Christianity in China
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This is a reproduction of a library book that was digitized by Google as part of an ongoing effort to preserve the information in books and make it universally accessible. http://books.google.com /m^g-frf. WtLlOTHfcQUE U U Fasnlte ie ticologU IE I'EBLiSE HIRE LAUSANNE T H 6 5 7 0 i X ^ CHRISTIANITY CHINA, TARTARY, AND THIBET. VOL. I. London z Printed by Spottiswoode tc Co. New-street Square-. CHRISTIANITY CHINA, TARTAR!, and THIBET. BY M. L'ABBE HUC, FORMERLY MISSIONARY APOSTOLIC IN CHINA J AUTHOR OF "THE CHINESE EMPIRE," ETC. IN TWO VOLUMES. VOL. I. FROM THE APOSTLESHIP OF ST. THOMAS TO THE DISCOVERY OF THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE. LONDON : LONGMAN, BKOWN, GEEEN, LONGMANS, & EOBERTS. 1857. CONTENTS OF THE FIRST VOLUME. CHAPTER I. The Doctrine of the Redemption of Men diffused over the whole "World The Preaching of the Jewish Nation Indian Poets. — Virgil. — The Sibyls. — Extract from the " Annals of China." — The World in Expectation of the Messiah. — Legend of the ; Apostleship of St. Thomas. — Proofs of the Preaching of St." Thomas in India. — Archaeological Proofs. — Medal of King Gon- daphorus. — Probability of the Apostleship of St. Thomasin China. — Freguent Relations between the East and the West at the Com mencement of the Christian Era. — Consequences of these Rela tions. — \l5t. Pantenus and other Missionaries in the East. — . Nestorian and Catholic Preachers in China - - Page 1 CHAP. II. ; Discovery of the famous Inscription of Si-gnan-Fou. — * Translation of this Inscription. — State of the Chinese Empire at the Epoch of the Erection of this Monument. — Influx of Foreigners into China under the Dynasty of Thang. — Critical Study of the Inscription of Si-gnan-Fou. — Native Country of Olopen and other Mission aries to China in the seventh Century. — Syriac Characters. — Nestorian Doctrine. — Objections of Voltaire and Milne to the Authenticity of the Inscription. — Refutation of them. — The Authenticity of the Monument proved by Chinese Writers. — Ancient and modern Books. — Simple Faith of the Missionaries. — Inference - - - - - - -45 CHAP. III. Religious Movement in the Chinese Empire Tolerance and Scep- . ticism of the Chinese. — Propagation of Christianity in China. — First Metropolitans — Progress of Proselytism. — Details drawn VI CONTENTS OF from Arab Literature. — Curious Passage in a Book entitled "The Chain of Chronicles." — Revolution in China. — Massacre of the Christians. — Arab "Writers and Marco Polo. — Missionaries sent to China in the tenth Century. — Notice of Prester John. — Letter of this curious Personage to the Emperor of Constantinople. — Letter of Pope Alexander III. to Prester John. — Conversion of a Khan and a Tribe of Keraites in the eleventh Century. — Numerous Conquests of this Mongol Tribe. — Origin of the Legend of Prester John. — Ung-Khan, the last Sovereign of the Keraites ------ Page 83 CHAP. IV. A French Missionary in Tartary. — Tchinguiz-Khan proclaimed Sovereign of the Tartars. — Character of this famous Conqueror. — His Conquests. — His Death. — His religious Faith. — Election of his Successor. — Tartar Invasion of Georgia — of Armenia. — Gregory IX. and the Queen Rhouzoudan. — Invasion of Poland. — Saint Hyacinth. — Battle of Liegnitz. — Ravages of the Mongols intheQueen Poland Canon Blanche of and Varadin. Russia. Bela — — IV. Gregory Frederic King IX. of Barbarossa. Hungary. preaches a— — Crusade Adventures St. Louis against and of the Tartars Gregory IX. and Frederic Barbarossa. — Religion ofLyons. the Mongol — Decree Tartars that Missionary Innocent Ambassadors IV. at the shallCouncil-General be sent to the of Tartars - - - - - - -119 CHAP. V. Embassy of John de Piano Carpini. — Arrival at the Camp of Batou. — Letter of Pope Innocent IV. to the Tartars. — The Ambassador of the Holy See to the Golden Horde. — Election of the Grand Khan of the Tartars. — Couyouk proclaimed Emperor. — Audience of Piano Carpini. — The Ambassadors prepare to quit the Im perial Horde. — Letter of the Tartar Emperor to the Pope. — Return of Piano Carpini to Europe. — Innocent appoints him Archbishop of Antivari. — Embassy of Brother Anselm to the Camp of the Tartars in Persia Interview of the French Mis sionaries with the Tartar Officers. — Proposal to flay and impale them. — Discussion of the Supremacy of the Pope and the Khan. — Renown of French Valour among the Tartars. — Departure of theIltchikadaiGrand Monks. Khan — Letter Letter St. Louis of of the the receivesTartar Tartar Lieutenant. in Prince. Cyprus — — two Narrative Manifesto Envoys of of from thethe Constable of Armenia. — St. Louis sends an Embassy to reply to Iltchikadai Its Ill-success and Return - - - 162 CHAP. VI. State of Christianity among the Mongols. — Rubruk, the new Am bassador of St. Louis to Tartary Manners of the Tartars. — THE FIRST VOLUME. Vll Hardships and Miseries of the Route. — Camp of Sartak. — The Monks at the Court of Batou. — They proceed to the Imperial Court of Mangou-Khan. — Incidents of the Journey. — The Grand Khan gives Audience to the Envoys of St. 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 - Page 203 CHAP. VII. Institution of the Society of Brother Travellers for Jesus Christ. — Journey of King Hayton in Tartary. — The Negotiations. — Hou- lagou leads his Army towards Jerusalem. — Destruction of the Order of the Assassins. — End of the Caliphate of Bagdad. — The Tartars draw near to the Christians. — Alexander III. deters Bela, King of Hungary, from forming an Alliance with the Mongols. — ThetheHoulagou ChristiansForty-nine and Alexander of Martyrs Sidon. of — IV Sandomir. Defeat Strife of — thebetween Houlagou Tartars the and Mongolsin Nassir. Egypt. and —— Kublai, the Grand Khan of the Tartars. — Change of Policy. — Death of Houlagou. — Marriage of his Son Abaga with the Daughter of Michael Palseologus. — Abaga and Clement IV. — Tartar Ambassadors at Lyons. — They go to England. — Mission of the two Vassilli. — Nicholas III. sends Missionaries and Letters to China and Tartary ----- 243 CHAP. VIII. Nestorian Argoun,ofPhilip Nicholas the Propagandism Khan Fair. IV. of — to Persia. NewsArgoun. in —from High —His theQueen AsiaLetter Mission of to The Touktan Honorius in ApostateChina. IV.— Argoun ConversionAhmed — Letters and 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 Em Buddhapire of Eublai - Religions - - of China. - — Confucius. - - — Lao-tze. - 291 — CHAP. IX. Kublai-Khan favours the Christians. — He sends the Venetian Brothers Polo to the Sovereign Pontiff. — The two Venetians re turn to China accompanied by young Marco Polo. — Their Journey. — Residence of Marco Polo in China. — His Return to Venice The Narrative of Marco Polo. — His Account of Chris tianityHisagainst Letters in him. China — to Clement the The Monks ApostleshipV. sends of his seven Order of John Bishops of Persecutions Monte to China Corvino. raised They — V1U CONTENTS OF THE FIRST VOLUME. consecrate Monte Corvino Archbishop of Pekin. — An Armenian Lady builds a Church at Han-Tcheou-Fou. — Letter of Andre de Perouse. — Numerous Missionaries in China. — Oderic de Friuli. — His Journey from the Indies to China with the Bones of four Martyrs. — His Apostleship in China — In Tartary — In Thibet. — His Eeturn to Pisa. — Account of his Death - Page 332 CHAP. X. Christianity amongst the Tartars of Persia. — Correspondence of Khan (Euldjaitou with Philip the Fair, Edward I., and Clement V. — 2. Usbeck and the Province of Kiptchak. — Erection of the Archiepiscopal See of Soultaniye. — 3. Zeal of Pope John XXII. for the Propagation of the Faith. — Death of the Archbishop of Pekin, John de Monte Corvino. — Departure of Missionaries for China. — 4. Apostasy and Martyrdom of Stephen of Hungary. — 5. Mission of Pekin. — Progress of Christianity in China, and in the Steppes of Tartary Narrative of Pascal of Spain. — 6. Vio lent Persecution of the Christians of Tartary. — Revolution in China The Missions are desolated Tamerlane. — His re ligious Principles. — Christianity eclipsed in Upper Asia 374 CHRISTIANITY IN CHINA, TARTARY, AND THIBET. CHAPTER I. THE DOCTRINE OF THE REDEMPTION OF MEN DIFFUSED OVER THE WHOLE WORLD. THE PREACHING OF THE JEWISH NATION. INDIAN POETS. "> — VIRGIL. THE SIBYLS. EXTRACT FROM THE "ANNALS OF CHINA." THE WORLD IN EXPECTATION OF THE MESSIAH LEGEND OF THE APOSTLESHIP OF ST. THOMAS. PROOFS OF THE PREACHING OF ST. THOMAS IN INDIA. ARCHAEO LOGICAL PROOFS. MEDAL OF KING GONDAPHORDS. PROBABILITY OF THE APOSTLESHIP OF ST. THOMAS IN CHINA. FREQUENT RE LATIONS BETWEEN THE EAST AND THE WEST AT THE COMMENCE MENT OF THE CHRISTIAN ERA CONSEQUENCES OF THESE RELA TIONS. ST. PANTENCS AND OTHER MISSIONARIES IN THE EAST NESTORIAN AND CATHOLIC PREACHERS IN CHINA. The Gospel of the Christian religion, when preached successively to all the nations of the earth, excited no astonishment, for it had been everywhere prophesied, and was universally expected. A Divine Incarnation, the birth of a Man-God, was the common faith of hu manity, — 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. The Messiah, the Redeemer, promised to fallen man in the VOL. I. B 2 CHRISTIANITY IN CHINA, ETC. terrestrial Paradise, had been announced uninter ruptedly from age to age ; and the nation specially chosen to be the depository of this promise had spread the hope abroad among men for centuries before its fulfilment ; such was, under Providence, the result of the great revolutions which agitated the Jews, and dispersed them over all Asia and the world at large. In the year 719 (b. c), Salmanassar, King of the Assyrians, seized upon Samaria, and transported the inhabitants into the most remote village of Media. In 676 (b.c.), Assaharaddon dispersed the remnant of the kingdoms of Syria and Israel over Persia, Media, and the distant provinces of the East.