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The Church of The East whose foundation is Eshoo Msheekha, Jesus Christ, is also a 'Civilizing Holy institution'. Throughout the centuries its 'missionary enterprise' aimed at taking the Gospel of Christ to the peoples of the world and spreading the teaching of Maran Eshoo, Lord Jesus, among the children of God as widely as possible. No nation or people in the whole history of Christianity have spread the message of Christ as Assyrians have, and no Church or denomination can match The Holy Apostolic Church of The East (often referred to as 'The Assyrian Church of The East') in enlightening, civilizing psychospiritually through her missionaries, so many of the nation, peoples and the communities of the world.
(I recommend to the reader a book, which is unique in its kind, written by Benjamin Wilkinson, and the title of the book is Truth Triumphant: The Church in the Wilderness. The book is also available on the Internet. It is an 'ecclesiastical journey' through/on Christianity in which The Assyrian Church of The East 'plays the major role'. I came across this book late during my research; however, I have tried to learn from it as much as possible. I wanted very much to get in touch with the author of this 'exhaustively researched' book, but to my dismay I learned that the author, Benjamin Wilkinson, is no longer with us - sad indeed.)
It is a well-known fact that The Church of The East sent its missionaries eastward to preach the Gospel of Christ in all the Asian countries and to spread the message of Salvation to all the peoples of the East right up to the Far East and the Pacific Islands; this is true, however, it is not the complete truth --because Assyrian missionaries came to Europe too and did 'some great things'.
When St Paul set out his journey to the West and finally arrived in Rome, among his 'entourage' (and it was a large one) were many (perhaps half of them) Assyrians including the 'mighty intellect', Titian (usually known as 'Titian - the Assyrian'). Titian was well known for his wisdom and was a well-known theologian and philosopher. So, the Apostle Paul was not short of wise friends and good advisors. For the brave and dedicated Assyrian missionaries, however, Rome was not the destination. They travelled to several countries of Western Europe including Britain preaching the Gospel of Msheekha and Salvation. These committed followers of Maran Eshoo (Lord Jesus), then 'crossed the Channel' and went to Ireland. They founded The Church in Ireland, known as the Celtic Church. Yes indeed, 'The Celtic Church', the oldest (some may say the second oldest) Church in the Western World, was founded by the Assyrian missionaries (The Assyrian Church of The East). And to this day, we can see, if we want to know, the close similarities between the mystical aspects of the Celtic Church and the mystical spirituality of The Church of The East.
Now let us go to India with our Holy Hero, St Thomas (an Assyrian), disciple of Christ. (By the way, Thomas was not the only Assyrian disciple of Jesus. Here also I want to say that Luke, one of the writers of the Gospel was an Assyrian. This may come as a surprise to most people especially to many of the theologians in the West, for it is a 'popular notion' that Luke was a Greek and a medical doctor. Indeed, he was a physician (and a very good one) but was he a Greek? According to the great ecclesiastical historian of the 4th century, Eusebius, Luke was an Aramaic speaking physician from Antioch, and an Assyrian.
Thomas, a disciple of the Lord, co-founded, in 33AD, the First Christian Church in Babylon (later called The Church of The East) to which St Peter refers in his epistle (Peter 1, 5:13). Thomas, then, went to India and there too he set up a Christian Church as the integral part of the Church founded in Seleuquia-Ctesiphon, Babylon, in 33AD; and this is very important to know. The eminent ecclesiastical historian doctor Alphonse Mingana says,
"To speak of early Christianity in India
as different from Eastern Church [That is,
the Church of The East] in our judgement
is bound to fail. Christianity in India
constituted an integral part of The Church
that began to develop vigorously toward
the end of the First Century in the Tigris
valley."
The term 'St Thomas Christians' has the following denotations - depending on the contextual usage of the term:
a) Any Assyrian community in India.
b) Members of the Church of St Thomas
c) People (Assyrian or non-Assyrian) who are the members/followers of The Church of The East in India.
One interesting thing! Today in India there are Indians (native Indians) who call themselves (and like to be known as) 'Assyrians'. Their reason for this is that they know that the Church they belong to is an integral part of The Assyrian Church of The East. It sounds a 'fair reasoning' to me.
He did what Our Lord said to do. He took up his cross and followed Christ. And in all his missionary works, St Thomas was filled with 'Rokha d'Qudsha' (in Aramaic, Holy Spirit), and he was guided by Him. That is why the Church that he established in India expanded so rapidly -- in fact so much so that before the end of the 3rd Century India became one of the largest centres of Christianity in the World.
Today in India there are a number of Christian churches under different names or denominations; several of them are the 'off-shoots' of the Church of The East. And The Church of The East, itself, has a 'Metropolitan Seat' in India; at present the Head, the Metropolitan, is Mar Aprim.
In Asia, India was not the only country to which The Church of The East took the message of Christ and set up a church there. It went to (almost) all the countries in Asia.
Now it is time to travel to China with which The Assyrian Church of The East and its missionaries are mostly associated. We read in the books written on this subject matter that the Assyrian Church of The East began sending its dedicated missionaries to China in the mid-7th Century, and there are some who say it all started in the late 6th Century. I am reluctant to accept this. I believe (with some evidence) that the first groups of missionaries left for China during the decades of the late 3rd and the early 4th centuries. However, later these 'missionary journeys' were curtailed due to a combination of different factors. The truth is that these formidable tasks, 'Christly adventures', carried out by the intrepid missionaries of The Church of The East depended, as far as their successes were concerned, on the kind of dynasty in power, the ruling body chiefly the emperor. The Tang dynasty was very friendly with The Church of The East, and the emperor always welcomed the Assyrian missionaries who took the Gospel of Christ to all parts and provinces of China. Incidentally, these missionaries (leaving for China) mostly went from Persia and not from Mesopotamia where the Headquarter of The Church of The East was. It is noteworthy to mention that Persia for centuries was a 'stronghold' of The Church of The East; in fact, the term 'Persian Church' was used as a reference to The Church of The East.
Let us remember that while The Church of The East was busy sending its committed missionaries to China to preach the Gospel and to teach the teachings of Christ to the people of that land, there were hundreds and hundreds (thousands) of true followers of Christ preaching and teaching throughout the Middle and Near East and beyond. The truth is that The Church of The East was expanding unbelievably. By 90 AD This Holy Church had 19 Episcopal See from Mesopotamia, Iran (the regions of the Caspian Sea) stretching right up to Mongolia. The 'immense growth' of The Church of The East has been described as 'incredible' and 'unbelievably extraordinary'.
With regard to the expansion of The Church, Encyclopaedia Britannica says,
'Their campaign was of the deliberate conquest,
and one of the greatest planned by Christian
missionaries. Their activity may well be said
to have covered the continent of Asia.'
By the end of the 6th and early 7th centuries The Assyrian Church (The Holy Apostolic and Catholic Church of The East) had truly proved its Catholicism (Universality). This Holy Church had spread into Persia, Egypt, Mesopotamia, India, Arabia, Syria, Ceylon, China, Mongolia, Japan, Pacific Islands, Philippines, and in certain parts of Europe too. In many parts of the world millions and millions of people from all walks of life were spiritually attracted to this 'Holy Institution' called The Church of The East. John Stewart in his book writes:
'While peoples with their rulers had
become Christians, and it seems certain
that there were few places in the whole
Asia that were not reached at some time
or other as the outcome of the marvellous
activity of that wonderful church which
extended from China to Jerusalem and Cyprus,
and in the 11th century is said to have
outnumbered the Greek and Roman churches
combined.'
Wherever, the spiritually zealous workers of the Assyrian Church went, it was to preach and to teach the Gospel of The Lord. That is why The Church of The East continued to be the largest Christian denomination in the world. Thanks to the enduring endeavour of the determined Assyrian missionaries. And elsewhere we read:
'The missionaries travelled on foot and
they had sandals on their feet, and a
staff in their hands, and carried a
basket on their backs, and in the
basket were the Holy Writ and the Cross.'
In the year 1625 somewhere in Changan, the then capital city of China, the workers were digging an area in which some excavation was going on. They came across, while digging, an object that was more interesting than mud, clay, soil or ordinary stones. Having dusted it off and cleaned it up they saw the unearthed object was a Monument (black sub-granular limestone: ten feet high, 3.3 feet wide and approximately one foot thick, and the Monument weighed two tons). In short, it was, and still is, a beautiful 'monumental piece' with inscriptions, engraved writings, on it. Later, having read the inscriptions, the philological scholars found out that the Monument had a 'history' of its own. And it is thus.
Sometime during the years from 770 to 780 AD an Assyrian man with some exceptional qualities (particularly with leadership qualities) arrived in Changan the capital of China. He was sent from Persia as the Director, Leader, of the Assyrian missionaries of The Church of The East in China. His name was Adam of whom the Emperor of China already knew. Adam was a well-known man in many parts of the world especially in the Middle East and in many Asian countries. At that time and till two or three decades later the success of the missionaries of The Church of The East was at its peak in China. Yes indeed, it was in the time of the Tang dynasty that Christianity had spread throughout China including Mongolia and Tibet.
The cordial relation between the Great Adam and the friendly Emperor and particularly the 'Blessed Advent' of Christianity in China gave rise to erecting a beautiful Monument in Changan the capital of China. Therefore, on the 7th of January 781 AD this was done, commemorating the endeavour of the missionaries for spreading the message of Christ, Christianity, in China. And let me say that this 'blissful event' took place when the Catholicos Patriarch of The Church of The East was His Holiness Mar Khananishu whose name is engraved on the Monument.
The Monument has, engraved on it, inscriptions in both Assyrian Aramaic (Assyriac) and Chinese languages. The inscription in Assyriac (in the West known as 'Syriac' which is a misnomer) reads the names of many distinguished and dedicated Assyrian missionaries of The Holy Apostolic and Catholic Church of The East; these mostly included priests, bishops, archdeacons and also a few Metropolitans. The name of the Great Adam is included in the inscription. Adam is called (described on the Monument) as Pastor, Vice-Metropolitan and Metropolitan of China.
But wait a minute! If the Monument was erected in 781 AD why was it found in 1625 buried under the ground? Good question. When the dynasty of Tang was replaced with (or taken over by) the Wu dynasty things completely changed. The new dynasty not only was unfriendly but it was also hostile to The Church of The East and all its missionaries. And the new emperor was a 'nasty creature' who hated Christianity and all its followers. The atrocities and the horrifying persecutions of the Assyrian missionaries and the brutal killing of the Chinese Christians went on. It was in 845 AD, perhaps the height of such barbaric hostilities, that the Monument was buried in order to save it from being destroyed. And it remained buried until 1625 AD when it was discovered/unearthed serendipitously in HSIAN FU. The location of the Monument at present is PEI LIN.
This Monument erected in honour of The Church of The East and to the memory of its courageous and dedicated missionaries who visited China and spread Christianity among its people is greatly important. In fact scholars in the related areas say that the Monument in question, in importance, is not less than but equal to the Egyptian 'Rosetta Stone', which is 'languishing' in the British Museum. Many individuals including, scholars, historians and journalists during the past centuries have tried to buy the Monument but they have not succeeded in doing so. However, it was Japanese people who fell in love with the significance and history of the beautiful Monument. Though they could not buy it, they were able to have a 'very good' (skilfully made) Replica of it. This beautiful Replica was taken to Japan, and on the 21st of September 1911 was set up on the Mount of Koya, and it was on the 3rd of October 1911 that it was dedicated, with a special Buddhist ceremony, to the Japanese people.
The Church of The East also had a great influence on Buddhism of China and Japan in general and on certain sects and schools of Buddhism in particular. (Buddhism has hundreds of sects, schools, branches and so on. The spiritual impact of the missionaries preaching Christ and proclaiming Salvation for the people of Buddhist way of life especially those belonging to certain schools of Buddhism was truly significant. The influence that I am talking about is to do with the 'Christianisation of Buddhism'. Buddhism came to China in 67 AD from India. Until the first three or four centuries in Buddhism there was not any concept or belief in, 'Redemption'; and the terms, 'Salvation through Faith', and 'The Coming (or the return) of the Saviour' were unheard of. But by the mid-7th and the early 8th centuries this 'New Testament vocabulary' was part of a number of Buddhist schools and even they became, and today are, central to certain Buddhist sects, schools or branches. The 'Pure Land' sect of Buddhism incorporates in itself beliefs of 'Redemptive nature'. This is one of the most influential schools, and it has been attracting to itself people from other branches of Buddhism particularly during the past one or two centuries. In such sects there is the act of invocation even worshipping - worshipping Amitahba (meaning 'Infinite Light'). 'Pure Land' of Buddhism reached Japan in the 13th century. The Japanese followers of this sect have their 'expected Saviour' ( Miroko) who is believed to come to save the Mankind.
Yes indeed, China (and Japan too) 'went to the school' of the Assyrian Church of The East where they learnt a great deal from the learned Assyrian missionaries about the 'Living Christ', the 'Light of the World', 'The Return of Christ', 'Salvation through Faith' and so on. But I must also mention the name of two great men who played an important part in such transformation (Christian-like transformation). One of these was Shantao from China who was a friend of the Emperor and a very close friend of many of the missionaries of The Church. The other one was Kobo Daishi the most beloved and ever-revered Japanese monk; he was a saint and a man of great intellect. He was sent to China to establish some kind of reconciliation between Chinese Buddhism and Japanese Shintoism (which was the indigenous religion in Japan).
Kobo Daishi stayed in Changan, the capital of China, for two years and his residence was very close to the H.Q. of the Missionaries of The Church of The East. Though he did not become a Christian, Christ and the message of Christ had a great influence on him. It was not easy for him to become a Christian because he was the founder of a sect called Shingon. Today this much-revered saint rests in the special-built shrine, which is part of the well-known cemetery on top of the Mount of Koya; and it is at the entrance of this cemetery that the Replica of the Beautiful Monument of The Assyrian Church of The East stands!
The Church of The East carried out her duties admirably. She took up her Cross and followed Christ, at the same time spreading the Gospel and teaching the message of Christ to the peoples of the World.However, her Journey in the Wilderness was not an easy one. Her missionaries, the courageous and dedicated-to-Christ Assyrians, encountered the most horrible hostilities and at times horrifying persecutions. Their persecutors were from different peoples or tribes, and often the brutal forces of barbaric rulers and cruel kings of different countries. The performance of the formidable tasks by the brave missionaries cost The Church of The East thousands of lives --- martyrdom for the sake of Maran Eshoo Msheekha (Lord Jesus Christ). Yes Indeed,
'The Faith of Jesus was valiantly upheld by The Church of The East.'
But perhaps the worst kind of persecutions were committed by the Jesuits of the Roman Catholic Church who arrived in India in the 16th century - defended by Spanish forces and protected by the Portuguese Guns. It was nothing but sheer 'thuggery'. They went on intimidating the Assyrians of The Church of The East, and the St Thomas Christians. They set up an 'Inquisition', in 1560, in the city of Goa, India. They summoned Assyrian bishops, priests, professors and also the clergy from St Thomas Church, forcing them to abandon The Church of The East and to disobey the Assyrian Catholicos Patriarch in Baghdad and instead to obey and to honour the Pope of Rome. But since these cultured people and faithful Christians were not prepared to deny their Holy Church and betray their Holy Patriarch, they were treated very shabbily and were given hard times; in fact many of them were put in prison. Life for these Christians, who were constantly harassed and intimidated by the 'bullyboys of Rome', had become hellish. Let me stop here, and say no more about this tragic episode. Instead, let me end this essay on a 'cheerful note'.
Today the relation between The Holy Apostolic and Catholic Church of The East (The Assyrian Church) and the Roman Catholic Church is 'Good'. This is the result of the meeting of the two Holy men, The Heads, of the two churches, on the 9th of November 1994 in Vatican. They signed their Common Christological Declaration, thus giving an end to the acrimonious doctrinal conflicts that existed between the two churches since The Council of Ephesus in 431 AD.
The Church of The East has another mission with an even more formidable task. Indeed, the Assyrian Church of The East, that 'Civilizing Holy Institution' together with her 'Assiduous Assyrians' once again will be at the service of God in helping transform this chaotic world.