Nestorian tradition
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The Nestorian church took its name from Nestorius, a bishop of Constantinople in the 5th century. Nestorius was branded a heretic in 431, but this was probably more due to political and cultural rivalries than to actual doctrinal heresy. The Nestorian church itself began long before Nestorius, having begun at Edessa in the 1st century or 2nd century.
In the early years, as a result of persecution, the church in Edessa was quite active in missionary outreach. Priests and bishops would often journey as tradesmen (much like modern tentmaking) in order to spread the gospel. The Nestorians were highly educated and often taught governments and conquering empires.
[edit] History
- 2nd century - the Nestorian church used all four Gospels in outreach by the end of this century.
- 3rd century - Church had established schools in Persia; every bishop was supposed to have a school in which they studied Scripture, particularly the Psalms.
- 4th century - Persecution.
- 5th century - Persecution.
- 635 - Nestorian church established in east-central China, setting up a stone monument in Xian, China that is still preserved.
[edit] Countries
- China - established 635 during the T'ang dynasty in the capital of Ch'ang-an (modern Hsianfu), then perhaps the largest city in the world; monasteries were established in many cities and converts made, but the Christian communities were largely of foreign membership. An imperial edict against Buddhists and Christians in 845 sharply reduced their number. By 980 there were no traces of Christianity in China.
- India
- Tibet
- Afghanistan
- South Korea
- Japan
[edit] Loss
- Much of the Nestorian Church was eradicated due to persecution by Mongol invaders, Muslim invaders, and the Chinese government.
- The Nestorian Church apparently "reappeared" in the 13th century but was lost again.
