Rating: 
Summary: "Nestorian" Church of the East not Taoist
Review: As a historian of the "Nestorian" Assyrian Church of the East I am troubled by Mr. Palmer's description of this Church as Taoist Christian. The Church of the East was widespread in China, India and Mongolia during the Middle Ages. This Aramaic-speaking Church still exists in Iran and Iraq and there is a large immigrant community of these Eastern Christians in Chicago.(Aramaic was the language spoken by Jesus Christ.) The beliefs of the Church of the East are not as radically different from other churches as Mr. Palmer implies.The Church of the East is theologically orthodox and claims St. Thomas and St. Thaddeus as its founders. It has always been based in the region of Persia and sent out missionaries from there to China and India during the sixth and seventh centuries. Three books give a more balanced treatment of the history and teachings of the Assyrian Church of the East and they also deal accurately with the so-called "Jesus Sutras"-the writings of the Nestorian church written in Chinese and found in Turfan and Tunhuang in western China. These include "A History of Christianity in China" by Samuel Hugh Moffett, "Christianity in Asia before 1500" by Ian Gillman and Hans-Joachim Klimkiet and ""By Foot To China" by John M.L. Young
Rating: 
Summary: Filet Mignon in a Bun
Review: It's not easy to assign a single star rating to "The Jesus Sutras." You couldn't ask for a more mouth-watering subject than ancient China's Religion of Light as portrayed in its adherents' own words. But this book gives you a lot of bread with that beef. The result is a gourmet cut of literature wrapped in doughy mass of unremarkable prose. It's better than your usual junk food, but the nutritional content of the meal falls short of what it could have been.The sutras themselves form the meat of the book. These fascinating texts, authored by the contemplatives of China's ancient Da Qin monastery, offer a remarkable view of early Christianity. Palmer brings formidable collaborators and personal skills to the effort of rendering these documents into English. This valuable service allows readers today to experience the provocative breadth of ideas explored in the manuscripts. To serve a feast like this a simple plate works fine. Palmer serves it on a double bun from his own kitchen. In addition to the actual Sutras the reader gets "Sutras--The Adventure" and "Sutras--The History." The adventure story shows Palmer taking justifiable pride in calling Da Qin society to the attention of Western scholars. The "Indiana Jones" hype does justice neither to Da Qin nor Doctor Jones, and it's unnecessary. The merit of this investigation attests to itself. I'm sure many readers will share my interest in learning more as excavation at Da Qin proceeds. Meanwhile, the history side of the tale aims to put Da Qin society in context for the non-specialist. This results in a vivid, if oversimplied and somewhat mythologized, portrait of first-millennium Asia. Illustrations abound. The reader gets photos, maps, samples of ancient calligraphy and inscriptions. Most of these are helpful, though some (a clouded photo of a Guan Yin statue, redundant views of the pagoda) seem superfluous. The reader soon sees, though, that Palmer's interests go far beyond scholarship-as-usual. The ancient Chinese Christians are to this book what the indigenous American peoples are to the film "Dances with Wolves." Here is a culture that offers us The Solution to Our Modern Problems. The book romanticizes Da Qin at every turn. Its history is bathed in a warm Utopian light. The author weeps when he visits its ruins. The text sidesteps even the most obvious questions that threaten to bring the subject down, even for a moment, to earth. (Why wasn't this faith more popular in its time? How much did it owe its existence to well-placed patronage in the absence of widespread observance?). As for the Sutras themselves, Palmer envisions (p. 254) how "voices from the Church's first millennium, unheard in the second millennium, could be a turning point for Church or Churches in the third millennium"--a vision that just happens to give Palmer's book a little millennial importance of its own. At moments like this it's hard to feel we are in the best of hands. The endeavor is valid, of course. Wisdom transcends time, and here we find a community that framed the great questions of faith in novel ways and achieved a remarkable synthesis of ideas. These documents deserve to be better known. But when the person bringing us the documents holds grandiose plans for both the documents and for us, readers become skeptics. When we are told, for example, that the Da Qin monks treated women in a far more just and enlightened manner than did their Confucian and Buddhist contemporaries, can we trust the statement? Does it come from the author's research into the past or from his hopes for the future? With only the author's own book to consult as a guide, it's hard to feel sure. Score: 5 stars for Beef, 2 stars for Bun What readers need now is a new translation of the Da Qin sutras--a book that eschews mythmaking and illuminates the instrinsic beauty of the texts themselves. it would be welcome if this book could balance popular and scholarly interests in the textual commentary and notes. Perhaps an enterprising publisher will soon give us such a book. Until then, "The Jesus Sutras" will have to serve.
Rating:
Summary: In the beginning was the Tao.
Review: Martin Palmer has packed three or four interesting books into one moderately-sized volume. First, there is the Indiana Jones-like story of how he discovered the oldest church in China, a Nestorian site that dates to the 7th Century and was apparently a center of the earliest Chinese Christianity. (X marks the spot.) Second, he and his colleagues give translations of a series of early Chinese Nestorian writings, from the famous Nestorian stele (8th Century) to later, more syncretistic works. Third, there is Palmer's reconstruction of the history of what he calls "Taoist Christianity." And finally, there are his own, always enthusiastic and interesting, but sometimes debatable, views on East, West, and how the twain might meet. I found the combination a great deal of fun. Palmer's good cheer is infectious and understandable: he has done a clever and romantic piece of detective work. The translated Scriptures contain many striking images, and I am thrilled, as a student of the interaction between the West and China, to have these resources together, and translated into pithy English. (Though I wish he'd included the Chinese as well.) The book is, furthermore, physically lovely. Palmer's analysis of the Nestorian church and its relation to Western Christianity is probably the weakest link in the book. He has a bit of a grudge against Western Christianity. He improbably ascribes much of what he finds attractive among Chinese Nestorianism to influence from Jainism, of all things, though the same qualities can be found in early Western Christianity. He seems to imagine the Nestorians as ecologists based on a shaky interpretation of a single Chinese character (zhen), and supposes them free of the original sin of believing in original sin, based on equally scanty evidence. (Even while one modern Chinese philosopher writes enviously of how that concept helped create Western freedom.) Nor does he notice that in one respect, the Nestorians fell far short of Western Christian tradition: they seem to have preferred buttering up emperors to rebuking them -- no Ambrose, Solzhenitsyn, or Wang Mingdao here. (The doctrine of karma didn't seem to help, as these texts show: the poor are poor because of past crimes, the emperor is powerful because of past virtue.) Two other points may be worth mentioning. First, there is an important difference between the approach Jing Jing, the author of the Nestorian stele, took in the 8th Century, and the later "Jesus Sutras" translated in earlier chapters. The first is in my opinion an orthodox attempt to contextualize Christian thought in Asian terms, like what Matteo Ricci would do later, except that while Ricci identified with Confucianists, Jing Jing related Christianity to Buddhist and Taoist thought, or at least images. Some later sutras, by contrast, are a mish-mash of images and beliefs from the various traditions. Palmer seems to prefer the latter; I prefer the former. Second, the word "Tao" needs some explanation. Palmer is right to call the Chinese Nestorians "Taoist Christians." But really, all Chinese Christians are "Taoist." This for the simple reason that "Tao" means "the Way," and philosophically, something pretty close to "Logos." The term does not belong to Taoists -- every school of Chinese thinkers use it, beginning with Confucius. And so the Bible reads in Chinese, "In the beginning was the Tao, and the Tao was with God, and the Tao was God" -- referring to Jesus. Furthermore, many Chinese Christian thinkers -- Lin Yutang, John Wu, Yuan Zhimin -- have felt the teachings of Lao Zi were in fact a pretty good introduction to Jesus. I think so, too. author, True Son of Heaven: How Jesus Fulfills the Chinese Culture
Rating:
Summary: In the beginning was the Tao.
Review: Martin Palmer has packed three or four interesting books into one moderately-sized volume. First, there is the Indiana Jones-like story of how he discovered the oldest church in China, a Nestorian site that dates to the 7th Century and was apparently a center of the earliest Chinese Christianity. (X marks the spot.) Second, he and his colleagues give translations of a series of early Chinese Nestorian writings, from the famous Nestorian stele (8th Century) to later, more syncretistic works. Third, there is Palmer's reconstruction of the history of what he calls "Taoist Christianity." And finally, there are his own, always enthusiastic and interesting, but sometimes debatable, views on East, West, and how the twain might meet. I found the combination a great deal of fun. Palmer's good cheer is infectious and understandable: he has done a clever and romantic piece of detective work. The translated Scriptures contain many striking images, and I am thrilled, as a student of the interaction between the West and China, to have these resources together, and translated into pithy English. (Though I wish he'd included the Chinese as well.) The book is, furthermore, physically lovely. Palmer's analysis of the Nestorian church and its relation to Western Christianity is probably the weakest link in the book. He has a bit of a grudge against Western Christianity. He improbably ascribes much of what he finds attractive among Chinese Nestorianism to influence from Jainism, of all things, though the same qualities can be found in early Western Christianity. He seems to imagine the Nestorians as ecologists based on a shaky interpretation of a single Chinese character (zhen), and supposes them free of the original sin of believing in original sin, based on equally scanty evidence. (Even while one modern Chinese philosopher writes enviously of how that concept helped create Western freedom.) Nor does he notice that in one respect, the Nestorians fell far short of Western Christian tradition: they seem to have preferred buttering up emperors to rebuking them -- no Ambrose, Solzhenitsyn, or Wang Mingdao here. (The doctrine of karma didn't seem to help, as these texts show: the poor are poor because of past crimes, the emperor is powerful because of past virtue.) Two other points may be worth mentioning. First, there is an important difference between the approach Jing Jing, the author of the Nestorian stele, took in the 8th Century, and the later "Jesus Sutras" translated in earlier chapters. The first is in my opinion an orthodox attempt to contextualize Christian thought in Asian terms, like what Matteo Ricci would do later, except that while Ricci identified with Confucianists, Jing Jing related Christianity to Buddhist and Taoist thought, or at least images. Some later sutras, by contrast, are a mish-mash of images and beliefs from the various traditions. Palmer seems to prefer the latter; I prefer the former. Second, the word "Tao" needs some explanation. Palmer is right to call the Chinese Nestorians "Taoist Christians." But really, all Chinese Christians are "Taoist." This for the simple reason that "Tao" means "the Way," and philosophically, something pretty close to "Logos." The term does not belong to Taoists -- every school of Chinese thinkers use it, beginning with Confucius. And so the Bible reads in Chinese, "In the beginning was the Tao, and the Tao was with God, and the Tao was God" -- referring to Jesus. Furthermore, many Chinese Christian thinkers -- Lin Yutang, John Wu, Yuan Zhimin -- have felt the teachings of Lao Zi were in fact a pretty good introduction to Jesus. I think so, too. author, True Son of Heaven: How Jesus Fulfills the Chinese Culture
Rating:
Summary: Great primary texts; poor history
Review: The Jesus Sutras are the writings of Chinese Christians from about 635 to the 1300s. Palmer's translation of them is good (he was helped by respected translators Li Rong Rong and Eva Wong) and they are wonderful to read. For this reason, I recommend the book. I've studied Middle Eastern and Central Asian religions for years, and I've become more interested in Chinese religion lately. With this background, the Sutras were completely fascinating. I think the Sutras will inspire edifying, worthwhile reflections in many people. However, Palmer's history is pretty poor. He knows the liberal-ecumenist spin of Christian history, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but in order to present the spin simply he makes some significant factual errors. An earlier reviewer pointed out that the Chinese Christians were a part of the larger Nestorian Church, a fact seriously neglected by Palmer. He makes odd, superficial comparisons between ancient Celtic Christianity and the Chinese Christians. Perhaps worst of all, he repeatedly characterizes the Orthodox Churches (Greek, Russian, Syrian etc.) as Augustinian, which is simply not true--and he does it in order to denigrate them. If he knew what he was talking about, you'd have to say he was malicious. But more likely, he doesn't know what he's talking about, and he's simply made a mistake. In contrast, his interpretation of the Chinese Christians was as flattering as possible. (Again this could be fine, but he should be consistent.) His history of Buddhism is just as contorted; I do not know much about Taoism or Confucianism but I have to suspect he's pretty off there too (even though he's written a couple other books about China). In fairness, he makes all his mistakes with good ecumenical intentions. In short, the Sutras are so good that even the author of the book appreciated them! You will too, although you have to take his commentary and historical accounts lightly. I strongly recommend this book to anyone with the slightest interest in the subject.
Rating: 
Summary: Christianity at its Truest
Review: The Jesus Sutras give a picture of Christianity without the dividing factions that permeate today's Christianity. The missionaries that brought Christianity to China did not seek to inundate China with Western culture, but to bring Christianity into the cultural contexts of the Chinese. For example, rather than saying that the idea of reincarnation is wrong, they said that Jesus came to free them from the endless cycle of reincarnations. The sutra entitled "Returning to Your Original Nature" is a transcript of a teaching that Jesus gave to his disciples. The answer to the search for "truth" and the "way to peace and happiness" is truly there for people willing to open their mind and take it. The simplicity of the sutras has the power to end theological debates on the things that really matter. This book also gives a lot of historical information that brings the time period alive for me like nothing else has (considering that our society only has seemed to be concerned with Western civilization while ignoring the history of the East). I would like to have a copy of the Jesus Sutras (translated of course) alone and by themselves to pour over.
Rating:
Summary: Well Researched but Faulty Conclusions
Review: The Jesus Sutras is very well researched, poorly footnoted, and the author drew some faulty conclusions. Palmer assumes that the Church of the East was a confederation of churches without any central control. This is wrong. The Church of the East was highly centralized with canon law which required that all Bishops come to Bagdad every four years. Its liturgy was the same throughout the world. The texts mention of prayer seven times a day supports this. The chapter on liturgy is simply incorrect. While there may have been new theological poetry written, it would not have been used in the liturgy. Finally, the Chinese Diocese of the Church of the East adopted other traditions in the later Tang period due to its isolation and the need to address foreign doctrines. Some of these doctrines eventually were unfortunately adopted.
Rating:
Summary: A New (Yet Ancient) View of Christianity
Review: These sutras provide a fascinating picture of an early Christian community which developed completely apart from the patriarchal structure of the church in the West. This ancient church, called by the Chinese "The Da Qin [Western] Religion of Light," communicated the teaching of Jesus in terms that were relevant to the culture in China at that time -- a culture influenced by Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, and Shamanism. So instead of a human sacrifice sent to pay ransom as atonement for our sins, Jesus is presented as a beloved Bodhisattva or "Dharma King" who has come to free us from the cycle of karma. Instead of "original sin," these sutras talk about our "original nature" -- a state of goodness and grace to which we can be restored. This book tells the story of this ancient church and provides new translations of the sutras. The familiar stories of Jesus' birth, teachings, healing ministry, death and resurrection can be found here, along with a few surprises which remind us of the power of sacred words. For example: In their story of Creation, humans are given "guardianship" of the earth -- not "dominion" over it, as in our Western translations. And because their translation of the Ten Commandments (called Ten Covenants by them) emphasized kindness to all living beings, these early Christians were vegetarians who believed in the equality of the sexes and (unlike the Buddhist monastics of the same era) did not own slaves. "The Jesus Sutras" serves as an example and an encouragement for those of us who believe in the Unity of Religious Ideals. The ancient church in China maintained their Christian beliefs while respecting and interacting with the other religions of their day. This spirit of dialogue (rather than competition) between religious traditions is still needed in today's world.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating
Review: This intriguing work explores the discovery of a Chinese Christian monastery and a cache of writings that suggest Christianity was introduced to China as early as the 5th century, earlier than was traditionally thought. These works drew upon the vocabulary of Taoism and Buddhism and adopted cultural idioms in order to communicate the gospel to the Chinese in a way they could understand. Some of the content of these "Jesus Sutras" is very noncontroversial; other components, such as references to reincarnation, may cause some Orthodox Christians to regard the "Taoist Christianity" as a heretical form of the religion. The book is fascinating not only for revealing documents produced by early Christian missionaries, but because it provides a good historical overview of the Eastern Church, which often receives very little exposure in Christian histories. The work would have been improved by a better organization of the material, which would also have avoided redundancy. Overall, however, it is an engaging and highly readable book.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent book
Review: This is a surprisingly good work of history, but its title and marketing are a bit misleading. It appears aimed at the New Age/Christian market, with its promise of a "taoist christianity." Instead the book works best as history (of the early Chinese Church) and adventure (the author's, in uncovering the history of the church & discovering long-neglected Chinese Christian sites). The author shows how Christianity in China encountered and eventually drew on taoist and buddhist thought, but that did not really make the church "taoist" or its teachings some synthesis of Christianity and eastern religions. Most of the book tells the story of how Christianity first reached China, as missionaries crossed the Silk Road in the 600s, how it flourished for a few centuries, and how it was eventually suppressed. Other reviewers seem upset that the author may have misunderstood details of the Church's teachings (such as, was it really Nestorian?) but these not central to the story and should not distract you from enjoying the book. Particularly interesting are the "Jesus Sutras" themselves, which are Christian texts rewritten by the Chinese church, incorporating taoist and buddhist themes. Both the sutras and the history told here are fascinating. This book will interest many readers, not only those who want to learn more about the meeting of Christianity and eastern religions, but also readers who enjoyed such works of Central Asian adventure as Peter Hopkirk's _The Great Game_.
|
