The Three Pillars

1. The Three Pillars A glimpse of Chinese Church history from 1583-1644AD

2. A background to Shangdi… • Until 600BC the Han Chinese race were known as monotheists worshipping One Creator God known in the Chinese language as Shangdi. • The move away from monotheism started with Confucius introducing the reverence of ancestors, and moving to Lao Tse and later to Buddhism where polytheism and atheism were introduced to Chinese philosophy.

3. Chinese temples…. • Early missionaries to China were surprised to find that Chinese temples had a layout very similar to the Tabernacle of Moses. • Chinese Temples showed that they had once been used for the worship of only one God.

4. The Three Pillars • Paul Hsu (Xu Guangshi) • Michael Yang (Yang Tingyun) • Leon Li (Li Zhizao) • All came from upper class backgrounds, and distinguished themselves in the government service and intellectual studies, and were enormously influential both in building the Chinese Church but also in introducing Western science and philosophy to China.

5. Parallels to the time of Daniel some 2,500 years earlier… • In the time of Daniel there were three men who were outstanding in their contribution to the wisdom and knowledge of the King’s (Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon) court. • Read Daniel chapter 1verses 7, 17 and 20. • “God gave them knowledge and intelligence in every branch of literature and wisdom” v 17. • “The King found them, ten times better than all the magicians and conjurers who were in his realm” v 20.

6. Nebuchadnezzar’s pagan court. • King Nebuchadnezzar was king of Babylon a kingdom renowned for its idolatry and witchcraft and occult arts. • Abraham had left this Chaldean culture 1,000 years before this because he found it very difficult to live a godly life amongst the constant idolatry of Ur of the Chaldees. • Now God planned to make an open show of the powerlessness of this corrupt pagan culture.

7. God chose his special servants.. • God chose his humble servants, Shadrach, Meshach, and Obed-nego for a special mission to expose the corrupt nature of the Babylonian Empire and its powerlessness compared to God’s power. • These three men were put in a fiery furnace to be killed but God protected them in both situations and delivered them completely unharmed. Daniel 3 verses 12 – 30.

8. The three pillars in China.. • Paul Hsu first met Catholic missionary Matteo Ricci in 1600 and four years later he was thoroughly converted because he was deeply impressed how much the moral teachings of the missionaries surpassed that of Confucianism, and how superior the Christian faith was to the religious teachings of Buddhism. He asked to be baptised. He later phrased his position in the elegant Chinese motto; “Christianity supplements Confucianism and displaces Buddhism”.

9. Paul Hsu wrote…. • “ According to the Christian teachings, the service of Shangdi (God) is the fundamental principle; the protection of the body and the salvation of the soul are the utmost importance; loyalty, filial piety, compassion, and love are accomplishments; reformation of errors and the practice of virtue are initial steps; repentance and purification of sin are the prerequisites for personal improvement; true felicity of celestial life is the glorious reward of doing good; and the eternal misery of hell is the recompense of doing evil.” • Academically Hsu was outstanding even though when he was young he twice failed his lower examinations. He later said that his failures were divinely arranged to ensure he met the Christian fathers and found salvation in Jesus Christ.

10. Paul Hsu’s elevation…. • In 1603 he passed his doctoral examinations. • He became a member of the 24 man Imperial Academy. • In 1606 he passed further examinations and became the highest member of the 12 man Imperial Court. • Thereafter he became the most respected leader in the Kingdom, protector of Christianity and second only to the Emperor.

11. Paul Hsu’s legacy… • Working with Father Dr Matteo Ricci he made Western mathematics, astronomy, hydraulics and geography known throughout the Kingdom of China. • He was the first Chinese to translate European books into Chinese. • Among Christians he was revered for his piety, and discipline in the faith and for his contextualisation of the gospel in China without syncretism.

12. The second pillar…Leon Li, • A native of Hangzhou from a military family. • He was fascinated with the maps of Matteo Ricci, and grateful to Ricci for expanding his understanding of geography, and mathematics. • A strong Buddhist he resisted Christian teaching because he was a polygamist with concubines. • Ricci was soon able to intellectually convince him of the folly of Buddhist idolatry, but it took 10 years for him to agree to be baptised with only one wife. Once baptised, he quickly built the first church in Nanjing.

13. Leon Li’s unique discovery.. • In 1625 Leon Li discovered an inscription on a monument near ancient Chang-an, now known as Xian, put there by Portuguese Christian missionaries 990 years earlier. That was even before Marco Polo. • This discovery helped Leon Li prove to his Chinese scholars and critics that Christianity was not a foreign religion.

14. The third pillar…Michael Yang, • A scholar in Hangzhou deeply attracted to Buddhism. • He loved religious argument and had formed his own “Truth Society” to promote the search for philosophical reality. • He met Jesuit missionary Lazzaro Cattaneo at the home of his relative Li Zhizao (Leon Li) and was fascinated with his talk of the existence of God.

15. Michael Yang’s stumbling block…and triumph… • The concept of the incarnation of and infinite God in a human Christ was a stumbling block for Michael. • He converted to Christ and was baptized in 1613. Yang wrote many books in defence of the Christian faith especially aimed at his Buddhist critics. • Through his influence the provincial capital of Zhejiang became the centre of Christianity in China.

16. The three pillars influence on China… • Their maps, and geographical books shocked China into acknowledging the world was not flat and the advanced nature of the other cultures. • Ricci’s book “On Friendship” published in 1595, disarmed Chinese suspicions of foreigners. • Paul Hsu produced six books in 1607 that revolutionised Chinese mathematics, and astronomy. • Hsu’s book “The True meaning of the Lord of Heaven” revolutionised the theological defence of Christianity against Buddhists.

17. Paul Hsu’s correction of the Muslim mathematicians… • In 1611 Muslim mathematicians responsible for preparing the Imperial calendar made a mistake in their calculations of an eclipse, an unforgivable error in a Court where the calendar regulated every protocol. • The high Christian Mandarin Paul Hsu offered to correct the error and was granted permission by the Emperor. Leon Li assisted the correction process and the Muslims lost their influential position in the Court of the Emperor.

18. Christians in China in 1610.. • Numbered 2,500. • The population of China at that time was 125millions. • The influence of the Christians on China was outstanding compared to their numbers. • Although the Emperor did not become a Christian as far as we know, he did provide a place near the West Wall of the “Temple of Heaven” for the burial of Christian leaders.

19. God’s blessing on His servants… • In Daniel 12 verse 3 we read of the servants of the Lord; “They who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse heaven, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.” • Daniel chapter 12 verse 10 says that “those who have insight will understand.” • Understand the truth about God and eternal life, and understand the times and seasons we are living in on earth. • It is God’s intention that His worshippers would be those with great wisdom and knowledge.

20. The Emperor of Heaven…Shangdi • Invites you to become His servant who will worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. • He will enable you to become a child of His by accepting His only Son Jesus Christ into your life today. • He will give you His Spirit, the Spirit of Truth and Wisdom and Knowledge. • He has destined you for greatness in His Kingdom, the Kingdom of Heaven. • Will you accept His free gift ?