The Chinese Empire. A General & Missionary Survey/Introduction of Christianity into China

APPENDIX III

THE INTRODUCTION OF CHRISTIANITY INTO CHINA

In connection with the province of Shensi, in addition to the Nestorian tablet, there is another testimony as to the early introduction of Christianity into China which is perhaps not widely known. In an ancient Arabic manuscript written in the year of the Heira 569, or 1173 a.d., and translated by Eusebius Renaudot ^[1] are given some most interesting accounts of some early Arab travellers to China, dated a.d. 851 and 870 respec- tively. The second account, or "The discourse of Abu Zeid al Hasan of Siraf," tells of another still earlier Arab traveller who calls himself a cousin^[2] of Mohammed. The testimony of this man is of such interest that we quote a considerable portion.

"There was formerly a man of the tribe of Koreish whose name was Ebn Wahab, descended of Hebar, the son of Al Asud, and he dwelt at Basra. This man left Basra when that city was sacked and came to Siraf, where he saw a ship ready to make sail for China. The mind took him to go on board this ship, and in her he went to China, where in the sequel he had the curiosity to travel to the Emperor's Court; and leaving Canfu he reached Cumdan^[3] after a journey of two months. He staid (sic) a long time at the Emperor's Court. . . . This man, when we saw him, was well advanced in years, but had his senses perfectly about him, and told us that when he had his audience the Emperor asked him many questions about the Arabs, and particularly how they had destroyed the kingdom of the Persians. 'Then,' said Ebn Wahab, 'he ordered the Interpreter to ask me if I knew my Master and my Lord, meaning the Prophet, and if I had seen him ? I made answer. How should I have seen him who is with God ? He replied, That is not what I mean, I ask you what sort of a man He was in His person ? I replied that He was very handsome. Then he called for a box, and opening it he took out another contained therein which he set before him, and said to the Interpreter, Shew him his Master and his Lord ; and I saw in the boxes the images of the Prophets, whereat I moved my lips, praying to myself in honour of their memory. The Emperor did not imagine I should know them again, and said to the Interpreter, Ask him why he moves his lips ? I answered, I was praying in memory of the prophets. How do you know them, said the Emperor. I replied that I knew them by the representation of their histories : There, said I, is Noah in the ark, who was saved with those that were with him when God sent down the waters of the flood ; and he afterwards peopled the whole earth with those that were with him at the same time ; and I made the usual salutation to Noah and his company. Then the Emperor laughed and said, Thou art not mistaken in the name of Noah, and thou hast named him right ; but as for the universal deluge it is what we know not. It is true indeed that a flood covered a part of the earth ; but it reached not to our country, nor even the Indies. I made my answer to this and endeavoured to remove his objections the best I could and then said again to him. There is Moses with his rod and the children of Israel. He agreed with me as to the small extent of their country and the manner how the ancient inhabitants there were destroyed by Moses. ... I then said to him, He there, is Jesus upon an ass, and here are His Apostles with Him. He said the Emperor was not long upon earth, seeing that all he did was transacted within the space of some- what better than thirty months. . . . Then, said the same Ebn Wahab, I saw the image of Mohammed riding upon a camel, and his companions about him on their camels with shoes of the Arabesque mode on their feet, and leather girdles about their loins. At this I wept, and the Emperor commanded the Interpreter to ask me why I wept, I answered. There is our prophet and our lord, who is also my cousin.' "

It is interesting to compare Ebn Wahab's description of Sian Fu with the modern city. (See p. 201.)

Abu Zeid proceeds : " We asked Ebn Wahab many questions concerning the city of Cumdan (Sian), where the Emperor keeps his court. He told us that the city was very large, and ex tremely populous ; that it was divided into two great parts by a very long and very broad street ; that the Emperor, his chief minister, the soldiery, the supreme judge, the eunuchs, and all belonging to the Imperial household lived in that part of the city which is on the right hand eastward ; that the people hold no manner of communication with them. The part on the left hand westward is inhabited by the people and the merchants." This account, though a thousand years old, agrees in the main with the present divisions of the city to-day.

1. Wells Williams quotes a translation into French dated a.d. 1845. The title-page of our copy is dated London, 1733, and from a note in the preface was probably translated about a.d. 1673.
2. This is probably used in a loose sense, for he speaks of Mohammed as being long dead. Mohammed died a.d. 632.
3. Canfu is the same as Kanfu in the Hangchow Bay, and Cumdan is probably Sian Fu, for the Syriac inscription on the Nestorian tablet speaks of "Cumdan the royal city."— Ed.