A History of Christianity in Asia: Volume I: Beginnings to 1500

by Samuel Hugh Moffett

Book Overview

The history of Christianity in the West has often been told, but the story of Christianity in the East has received scant attention. This Christianity looked neither to Rome nor Constantinople, and for centuries remained proudly Asian. This first volume of Samuel Moffett's epic history reveals this fascinating and little-known story.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1570751625
• ISBN13: 9781570751622
• Release Date: May 1998
• Publisher: Orbis Books
• Length: 588 Pages
• Weight: 1.86 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.0" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

An eye-opening journey with lessons for modern Christians

Simply put, this book brought me on a remarkable journey into an area of Christian history about which I'd previously known very little. It opened my eyes to the faith and works of God's people in the post-apostolic Church of the East, and it also posed some interesting lessons that are relevant to Christians in today's world, despite the gulf in time--as well as geography, for many of us--that separates their age from ours. The book itself was one of many additional readings recommended by Dr. David Calhoun in association with his Ancient and Medieval Church History course at Covenant Theological Seminary (available for free download at http://www.covenantseminary.edu/worldwide/). To be honest, it took me nearly two years of on-and-off reading to get through the book, but I would attribute that to the fact that I am, in retrospect, less of a history buff than I'd thought, and to my tendency to get my fingers stuck in more books than I can really manage! The book itself is an interesting read, with many of the individual stories of saints and martyrs being real page turners, and with overall content and organization that are just superb. Dr. Moffett's heart for Asia was definitely poured into this book, and it shows. The book begins in the apostolic and early post-apostolic era, and traces the growth of the church eastward, into Asia. The primary layout of the book is chronological, moving from this early period forward until its close at the dawn of the sixteenth century. Geographically, I'll oversimplify by saying that it focuses on three primary regions: Persia/Arabia, India, and China/Mongolia. Persia/Arabia and China/Mongolia get the most detailed treatment, which is understandable due to the vast area covered by the one, and the great amount of change and relevance to modernity encompassed by the other. Of course, as empires shifted and grew, a lot of this runs together--the Mongols, for example, ruled from China to Persia. Being concerned with Christianity in Asia, Dr. Moffett focuses on the main church that existed in Asia: the Church of the East, also called Nestorian, which is to be differentiated from both the Catholic and Orthodox Churches of the West. Thus, most of the Christian figures in the book are Nestorian, with Jacobites (Syrian Monophysites) probably second most numerous. The Catholic and Orthodox Churches are described as they interact with the Church of the East, as well as when their respective empires interact with the various empires of the east, for better or for worse. As Dr. Moffett describes it, this eastern branch of Christianity actually grew rather quickly and widely, with the gospel spreading to India within only a few centuries (perhaps less than 200 years) of Jesus' resurrection, and even to China, where it found a degree of favor under the T'ang dynasty prior to the end of the first millennium AD. However, for a variety of reasons, it developed in a different "flavor" than it did in the West. Some of the

Last night I dreamt I was a great Khan...

Last night I dreamt that I was a Great Khan, deciding who the next Nestorian Archbishops would be in the four sections of the empire... There are few non-fiction books good enough to invade my dreams. This is one of them. I was pulled into the book and found it difficult to put down. Moffett writes in a very readable, engrossing style, but full of research and incredibly accurate. Unlike other treatments of this subject, Moffett is not trying to put forth a particular ideology or accept wholesale hagiophora. While he respects the traditions of some about the formations of the early church, he analyzes these traditions critically to see what might be reality and what might be more myth. It is rare to find a book on the Nestorian Church, this, perhaps the largest church in the world in the first 1000 years of Christianity, containing at least 20% of all Christians- all East of Antioch. Because many still consider their beliefs heretical (although most scholars now agree that the differences in understanding of the nature/s of Christ were more linguistic than theological), many theologians avoid this church, or don?t even know of it?s existence. I grew up being taught there were Protestants and some Catholics. That was it. It wasn?t till much later I learned there were Orthodox, and two varieties, as well as The Church of the East, the Nestorians. But when a writer does touch this subject, it is often very a very dry, terse history, that makes one want to rather fall asleep. Moffett takes a different approach. He spent the time to do his research, as copious endnotes and sources indicate. He spent the time to contemplate the lives which he was writing about. And that?s what makes this book different. He?s writing about lives. It?s exciting. He writes about the missions endeavors of this early church, how they spread throughout known Asia: to the Caucuses, central Asia, Arabia, Yemen, Suqutra, India, China, SE Asia, and maybe even Japan. He writes honestly about their successes and failures- why they expanded, and why they declined. Much of their approach was laudable, in their desire to contextualize. Some tragically hurt them in the end, in their repeated attempts to get close to the state, they sacrificed not necessarily ethics but their foremost mission for the sake of temporary security. And when the state fell, as all states do, the new state did not look with favor on those that were so closely tied with the old state. And the overall goal, of being a people called out to be different, an alien people, became lost in a struggle for survival. Ironically, in the attempt to survive, they spelled their own doom- so that today they only exist in isolated pockets in India, Kurdistan, and America, where the Patriarchate is. Two minor issues that I would recommend to improve this book. There are many helpful references to the endnotes. However, much of the endnotes are simply source sites. It would be helpful to differentia

Definitive Overview of the Subject

I know of no other seurvery of Asian Christianity that matches Moffat's, with regards to scholarship and readability for the general reader. I found this book absolutely unputdownable!I don't know what exactly Moffat's religious persuasion is. This work is as sympathetic to Nestorian Christians as it is to their orthodox (i.e. Catholic and Orthodox) counterparts. I learned a lot from this book.For instance, the Nestorian controversy was more a dispute over terminology than dogma; Christianity was not introduced into China by Portugese Catholics in the 16th century; Armenia's was not the first Christian king; Saint Thomas' mission to India justmay be more than legend; and much, much more.The book is an absolute must-red on the subject. There's a couple of minor errors in it, though. The book states, for example, that the Nestorian Christians in China were not heterodox by Protestant standards except that they apparently prayer for their dead. I think this is a gross oversimplification. If these were anything like they're Western Asian Nestorian brethren, then they also would have had seven sacraments, believed in the Real Pressence of Christ in the Eucharist, the Euccharist's sacrifical aspects, praying to Mary and the saints, veneration of relics, belief in Apostolic succession, etc. The book also states that the Maronites of Lebanon were Oriental Orthodox (i.e. Monophysite), when, in fact, they are one of two Eastern Churches that never broke communion with the Roman Church.Other than these, however, the book was really good. As one reviewer noted either, it would have been more useful for the book to have included the various dynasties and succession of Patriarchs in appendices, rather than scattered through the footnotes. Also, the maps could have been a bit more readable. It was somewhat difficult for a not-geographically-inclined person like myself to find certain cities.Christendom will have much to gain when the "schismatic" Nestorians finally reunify with the Catholic Church. Until then, books like this will aid dialogue, educating believers about this often under-studied denomination of historic Christianity.

Wonderful work on ancient asian missions in 10/40 Window

A first major work of its kind in shedding light on the often ignored history of early Asian missionaries in Asia. Its focus on the Syrian & Persian missionaries who established bases and churches in the present day 10/40 Window (Middle East, India, & China) is very enlightening.

useful overview

I have used this text as the base text for an undergraduate course in Christianity East of Jerusalem and found it excellent for the purpose. The material is divided into small enough pieces for the students to handle and there is enough quotation of original sources in translation to give them a feel for some of the variety of Christian life in that broad area and span of time. I recommend it also for individual readers.