Evariste Régis Huc

“ The preaching of the Gospel was, in fact, heard in the most remote countries, and probably in the very heart of the Chinese Empire, — an empire at that time vaster, and perhaps more civilised, than that of Rome.
The propagation of the Christian faith in Upper Asia, is a subject that has been very little studied. People have generally contented themselves with supposing that the Gospel was not carried there till a recent time; and it is nevertheless now discovered that to a certainty the doctrines of Jesus Christ were preached from the very beginning to the nations of the utmost East. ”

“ That a Saviour, and a regeneration of the human race, was expected in all parts of the civilised world, in consequence of ancient prophecies, cannot be denied. Such an event was confidently looked for in the West and the East, in Persia, India, and China, and even among the wandering tribes of Upper Asia. In the intermediate countries, as among the Hebrews, it was the fundamental doctrine of religion ; and thus, thanks to this general expectation and preparation, Christianity was able to spread itself with facility over the whole surface of the earth. ”

“ A Divine Incarnation, the birth of a Man-God, was the common faith of humanity,—the great dogma that under forms, more or less mysterious, appears in the oldest modes of worship, and may be traced in the most ancient traditions. ”

“ His name and his glory will extend over the whole empire, and even among the barbarians of the south and north, wherever ships and chariots can advance, and the power of man penetrate, in all places which the sky covers and the earth supports, which are enlightened by the sun and moon, and fertilised by the dew and the mist ”

“ Towards the same period, a Dominican missionary, who had travelled over India, and carried the light of the Gospel even into the interior of Tartary, wrote thus to the monks of his order f:—"In this kingdom of India St. Thomas the apostle preached the faith, and converted to God many princes. But as they have been hitherto far from the countries where this faith was held, their Christianity has gradually declined, until at present there is only one small town where it is still professed. All the other towns and cities have forsaken it." ”

“ Now on the fourth day, while the obsequies were being performed, suddenly, to the astonishment and terror of all present, the dead man arose, and said to the king, 'That man whom you intended to flay and burn alive is the friend of God. ”

“ We have said that the human race had been prepared from its commencement to receive the fundamental truths of Christianity. Independently of the relations established beyond the limits of the Celestial Empire between several Chinese and the Israelites whom God dispersed amongst the nations to make known his name and prepare the way for the Messiah, there have been Jews in China, perhaps, from the seventh century before the Christian era. ”

“ He at last found him in Egypt, passing a life of seclusion and solitude, devoted to prayer, meditation, and the study of holy books. Up to that time Clement had studied under various masters, but having now formed an intimate friendship with Pantenus, he discovered in him such great talents, such a rich treasury of divine wisdom, that he thought he should need no other guide to lead him to the summit of Christian philosophy. ”

“ When the Christ appeared, it was not only in Judea, among the Hebrews, that he was looked for; he was expected also at Rome, among the Goths and Scandinavians, in India, in China, in High Asia especially, where almost all religious systems are founded on the dogma of a Divine Incarnation. Long before the coming of the Messiah, a reconciliation of man with a Saviour, a King of righteousness and peace, had been announced throughout the world. This expectation is often mentioned in the Puranas, the mythological books of India. ”

“ Thomas having preached at all in India has been frequently called in question by writers deserving of attention; but we find it supported by so much evidence, that it seems difficult for an unprejudiced mind to refuse credit to a fact guaranteed by such excellent historical authorities. All the Greek, Latin, and Syriac monuments proclaim that St. Thomas was the apostle of the Indies, who carried the torch of faith into the remote regions where he suffered martyrdom. Some writers have affirmed that he prosecuted his apostolical labours as far even as China ”

“ The Christians of India, Persia, and Bactriana could then freely enter the Celestial Empire, and carry thither the evangelical light that had come to them from the West; and whilst St. Thomas was preaching in the India of the Ganges, and St. Bartholomew in Ethiopia and Arabia Felix, the shock of the Christian revolution was felt throughout the world. At that epoch the people of different nations had much more intercourse with each other, than has been commonly supposed, and the relations between the East and the West were much more frequent. ”

“ Whoever shall refuse to obey him, must fly from himself, and renounce his human nature; and by that he will become subject to great punishments, even though he should escape what here below is called by that name." [3]
India, the Roman empire, the civilised world in fact, was thus looking for a renovation of humanity; and it is very remarkable that, precisely at that time, the most distant people of the east, the Seres or Chinese, sent ambassadors to Rome to seek the friendship of Augustus. ”

“ The seasons shall succeed each other in an invariable order; the rain in due time shall inundate the fields, the harvest in due time shall pour forth abundance. Milk shall flow at the pleasure of those who desire it; the earth, as in the first age, shall be intoxicated with joy and prosperity, and all nations shall taste of ineffable delights. ”

“ Thomas afterwards traversed various kingdoms of India, preaching the Gospel everywhere, working many miracles, and converting the nations to Jesus Christ. At last he was persecuted by a king named Mesdeus, who ordered him to worship a statue of the sun. The apostle consented to kneel down before it, and to sacrifice to it, if the statue did not, at his command, fall into dust. But that miracle really took place. Then there arose a great tumult among the people, the greater part of whom took part with St. Thomas. ”

“ The Supreme King will render the sacrifice so common to all nations, that even the wildernesses shall not be deprived of it. The Brahmins, established in virtue, shall employ themselves only in the ceremonies of religion and sacrifice; they shall cause penitence, and other virtues, which follow in the train of truth, to flourish ”

“ It is served hy a priest and a vicar, who took sacred orders in Persia, and it has the complete ecclesiastical liturgy. As for the natives of the island, they, as well as the kings who rule it, are pagans. They have many temples, and amongst others one built on a hill, in which there is a jewel of inestimable value, a ruby of the size of a large fir cone. When the sun shines upon it, its rays are perfectly dazzling. Great numbers of vessels come to this island, especially from India and Ethiopia, as well as from China and other countries to the east ”

“ Thomas the Apostle was at Jerusalem, our Lord appeared to him, and said: 'Gondaphorus, the King of India, has sent his minister Abbas to Syria, in order to seek for men instructed in the art of architecture. Go, I will send thee to him.' St. Thomas answered, 'Lord, send me anywhere, except to India;' and our Lord said to him, 'Go, I will watch over thee, and when thou shalt have converted the Indians, thou shalt come to me to receive as a recompense the crown of martyrdom;' and St. Thomas said, 'Lord, I am thy servant ”

“ There were many holy-minded men at that time to be found, under the name of Evangelists, who, full of zeal for the service of God, were willing, after the example of the apostles, to renounce every worldly prospect, and devote themselves wholly to the propagation of the Christian religion. ”

“ These churches, priests, and liturgies in the north of India at that remote period, form certainly a very striking fact. At the present day it is there that the pomp of the hierarchy and liturgy of Buddhism is chiefly displayed ; but at that time it did not exist. If, therefore, there has been any imitation in the case, it is certainly not Christianity that has been the imitator. TESTIMONY OF COSMAS INDICOPLEUSTES. 41 what he says of Ceylon : — " There is in this island a church for the Christians of Persia, who often go to it. ”

“ The desire of your mind, my dear Palladius, which, filled with the love of wisdom, is always drawn towards the knowledge of new things, has induced us to under- take a new and difficult work, that of describing the life, the manners, and the country of the Brahmins. ”

“ In the following year, Frumentius suc- ceeded him in the primacy, and was consecrated at Alexandria by Athanasius. He resided in the penin- sula, and from that time the Christians always had a bishop who bore the title of Primate of India. The religion of Jesus Christ extended rapidly in these vast regions, and even penetrated to the north, notwith- standing all the opposition it had to encounter from the Brahmins, and the disciples of Buddha. ”

“ Topographia Christ." vol. iii. 42 CHRISTIANITY IN CHINA, ETC. merous churches were governed by very enlightened, though heretical ecclesiastics, and who, moreover, de- spatched missionaries of their doctrines to Ceylon, India, and even the Chinese empire, where they greatly cor- rupted those of true Christianity. From the monument of Si-gnan-Fou, of which we shall presently speak, some authors have concluded that Christianity was first carried to China by the Nestorians. ”

“ Thence he travelled into the interior, and visited a king named Gondaphorus, who embraced Christianity; and after that he went to another province of India, where he received the crown of martyrdom. It will be seen that this narrative is in no way incompatible with that transmitted to us by tradition, and indicated also by archæological monuments. [14]
Certainly not; and not only not incompatible, but, on the contrary, in the most perfect harmony with them. Everything tends to prove that St. Thomas was veritably the first apostle of India. ”

“ There was apparently more individual energy then than in our days, and people did not require the aid of steam to undertake long and dangerous voyages. The natives of the banks of the Ganges were scattered over the West in much greater numbers than at present. ”

“ Nestorian Propagandism in High Asia. — The Apostate Ahmed. — Argoun, Khan of Persia. — His Letter to Honorius IV. — Letters of Nicholas IV. to Argoun. — Queen of Touktan. — . Argoun and Philip the Fair. — News from the Mission in China. — Conversion of several Tartar Princes. — Letter of the Pope to Gazan, Son of Argoun. — His Wife and Child condemned to be burnt alive. — Attempts at Alliance between the Tartars and Christians. — Empire of Kublai. — Religions of China. — Confucius. — Lao-tze.—Buddha
CHAP. IX.
Kublai-Khan favours the Christians. ”

“ Louis. — Singular Mixture of Religions among the Tartars. — Aspect of Kara-Koroum. — Solemn Discussion among the Missionaries. — The Buddhists and the Mussulmans. — The French Missionaries quit the Court of the Emperor of Tartary. — Letter of Mangou-Khan to St. Louis. — Return of Rubruk to France
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CHAP. VII.
Institution of the Society of Brother Travellers for Jesus Christ. ”