperor Wuzong
of Tang (reigned 840–846). He suppressed all foreign religions, including
Buddhism and Christianity, which then declined sharply in China. A Syrian
monk visiting China a few decades later described many churches in ruin."

Wikipedia's entry on Empress Wu is at

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empress_Wu

It is bare bones but basically correct. And it does not mention Christians.

Some sites claim also that Wu Zong or Xuan Zong eliminated Nestorians from
China (in the 800s).

For example

http://www.reference.com/browse/wiki/Emperor_Wuzong_of_Tang

But see N.C. Lieu's article, "Nestorians and Manichaeans on the South China
Coast," Vigiliae Christianae, 34, 1, March 1980, 71-88 for a detailed
discussion of Nestorians (still flourishing) in China in the 13th c.
(discussed by Marco Polo, amongst others).

If anyone has anything resembling reliable information on actual Buddhist
persecution of Christians in China, please share that with the rest of us.
Otherwise, let's consider this "slander" a settled matter.

Dan Lusthaus