East Syriac Christianity along the Silk Road before 1500

The Church of the East, i.e. East Syrian or the so-called Nestorian Church, began to spread rapidly to Central, East, South and Southeast Asia from the 7th century through the land and maritime Silk Road. East Syriac Christianity was transmitted first and foremost through trade since its adherents were both merchants and missionaries. Its most successful mission was the establishment of the Church in China during the Tang (618-907) and Mongol (12 th -13th centuries) periods, as it was attested to by the Inscription of the "Nestorian" Stele from Xi`anfu, Chinese documents from Dunhuang as well unearthed gravestones in northwest and southeast China. However, what is less known, is a wider spread of the Church of the East in furthermost Asia such as Tibet, Western China, Ceylon and Southeast Asia. Evidences in multifarious forms such as rock inscription in Ladakh, Tibet; manuscripts from Dunhuang Grottos; Syro-Turkic epitaphs in Xinjiang, Western China and medieval travelogues on Southeast Asia, etc., have all suggested East Syriac ("Nestorian") presence in these areas in the early Middle Ages prior to the arrival of Roman Catholic and Protestant missions. The project intends to study these neglected primary sources on the spread of East Syriac Christianity in Tibet, West China, Ceylon and Southeast Asia before the year 1500. It focuses on the expansion of this religion through trade as well as on inter-religious encounters between Christians and peoples of other faiths along the Silk Road, e.g. Buddhism, Manichaeism, Zoroastrianism, Taoism and Islam. Through examining ancient and medieval primary sources, e.g. inscriptions, manuscripts, epitaphs and travelogue, it seeks to answer the questions such as, how did these Christians play the role as both merchants and missionaries? How were Christian communities established through trade network? Whether or how did these communities of the Church of the East integrate into the religious and cultural context in which they lived? How were conflicts resolved and a peaceful co-existence maintained among different religions? The result of this project will be presented in a monographic form.

Trade, migration and mission were the main driving forces that pushed the eastward expansion of early Christianity along the Silk Road. Before the 13th century, it were the Christians from the Church of the East, known as the Nestorians or East Syriac Christians, that played a key role in bringing Christianity from Mesopotamia over the caravan Silk Road to China and via the maritime trade routes to the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean rim. Long distance trade stimulated human migration as well as facilitated cultural, religious and technological exchanges between East and West. The present project has investigated how trade was related to the spread of Syriac Christianity along the Silk Road and how Syriac Christians encountered people from other faith communities, such as Buddhists, Muslims, Conficianists, Taoists, Manicheans and Zoroastrians. The research project has focused on studying both primary and secondary sources, paying attention to family biographies, manuscripts, epitaphs and inscriptions. The research has shown that Christian merchant communities and Syriac monasticism played a major part in spreading Syriac Christianity along the Silk Road. The growth of Syriac merchant diaspora was one of the major prerequisites for the church expansion towards the East. Merchants formed the first Christian communities which provided financial resources for their churches, monasteries and clergy. Thus far, archaeological discoveries have given clear indications of the locations and scale of former Syriac monasteries along the trade routes from the Persian Gulf, to South Asia, Central Asia and China, thus helping us understand how Syriac monasticism spread and how monasteries became centers of Syriac Christian literature, theology, spirituality and mission. Syriac monasticism was well received in the Asian context where the societies were not unfamiliar with the monastic tradition due to the wide spread of Buddhism. The coping ability of East Syrian Christians in a multi-religious environment also attributed to the success of the East Syrian Church expansion before the 15th century. Syriac Christians, though undergoing many persecutions in the Roman Empire, in Sasanian Persia or even once in China, learned to find a way of peaceful co-existence with Muslims, Buddhists and other faith communities along the Silk Road. They co-operated with Buddhist scholars in China and Central Asia in translating religious texts; helped introduce Greek medical knowledge to the Arabs and then facilitated the transfer of Arab medicine to the Mongols and the Chinese. They also participated actively in local politics and administration. Meanwhile, they did not yield to Syncretism (as it was formerly believed) but defended their faith through their polemic and apologetic writings as well as taking part in religious debates and dialogues. Yet, Syriac Christianity declined after the 15th century in Persia, Central Asia and China due to Islamization, marginalization and in some cases force conversion to other faiths. East Syrian Christian communities disappeared in Buddhist stronghold Sri Lanka, Ming-China and some other areas in South and Southeast Asia as a result of emigration and ethnic assimilation (e.g. in North China).