Podcast Episode Summary

Podcast: New Books Network
Host: Christian Heel
Guest: Glen L. Thompson
Book: "Jingjiao: The Earliest Christian Church in China" (Eerdmans, 2024)
Date: February 15, 2025

Overview

This episode presents an in-depth discussion with Glen L. Thompson about his award-winning book, "Jingjiao: The Earliest Christian Church in China." Host Christian Heel guides a detailed exploration of the origins, development, and historical context of early Christianity in China, focusing on Syriac Christianity (often labeled as "Nestorianism"), its sources, cultural interactions, and scholarly challenges. The episode is highly accessible, revealing both the complexities and the enduring intrigue of this almost-forgotten chapter in Christian and Chinese history.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Glen L. Thompson’s Background and Academic Journey

• Missionary Roots & Academic Training
  • Began as a Lutheran pastor and missionary in Zambia, developed a deep academic interest in the early Christian world.
  • Returned to earn a master's and PhD at Columbia University, focusing first on Greco-Roman history and manuscript work, leading to expertise in 4th-century Christianity.

    "So to have a Lutheran doing that was a little odd, but it gave me the opportunity to travel around and really get to know the manuscript libraries in Europe." — Glen L. Thompson (04:11)

  • Eventually became a professor in Hong Kong; the early Christian presence in China became a focus after reading Palmer’s "The Jesus Sutras" and investigating further.
  • The project became a 20-year endeavor connecting personal, archival, and missionary interests.

    "It opened up a whole new world of not just Christianity in China, but the Syriac Church and how it was related to the church in China." — (05:55)

2. Motivation and Uniqueness of the Book

• Targeted for Students and Scholars Alike
  • Intended for students in Hong Kong to fill gaps in English scholarship about China's Christian history.
  • Aimed for clarity, neutrality, and narrative richness, bridging gaps left since the 1950s.

    "I wrote it first and foremost for my own students in Hong Kong because I felt this was a part of their history they needed to know, and that was not being told." — (06:40)

3. Context: The Spread of Christianity Eastward

• Western Bias in Early Church Historiography
  • Standard histories, especially Eusebius, overlook eastward expansion.
  • Syriac Church thrived along the Persian (later Sasanian) Empire, using Syriac as liturgical language.
  • Political divides led to the so-called “Nestorian” separation, but the Church of the East was missionary and widespread.
  • Expansion into Central Asia, India (potentially by the 2nd century), and China by the early 7th century.

    "By the early 7th century, this spread of Christianity had made it all the way into China." — (10:59)

4. Early Christianity in China under the Tang Dynasty

• Arrival and Integration
  • 635 CE: Missionaries arrive at the Tang court, likely as part of an official Sasanian embassy.
  • Christian texts examined and translated before being officially approved—Christianity uniquely permitted to evangelize beyond expatriate communities, unlike other "Persian religions."
  • The Xi’an (Shi’an) Stele, erected in 781, documents imperial support and the spread of Christianity under several emperors.

    "Christianity was given a little wider birth...only Christianity was approved to be spread everywhere among all people." — (15:23)

• Decline and Resurgence
  • 845 CE: Emperor’s anti-Buddhist edict also targets Christianity; Buddhism quickly recovers, Christianity vanishes from historical records (temporarily).
  • Christianity reappears among Turkic and Mongol tribes, resurfaces visibly under the Mongol Yuan dynasty, then wanes with the fall of the dynasty until Catholic Jesuit missions in the 16th century.

5. The Xi’an Stele: Discovery and Interpretation (23:40)

• Rediscovery by Jesuits (1625)
  • Found near Xi’an; a massive monument inscribed in both Chinese and Syriac, providing evidence of early Christian presence.
  • Became a touchstone for Western scholars and synologists.
• Textual Structure & Government Approval
  • Consists of an introductory poem followed by a detailed commentary, both eulogizing emperors and summarizing Christian doctrine.
  • Ambiguous language strategically appeals to imperial, Buddhist, Daoist, and public audiences.

    "This had to be phrased in a way that would not totally upset the Buddhists and the Daoists in town, and that would not upset any of the imperial officials. And yet it had to be honest as a Christian text as well." — (31:30)

6. Manuscript Discoveries & Their Significance

a. Dunhuang Manuscripts (33:44)

• Discovered in early 20th century among vast Buddhist collections; a handful are Christian.
• Include liturgical and catechetical texts, offering deeper insight into Christian adaptation to Chinese settings ("inculturation").
• Varying degrees of syncretism with Buddhist and Daoist vocabulary and concepts:

  "Missionaries always start by using the vocabulary known to the people and then redefining it and using that to describe the Christian message." — (41:40)

b. Turfan Manuscripts (47:16)

• Found in the northwestern Chinese oasis city of Turfan; reflect tremendous multiculturalism and linguistic diversity (Syriac, Sogdian, Chinese, old Turkic, more).
• Provide further evidence of Church of the East’s deep roots and cultural engagement along the Silk Road.

  "You often find an old Turkic text written in Sogdian, a Sogdian text written in Chinese, and this kind of interaction..." — (48:43)

7. The Problem of “Nestorianism” and Legacy

• The term "Nestorian" is a misnomer—original texts show no evidence of supposed “Nestorian” (heretical) Christology. This label hampered earlier, especially Chinese Christian, interest.

  "Right after the discovery when the Syriac was seen on there. Very quickly, this early church was labeled as Nestorian." — (50:18)

• Recent scholarship (notably Sebastian Brock) has helped correct this misconception, allowing for renewed global and especially Chinese interest.

8. Renewed Scholarly and Cultural Interest

• Western scholarship has greatly expanded with contributions in German, French, Italian, and English.
• In China, younger mainland and overseas Chinese Christian scholars are increasingly reclaiming this history, challenging the government’s view of Christianity as a purely western/colonial import.

  "This shows very clearly that Christianity originally did not come from that direction. It did come from the west, but literally from the west, from the Middle east." — (56:10)

• The book seeks to connect historical Christianity in China with broader Christian traditions, including sacramental and liturgical elements absent from much modern Chinese Protestantism.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Cultural Adaptation of Christianity in China:

  "It had to be phrased in a way that would not totally upset the Buddhists and the Daoists in town...and yet it had to be honest as a Christian text as well."
  — Glen L. Thompson (31:30)

• On the Significance of the Dunhuang Manuscripts:

  "These texts give us a much clearer picture of the attempts to enculturate the Christian message into Chinese. They're all in various forms of classical Chinese, and yet some obviously were used for catechetical purposes."
  — (41:25)

• On Setting the Historical Record Straight:

  "One of the reasons for writing this book, again, was to kind of set the record straight also about that this was a real Christian church...nothing in our texts in China would in any way show that there were any Nestorian Christology."
  — (51:33)

• On Rediscovering a Lost History:

  "Christianity is not a Western colonial import into China...that it was successfully under several different dynasties...and this might also have a salutary effect on the Chinese officialdom."
  — (56:08)

• On the Book’s Influence:

  "I think that this book will do a lot of great work, both, as you say, among sort of English reading, Chinese scholars and Christians, especially among kind of Christians in Europe and North America..."
  — Christian Heel (58:43)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• Early Life and Academic Roots (02:34 – 06:13)
• Why Write about Jingjiao? (06:40 – 07:37)
• Christianity Moves East – The Silk Road (08:24 – 11:40)
• Christianity in Tang China: Arrival & Reception (13:53 – 17:09)
• Decline under Tang & Return in the Mongol Period (18:07 – 22:56)
• Xi’an Stele: Discovery, Structure, Political Context (23:40 – 33:44)
• Dunhuang Manuscripts & Christian Enculturation (33:44 – 43:27)
• Turfan Manuscripts: Multicultural Christianity (47:16 – 52:27)
• Correcting the “Nestorian” Label (51:33 – 52:47)
• Scholarly and Popular Rediscovery (West & China) (54:02 – 58:39)
• Liturgical Heritage & Modern Implications (59:58 – 62:00)

Conclusion

Glen L. Thompson’s "Jingjiao" brings to life one of the most overlooked and fascinating histories in world Christianity—its thriving, complex, and culturally entangled existence in early medieval China. The episode conveys both the scholarly revelations and cultural challenges in telling this story, promising to enrich historical understanding among both Western and Chinese audiences and to reframe Christianity’s role in global and Chinese history.