Focusing on the Church of the East in China during the Tang dynasty, this monograph is a revised and expanded English edition of the author's La via radiosa per l'oriente (2006). Incorporating much new material, especially from Chinese sources, the work is especially valuable. It is divided into two major sections. Part I: History of Encounters consists of three chapters: “The Church of the East from Persia to China”; “The Christian presence in China between 635 and 845”, and “The First Christian texts in Chinese”. Part II: The Texts in Translation covers the Xi'an stele, as well as the Chinese Christian texts from Dunhuang. The translations, supplanting those of Saeki (1937), Palmer (2001), and Li Tang (2002), benefit from new documentary research and contemporary philological studies in recent decades.
The first chapter. “The Church of the East from Persia to China” (pp. 1–58) covers the missionary expansion, with a valuable overview of archaeological evidence in Central Asia. The West Syriac and Melkite presence is also noted. Translations into vernacular languages (Sogdian, Old Uighur, Pahlavi) receive ample attention, but the role of Syriac might have received more emphasis. As the liturgical language of the Church of the East's mission for nearly a millennium, it unified various communities. The Syriac liturgical fragments from Turfan impart valuable insight into how the Church of the East perceived itself. They thus comment on questions of “linguistic or religious unity”, which operate on multiple levels in response to a host of influences, as the last part of the chapter reveals.
The second chapter, “The Christian presence in China between 635 and 845” (pp. 59–116) discards the oft-used, erroneous term “Nestorian” to introduce jingjiao “luminous teaching”, the designation by which Christians were known. Nicolini-Zani dextrously unpicks the change from the epithet Bosi jiao “teaching of Persia” and Bosi jingjiao “teaching of the scriptures of Persia” to Da Qin. The Christian presence until the end of the Tang dynasty is discussed in “Chronicle of events attested by the sources”, as are hypotheses for the eventual decline of the Church of the East in China. “Geographical location of Christian monasteries” scrutinizes information from the Xi'an stele and Chinese historical documents, pointing out that in fact “no archaeological evidence clearly testifying to Christian places of worship in Tang China has come down to us” (p. 114). This is, of course, a very different situation to Central Asia.
“The first Christian texts in Chinese” (pp. 117–89) addresses Chinese translations. There is a fascinating exploration of the various prisms through which the Xi'an stele has been interpreted: Roman Catholic, Protestant, Buddhist, and Daoist. No stone is left unturned in the eloquent analysis of its inherent eclecticism, iconographically and textually. Similarly, insight into the Sinicization of Sogdian Christians in China is realized via the intricate examination of 815 Louyang Pillar. As might be expected, the Dunhuang scrolls receive substantial treatment. Mindful of questions of authenticity, each is placed under the forensic microscope, every detail being carefully scrutinized. “Production and literary form of the texts” addresses the dating and authorship of the various scrolls, while “Chinese style translations and compositions” makes the claim that “one can see how, in their literary output, the monks of the Church of the East adopted the literary forms used in China for centuries” (pp. 169–70).
Issues of the Chinese Christian texts’ enculturation are tackled in “The content of the texts”. Terminology is analysed in detail to underpin the assertion that Buddhists, Daoists, and Christians used common expressive models to convey their religious teachings. Nicolini-Zani contends that, to the Chinese, Christianity may have appeared as “one of the many heterodox schools or heretical sects of Buddhist or Daoist derivation that had been flourishing in China for some centuries” (p. 180). A thoughtful, critical dissection of the relationship of Buddhism, Daoism, and Christianity leads to the conclusion that “Western and Christian hermeneutical categories of syncretism, distortion, and heresy are no longer relevant” (p. 183). Pertinent questions are raised regarding translation–transmission–transformation by means of the shared linguistic heritage of Christians, Buddhists, and Daoists in the Tang era, yet mindful of the caveat of the paucity of extant material.
Part II, “The texts in translation”, covers the Xi'an stele and the scrolls from Dunhuang. The English translations are complemented by extensive footnotes which provide exhaustive detail, giving immediate access to Chinese material. The Dunhuang scrolls (notwithstanding questions of authenticity) provide, together with the Xi'an stele, important insight into the embedding of the Church of the East's theology within the complex religious milieu of the Tang era. These rich and valuable materials are, of course, essentially discursive or hymnological, prompting the question, “Was the liturgy in China recited in Syriac?” Comparison may be made with the Sogdian fragments from Turfan that were the monks’ reading material; the liturgy was essentially conducted in Syriac. Only discoveries of further liturgical materials in China will provide further insight into this question. However, what is clear from the Xi'an stele is that, aside from the extensive Chinese discourse, the Syriac inscriptions at the base and sides affirm the affiliation with the “mother church in Mesopotamia”. The “selective integration” of materials may have been determined by genre.
The Luminous Way to the East was a joy to read, making it accessible to both general readers as well as academic specialists. It is beautifully written – the translator has done an excellent job – conveying clearly and accurately the trajectory of the Church of the East in China. The product of meticulous research, the book conveys its subject-matter dextrously, with nuanced acumen. The erudite footnotes complement the text and valuably document many references to Chinese sources and research materials. Critically thoughtful and extremely insightful, the book unfolds a fascinating period in Chinese Christian history. In his discussion of the enculturation of the Chinese Christian texts in the Buddhist and Daoist contexts, Nicolini-Zani has opened significant new dimensions. With an exhaustive bibliography, for anyone interested in the Tang period and the history of Christianity in China, this work is a must.
