An international Nestorianism forum was held in Xi'an, Shaanxi.
On July 6, the "New Directions, New Materials, and New Discoveries: 2024 Xi'an International Jingjiao Forum on the Syriac Church of the East" (Jingjiao, the transliteration of Nestorianism in Chinese) was hosted by the Institute of Silk Road Studies of Northwest University.
With over twenty scholars from several countries presenting academic reports on the theme, the plenary session consisted of an academic symposium and roundtable discussions.
The academic symposium was divided into three sessions, primarily featuring keynote speeches by scholars. According to the themes of the academic reports, this conference covered aspects such as archaeological research, the history of Nestorianism, and religious dissemination.
In terms of archaeological research, notable reports included "Luolu City: New Insights from the Archaeological Research of the Ancient City Known as Dun During the Tang Dynasty (618-907), in Qitai, Xinjiang" by Ge Chengyong, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Cultural Heritage, "Archaeological Discoveries and Preliminary Studies of the Nestorian Temple in the Ancient City Known as Dun During the Tang Dynasty" shared by Ren Guan from Renmin University of China; and "Carrying the Scriptures to the Azure Clouds: The Translation of Nestorian Scriptures in China" by Liu Ping from Fudan University.
Regarding the history of Nestorianism, Andrea Toniolo from the University of Padua shared perspectives on the historical and theological witness of the Xi'an Nestorian Stele from the angle of dialogue between culture and religion; Tan Dawei from Tsinghua University revisited the structure, nature, and purpose of the Nestorian Stele; Liang Yancheng from the "Cultural China" magazine presented "Nestorian Thought and the Later Development of Sinicization of Christianity"; and Paolo De Giovanni from the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan discussed the content of European Nestorianism research in the first half of the 20th century.
In the aspect of religious dissemination, Professor Huang Minxing from Northwest University shared insights on "Civilization Interactions and Religious Dissemination in the Asian Continent" and Chiaretto Yan from the University of Saint Joseph in Macau presented on "The Spread of the Nestorian Beliefs in China: A Cross-cultural Paradigm between Christianity and China."
Finally, a roundtable discussion themed "Nestorianism and Cultural Exchange Between East and West" was held.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
