China: Main inscription of the Nestorian Stele of Xi'an, 'Stele to the propagation in China of the luminous religion of Daqin', Beiling Museum, 781 CE. The Nestorian Stele of Xi'an (also known as the Nestorian Stone, Nestorian Monument or Nestorian Tablet) is a Tang Dynasty Chinese stele erected in 781 that documents 150 years of history of early Christianity in China. The name of the stele can also be translated as 'A Monument Commemorating the Propagation of the Ta-Chin Luminous Religion in the Middle Kingdom', Daqin being the Chinese name for the Roman Empire in the 1st and 2nd centuries.
The Nestorian Stele of Xi'an (also known as the Nestorian Stone, Nestorian Monument or Nestorian Tablet) is a Tang Dynasty Chinese stele erected in 781 that documents 150 years of history of early Christianity in China. The name of the stele can also be translated as 'A Monument Commemorating the Propagation of the Ta-Chin Luminous Religion in the Middle Kingdom', Daqin being the Chinese name for the Roman Empire in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. The stele is a 279-cm tall limestone block with text in both Chinese and Syriac, describing the existence of Christian communities in several cities in northern China. It reveals that the church had initially received recognition by the Tang Emperor Taizong, due to efforts of the Christian missionary Alopen in 635. A Nestorian Cross is incised above the main inscription in Chinese. Buried in 845, probably during religious suppression, the stele was not rediscovered until 1625.
Size: 3398px × 5140px
Photo credit: © Pictures From History / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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