Jingjiao under the Lenses of Chinese Political Theology

Chin Ken-pa

doi:10.3390/rel10100551

Abstract

Conflict between religion and state politics is a persistent phenomenon in human history. Hence it is not surprising that the propagation of Christianity often faces the challenge of “political theology”. When the Church of the East monk Aluoben reached China in 635 during the reign of Emperor Tang Taizong, he received the favorable invitation of the emperor to translate Christian sacred texts for the collections of Tang Imperial Library. This marks the beginning of Jingjiao (景教) mission in China. In historiographical sense, China has always been a political domineering society where the role of religion is subservient and secondary. A school of scholarship in Jingjiao studies holds that the fall of Jingjiao in China is the obvious result of its over-involvement in local politics. The flaw of such an assumption is the overlooking of the fact that in the Tang context, it is impossible for any religious establishments to avoid getting in touch with the Tang government. In the light of this notion, this article attempts to approach this issue from the perspective of “political theology” and argues that instead of over-involvement, it is rather the clashing of “ideologies” between the Jingjiao establishment and the ever-changing Tang court’s policies towards foreigners and religious bodies that caused the downfall of Jingjiao Christianity in China. This article will posit its argument based on the analysis of the Chinese Jingjiao canonical texts, especially the Xian Stele, and takes this as a point of departure to observe the political dynamics between Jingjiao and Tang court. The finding of this paper does show that the intellectual history of Chinese Christianity is in a sense a comprehensive history of “political theology”.

Highlights

Conflict between religion and politics is a persistent phenomenon in history
This article will posit its argument based on the analysis of the Chinese Jingjiao canonical texts, especially the Xian Stele, and takes this as a point of departure to observe the political dynamics between Jingjiao and Tang court
Chen Yinke recognizes that Chen Yuan’s historical survey on the propagation of Buddhism during the late Ming period reflects the political condition of the Ming Dynasty

Summary

Introduction

Conflict between religion and politics is a persistent phenomenon in history. In an introductory preface to Chen Yuan’s (陳垣 1880–1971) Mingji Dianqian Fojiao kao 明季滇黔佛教考 [Late Ming Period. The flaw of this assumption lies in the fact that it is not possible for Jingjiao, as a religious establishment, to avoid any interactions with the Tang court In light of this notion, this article adopts Chen Yinke’s view aforementioned and approaches the question of Jingjiao’s downfall from the perspective of “political theology” instead. The Church was under the full governance of the national administrative system almost in every aspect, this is to demonstrate the encompassing Tang sovereignty towards foreign subjects In this regard, the establishment of Jingjiao in Tang China involved the issue of keeping proper boundaries and the shift of identity. In traditional Chinese view, the power of state sovereignty is actualized through the integration of political and religious-cultural operations Tang emperors turned this practice into a dominant political discourse to support royal legitimacy and the centralization of power. Tang court so to prove the point that the intellectual history of Chinese Christianity is in a sense a comprehensive history of “political theology”.7

Historical Background and Context

Political Theology in Chinese Context

Discussion

Conclusions