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Article: The Tao and the Logos: Lao Tzu and the Gospel of John.
- Article from:
- International Review of Mission
- Article date:
- January 1, 1998
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1998 World Council of Churches. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Introduction
In the year 635 AD, the first Christian missionary, Bishop Alopen of the Nestorian Church, arrived in China. The arrival of Alopen at the Chinese capital Chang-an during the T'ang dynasty, in the reign of the emperor T'ai Tsung (627-650 AD), was described in this manner:
"The Emperor ordered Fang-li-wen-ling, first minister of the empire, to go with a great train of attendants to the Western suburbs to meet the strangers and bring them to the palace. He had the Holy Scriptures translated in the Imperial Library. The court listened to the doctrine, meditated on it profoundly and understood the great unity of truth."(1)
In that same year, St ...