Wolfson Visiting Fellow, Professor Samuel N.C. Lieu, is the guest speaker at this week’s Lunchtime seminar, and will speak on “Christian and Manichaean Art in Medieval China (8th-14th C AD/CE)”. Wednesday 14 March, 1-2pm, Combination Room. Please bring your lunch; tea & coffee provided. All welcome!
Christianity in China has long been seen as a ‘modern’ import by Catholic and Protestant missionaries. However, the Church of the East (Nestorians) and the highly gnostic religion of Mani with strong Judaeo-Christian roots had been active in China since the 8th CE as a result of her contacts with the cultures and religions of Persia and Mesopotamia via the Silk Road. This talk will be illustrated by many hitherto unpublished images from a major Christian and Manichaean site in South China (Zayton/Quanzhou) as well as material recovered from the Silk Road and from the ancient Chinese capital cities of Chang’an and Luoyang.