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Table 2. Chronological Table of Chinese Nestorian Christianity (T'ang Dynasty 618-907)
Dates
Rulers
History
Religion
618-627
Kao-tsu and son Li Shi-
min
founding of T'ang Dynasty
suppression of Buddhism
627-649
T'ai-tsung
= Li Shih-Min
630 - defeat of Eastern (=
Northern) Turks, and later Western
Turks, many absorbed into the
population; reopening land route to
West
643 embassy arrives in China from
the ruler of Fu-lin (Constantinople)
Alopen arrives in Xi'an (635)
Jesus-Messiah Sutra (635-638)
"Monotheism", "Parable" and
"Oneness" sutras (641)
Da Qin Pagoda built ?
650-683
Kao-tsung
684-704
Empress Dowager Wu in
power
moved eastern capital to Lo-Yang;
698-9 called Shangli years
Buddhists strongly supported by
Empress Wu
705-710
Chung-tsung
Taoists strongly supported by
emperors
710-712
Jui-tsung
712-756
Hsuan-tsung (= Li Long-
Chih)
Periclean era of Chinese history
732 Bishop Chi-lieh (Cyriacus?)
comes w. General P'an-na-mi as
Persian envoy
Trinity Hymn
Transfiguration Hymn
Sutra Aiming at Mysterious Rest
and Joy
Sutra on the Origin of Origins
755-757
An Lu-shan; general
rebels and tries to seize
throne
754-774 Mar Jacob II is Patriarch
756-762
Su-tsung
continued imperial support for
church
763-779
T'ai-Tsung
774- c.778/780 Hananyeshu II
(Ning-shu) is Patriarch
780-804
Ching-Tsung
781 Nestorian Stele erected
779-820 Timothy as Patriarch
841-846
Wu-tsung
845 edict to suppress Christianity,
Manichaeism, and Zoroastrianism
10
th
c.
Book of Praise composed
1036
Dunhuang cave sealed