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Jingjiao Sanwei Mengdu Zan (Chinese: 景教三威蒙度讚; lit. 'A Hymn of the Luminous Religion of the Three Majesties for Obtaining Salvation'), often referred to as the Nestorian Gloria in excelsis Deo in English, is the earliest Chinese translation of Gloria in excelsis Deo. It was made in the 8th century, and is attributed to Adam, a Nestorian monk in the Tang dynasty. A part of the Nestorian documents, it was discovered by Paul Pelliot in the Mogao Caves in 1908, and is currently stored at the Bibliothèque nationale de France.
Sanwei Mengdu Zan is based on the Syrian Gloria text. It mentions the Trinity and the Holy Spirit. However, many scholars have pointed out the Buddhist, Taoist, and Manichaen influences on the language employed by the text.
Many names exist ...
Christianity arrived in China in the 7th century, when Ishoyahb II, Patriarch of the Church of the East, sent a mission into Tang China.[1] The mission, headed by a Syrian bishop Alopen, reached Chang'an in 635.[2] After reading some Christian texts translated and prepared by the priests, Emperor Taizong of Tang proclaimed an Edict of Toleration for the Christians and permitted Alopen to build a monastery in Chang'an and establish his mission there.[2] The early Chinese Christianity was known as Daqin Jiao (Chinese: 大秦教; lit. 'Daqin religion'), referring to "Daqin", a designation for the eastern parts of former Roman Empire in Chinese. It was later known as Jingjiao (Chinese: 景教; lit. 'luminous religion').[3]
The Nestorian Gloria in excelsis Deo is attributed to Adam (景淨; Jǐngjìng).[4] He was an important figure in the early history of Christianity in China, who authored the inscription of the Xi'an Stele in 781 and was also entrusted to translate 30 texts of Jingjiao into Chinese.[5][6] According to Vladmir Liščák, Adam also studied Taoist mysticism and Buddhist philosophy, and was able to use both of them to explain Christian themes.[7]
Adam also worked together with an Indian Buddhist monk Prajna to translate the Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra on the Six Pāramitās [zh] into Chinese.[5] before working on ... [8]
In 1908, Paul Pelliot discovered the manuscript of Sanwei Mengdu Zan and Zunjing [zh] in the Mogao Caves of Dunhuang. The two texts are written on one sheet of paper, with 46 columns of characters in total.[9] According to Lin Wushu's analysis of the handwriting and material of the manuscript, Sanwei Mengdu Zan and Zunjing are not of the same scripture, but originally two independent manuscripts.[10]
In 1910, Luo Zhenyu published the text on Guocui Xuebao (国粹学报). In 1934, Liang Jifang (梁季芳) of Yenching University set it to tune.[8] Liang's hymn is included as the second hymn in the Chinese hymnbook Hymns of Universal Praise (普天頌贊), published in 1936 and 1943.
The text is based on the East Syrian form of the Gloria in Excelsis Deo. It offers a praise of the Holy Trinity in the form of classical Chinese poetry.[11] It consists of 44 lines, and each line has seven characters.[12] According to Tang Li, Jingjiao Sanwei Mengdu Zan is the only text "which can be compared to its Syriac original" among the texts authored by Adam.[12]
The supreme heavens praise with honor and awe
The Earth, all peace and harmony recalls
Man’s original true nature a new solace finds
in Aluohe, the Father, three in one, the kind.
All ye good people worship (Him) faithfully
All ye spirits of wisdom sing with praise and joy
All ye truthful turn to Him respectfully
His holy light be received, and devils destroyed
His infinite truth eternal, where can be sought?
Merciful Father, bright Son and king of wind pure
Among all kings, He is the master King
Among all lords, He is the Lord of law
In wondrous brightness, He dwells in infinite for ever more
His power of light patrols the bordered world.
since the beginning none has seen Him
Revealed in all, yet His image cannot be formed.
On his pure virtue alone, one should contemplate,
His power alone, no equal found.
He alone is unchanging, His dignity portrays
The source of all goodness without bounds.
All his grace I recall today
O, His marvelous joy of another world is this world’s ray.
Mishihe, the great holy Son, all shall venerate
Going through all sufferings, millions of lives He saves.
King of eternal life, Lamb of mercy and joy
Who suffered greatly, yet never quit to toil
Who take away the collected sins of all beings
So that our true nature well saved, no more peace to spoil.
At the right hand of the Father, the holy Son solemnly seated
His throne is exalted to the infinite summit.
From there all our prayers our great teacher will answer
An ark He sent down, preventing the fire from spreading on the river
The great teacher, our merciful Father
The great teacher, our holy Lord
The great teacher, our King of laws
The great teacher has power to save us all.
The great teacher, whose wisdom assists us to succeed
With all eyes, all look up to Thee.
Sweet dews he poured out unto withered trees
All good roots His dewdrops received.
Our all-respected Mishihe, the great holy one
See-treasures of His love, the merciful Father I admire
Humble is the great holy one, so His wind pure
Hear His law in quietness, and no doubts required.
Attributed to Jingjing (8th c.), translated by Tang Li (2001)
Many English translations exist ...
Sanwei Mengdu Zan demonstrates the Holy Trinity as "the Merciful Father, the bright Son and the King of pure winds", and claimed that the three all deserve praise. The scholar Tang Li further argued that the text provides an orthodox statement of the Christian beliefs on the Trinitarian God, including Jesus the Holy Son, and it does not show Nestorianism.[14]
Holy spirit ...
The arrival of Buddhism preceded the arrival of Christianity in China for about six hundred years. It influenced Chinese philosophy and culture greatly, and early Christian missionaries in China borrowed Buddhist vocabulary to write about theology.[15] Tang Li conjectured that Adam, the author of Sanwei Mengdu Zan, "had a good relationship with some Buddhist monks."[15]
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