Christianity in Asia
Part of a series on |
Christianity |
---|
Christianity by country |
---|
Christianity portal |
Christianity in Asia has its roots in the very inception of
After the
The
At the late 12th and 13th centuries, there was some effort to reunite Eastern and Western Christianity. There were also numerous missionary efforts from Europe to Asia, primarily by
At present, Christianity continues to be the majority religion in the
As of 2021, there are nearly 383 million Christians in Asia.[3]
Early spread in Asia
Western Asia
Levant
Christianity spread through the
, and Rome.Caucasus
Armenia and Georgia were the first nations to adopt Christianity as a state religion, in 301 and 326 respectively.
Christianity had been preached in Armenia by two of Jesus' twelve apostles — Thaddaeus and Bartholomew — between 40–60 AD. Because of these two founding apostles, the Armenian Apostolic Church is considered to be the world's oldest national church. In Georgia, Christianity was first preached by the apostles
Parthian Empire
Christianity further spread eastward under the
Expansion to Central Asia
The spread of Christianity in Central Asia seems to have been facilitated by the great diffusion of Greek in the region (Seleucid Empire, Greco-Bactrian Kingdom, Indo-Greek Kingdom), as well as Aramaic, the language of Jesus Christ. The spread of the Jews in Asia since the deportation from Babylon and the capture of Jerusalem by Titus also seems to have been a contributing factor.[8]
The earliest known references to Christian communities in Central Asia is from a writing by
The
India (1st century AD)
This article is written like a personal reflection, personal essay, or argumentative essay that states a Wikipedia editor's personal feelings or presents an original argument about a topic. (June 2019) |
According to
An early third-century Syriac work known as the Acts of Thomas[10] connects the apostle's Indian ministry with two kings, one in the north and the other in the south. According to the Acts, Thomas was at first reluctant to accept this mission, but the Lord appeared to him in a night vision and compelled him to accompany an Indian merchant, Abbanes (or Habban), to his native place in northwest India. There, Thomas found himself in the service of the Indo-Parthian king, Gondophares. The Apostle's ministry resulted in many conversions throughout the kingdom, including the king and his brother.[10]
Thomas thereafter went south to
Piecing together the various traditions, the story suggests that Thomas left northwest India when invasion threatened, and traveled by vessel to the
Thomas next proceeded overland to the
Sri Lanka
Christianity was introduced to Sri Lanka in the 1st century (72 AD). Possibly after the apostle
Expansion of Nestorian Christianity (431–1360 AD)
In 410 the
In 424 the bishops of Persia met in council under the leadership of Catholicos Dadiso and determined that there would be no reference of their disciplinary or theological problems to any other power, especially not to any church council in the Roman Empire. The formal separation from the See of Antioch and the western Syrian Church under the Roman (Byzantine) Emperors, occurred at this synod in 424.
Nestorianism
The eastern development of Christianity continued to separate from the west, pushed along by such events as 431's
Expansion to Sogdiana and eastern Central Asia
Proselytism, combined with sporadic
The
By 650, there were 20 Nestorian dioceses east of the
From the 7th century onward, the nomadic
Early Christianity in China
Christianity may have existed earlier in China, but the first documented introduction was during the
Opposition arose to the Christians in 698–699 from the Buddhists, and then from the Daoists in 713, but Christianity continued to thrive, and in 781, a stone
Christianity among the Mongols
Overall, Mongols were highly tolerant of most religions, and typically sponsored several at the same time. They had been
The founder of the Mongol Empire,
Under the rule of Genghis's grandson Möngke Khan (1205–1259), son of Sorghaghtani, the main religious influence was that of the Christians, to whom Möngke showed special favour in memory of his mother.[31]
East–West rapprochement
Following the East–West Schism of 1054, various efforts, over several centuries, were made at reuniting eastern and western Christianity, with the objective of putting both under the rule of the Pope.
Armenian Church
In 1198, a Union was proclaimed between Rome and the
Numerous Catholic missions were also sent to Cilician Armenia to help with rapprochement. The
Byzantine Church
Various efforts were also made by the Byzantine Church to unite with Rome. In 1272,
Catholic missions to the Mongols and China
Contacts between the Mongols and the West occurred in the 13th century, as the Mongol Empire expanded towards Europe and Palestine, coinciding with the latter part of the Crusades. Initial contacts showed that the Mongols had the impression that the Pope was the leader of the Europeans, and sent him messages insisting that he submit Europe to Mongol authority. In return, the Mongols stated that after they conquered Jerusalem, they would return it to the Crusaders. The various popes, for their part, seemed to be unaware that Christianity already existed in the East, and tended to respond with messages insisting that the Mongols convert to Christianity and accept baptism. Later communications between the Mongols and Europe saw attempts to form a Franco-Mongol alliance against the Muslims.
In 1253, King
In 1268,
Following the death of Monte Corvino, an embassy to the French
However, the Mongol-established Yuan dynasty in China was in decline, and in 1368 was overthrown by the Ming dynasty founded by the native Chinese. The last Catholic bishop of Quanzhou, Giacomo da Firenze, was killed by the Chinese in 1362. By 1369 all Christians, whether Catholic or Nestorian (Syriac Orthodox, or Syro-Oriental), were expelled.[35]
European voyages of exploration
The European voyages of exploration in the 16th century would create new opportunities for Christian proselytism.
Christianity in the Philippines
In 1564,
Christianity in Indonesia
A 12th-century Christian Egyptian record of churches suggest that a church was established in Barus, on the west coast of North Sumatra, a trading post known to have been frequented by Indian traders, and therefore linked to the Indian Saint Thomas Christians.[36]
The Portuguese arrived in the
The first missionaries were sent by Stamford Raffles in 1824, at which time Sumatra was under temporary British rule. They observed that the Batak seemed receptive to new religious thought, and were likely to fall to the first mission, either Islamic or Christian, to attempt conversion.[37]
A second mission that in 1834 of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions met with a brutal end when its two missionaries were killed by Batak resistant to outside interference in their traditional adat.
The first Christian community in North Sumatra was established in Sipirok, a community of (Batak) Angkola people. Three missionaries from an independent church in Ermelo, Netherlands arrived in 1857, and on 7 October 1861 one of the Ermelo missionaries united with the Rhenish Missionary Society, which had been recently expelled from Kalimantan as a result of the Banjarmasin War.
The mission was immensely successful, being well supported financially from Germany, and adopted effective evangelistic strategies led by
Jesuits in China
The missionary efforts and other work of the
Independently formed Catholic movements in Korea
The history of Catholicism in Korea began in 1784 when
During the 19th century, the Catholic Church suffered persecution by the government of the
Currently Deokwon (덕원) in North Korea is the See of the only territorial abbey outside Europe. The abbey was vacant for more than 50 years until Fr. Francis Ri was appointed as abbot in 2005. The abbey was never united with or changed into a diocese presumably due to the lack of effective church activity in the area since the division of Korea at the end of World War II.
Christianity in Asia today
Today, Christianity is the predominant faith in six Asian countries, the Philippines, East Timor, Cyprus, Russia, Armenia and Georgia. In both conservative (the UAE) and moderately liberal (Malaysia and Indonesia) Muslim states,[citation needed] Christians continue to enjoy freedom of worship, despite limits on their ability to spread their faith.[citation needed]
A 2015 study estimates 6,968,500 Christian believers from a Muslim background in Asia, while about 483,500 Christian believers from a Muslim background in the Middle East, most of them belonging to some form of Protestantism.[39]
Percentage and number of Christians per Asian country or territory
Country or region | Percentage Christians | Total population | Christian population | Dominant religious affiliation, percentage of total population |
---|---|---|---|---|
Armenia | 98.7% | 3,299,000 | 3,256,113 | Armenian Apostolic Church |
Timor-Leste | 98% | 1,108,777 | 1,086,601 | Catholicism , 97%
|
Philippines | 85.3%[40] | 108,667,043 | 92,746,021 | Catholicism, 78.8%; Protestantism , 4.5%
|
Georgia | 88.6% | 4,636,400 | 4,107,850 | Georgian Orthodox Church, 83.9% |
Cyprus | 79.3% | 792,604 | 628,535 | Cypriot Orthodox Church , 70%
|
Russia[a] | 73.6%[41][42][43][44] | 142,200,000 | 58,800,000–120,000,000[45][46][47] | Russian Orthodox Church, 70% |
Lebanon | 41% | 4,200,000 | 1,800,000 | Shia Islam and Sunni Islam, each 27% |
Kazakhstan | 25% | 16,536,000 | 4,134,000 | Sunni Islam, 69%–70% |
South Korea | 23% | 51,709,098 | 14,375,990 | Confucianism , 60%)
|
Singapore | 19% | 5,638,700 | 1,060,016 | Buddhism (various sects), 31.1%[48] |
Kuwait | 17.9%[g] | 4,621,638 | 837,87 (2020)[49] (incl. between 259 – 400 Christian Kuwaiti citizens)[50] | Sunni Islam, 70% |
Kyrgyzstan | 7% | 5,587,443 | 949,865 | Sunni Islam, 86.3% |
Bahrain | 14.5%[g] | 718,306 | 180,000[51] (incl. 1,000 Christian Bahraini citizens)[52] | Shia Islam, 66–70% |
Qatar | 13.8%[g] | 928,635 | 240,000[51] | Salafi Islam ), 72.5%
|
United Arab Emirates | 12.6%[g] | 4,621,399 | 940,000[51] | Sunni Islam, 65% of residents, 85% of citizens |
Hong Kong[b] | 11.7% | 7,122,508 | 833,333 | Irreligion, Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism or Chinese folk religion, 57% – 80% |
Indonesia | 10.48% | 280,725,428 | 29,403,015[53] | Sunni Islam, 83% |
Brunei | 10% | 381,371 | 40,000[51] | Sunni Islam, 81% |
Syria | 10% | 19,747,586 | 1,974,759 | Sunni Islam, 74% |
Malaysia | 9.10% | 33,938,222 | 3,091,000 | Sunni Islam, 63% |
Macau[b] | 9% | 460,823 | 41,474 | Mahayana Buddhism or Chinese folk religion , more than 75%
|
Turkmenistan | 9% | 4,997,503 | 449,775 | Islam (mainly Sunni Islam), 89% |
Uzbekistan | 3% | 28,128,600 | 2,531,574 | Islam 90% |
Vietnam | 8.3% | 95,500,000 | 7,926,500 | Irreligion, 70%[54] |
Sri Lanka | 8% | 21,128,773 | 1,690,302 | Theravada Buddhism , 70%
|
Oman | 4.3% – 6.5%[g] | 3,311,640 | 120,000[55][56] – 180,000[51] | Ibadi Islam , 75%
|
Jordan | 6% | 6,198,677 | 371,921 | Sunni Islam, 90% |
Azerbaijan | 4.8% | 8,845,127 | 424,566 | Shia Islam, 81% |
Taiwan[b] | 4.5% | 22,920,946 | 1,031,443 | Buddhism (various sects), 35.1% |
Myanmar (Burma) | 6.2% | 47,758,224 | 1,910,329 | Theravada Buddhism , 89%
|
Iraq | 4% | 28,221,181 | 1,128,847 | Shia Islam, 60%–65% |
China[b] | 3% – 5% | 1,322,044,605 | 39,661,338 – 67,070,000[57] | Irreligion, 60% – 70% |
Palestine | 3% [c] | 4,277,000 | 128,310 | Sunni Islam, 98% [h] |
India | 2.3% | 1,147,995,226 | 26,403,890 | Hinduism, 79.8% |
Mongolia | 2.1% | 2,996,082 | 62,918 | Tibetan Buddhism, 53% |
Israel | 2% | 7,112,359 | 161,000[58] | Jewish (various sects), 75.4%
|
Japan | 2% | 127,920,000 | 2,558,400 | Folk Shinto, Buddhism/Irreligion , 70% – 84%
|
North Korea | 1.7% | 25,368,620 | 431,266 | Irreligion, 64.3% |
Laos | 1.5% | 6,677,534 | 100,163 | Theravada Buddhism , 67%
|
Pakistan | 1.5% | 167,762,049 | 2,516,431 | Sunni Islam, 80% – 95% |
Nepal | 1.4% | 29,535,000 | 413,900 | Hinduism, 80.6% |
Cambodia | 1% | 13,388,910 | 133,889 | Theravada Buddhism , 95%
|
Tajikistan | 1% [d] | 4,997,503 | 499,750 | Sunni Islam, 93% |
Bhutan | 0.9% | 682,321 | 12,255[59] | Vajrayana Buddhism , 67% – 76%
|
Thailand | 1.17% | 65,493,298 | 787,589 | Theravada Buddhism , 94.5%
|
Iran | 0.4% | 70,472,846 | 300,000 | Shia Islam, 90% – 95% |
Bangladesh | 0.3% | 153,546,901 | 460,641 | Sunni Islam, 89.7% |
Turkey | 0.2% | 74,724,269 | 149,449 – 310,000[60] | Sunni Islam, 70–80% |
Yemen | 0.17% | 23,013,376 | 3,000 – 41,000[55] | Sunni Islam, 53% |
Afghanistan | 0.02% – insignificant | 32,738,775 | 500 – 8,000[61] | Sunni Islam, 80% – 85% |
Maldives[e] | 0% – insignificant | 379,174 | 300 – 1,400[62] | Sunni Islam, 100% |
Saudi Arabia[f] | 0% – insignificant | 23,513,330 | expatriate Christians are around 1,200,000 (4.4%)[63] | Sunni Islam, 85% – 90% |
Table notes
Nations mentioned in the above list follow the list of countries and territories mentioned in the
^ a: The provided data are for the whole of Russia as no separate data are known for Asian Russia (Siberia)
^ c: Estimate, see Palestinian Christians#Demographics and denominations
^ d: Estimate, see Tajikistan#Religion
^ e: Islam is the official religion of the Maldives and open practice of any other religion is forbidden and liable to prosecution. Article nine of the revised constitution says that "a non-Muslim may not become a citizen".
^ f: Saudi Arabia allows Christians to enter the country as foreign workers for temporary work, but does not allow them to practice their faith openly.
^ i: As no reliable percentages were found in the Wikipedia article Religion in Russia, this percentage is derived from the CIA World Factbook by subtracting the percentage of believers mentioned there from 100%
See also
- Christianity in the Middle East
- Chronology of European exploration of Asia
- List of Catholic dioceses of Asia
Notes
- ^ Meyendorff 1989.
- ^ The Global Religious Landscape: Christians
- ^ https://www.gordonconwell.edu/center-for-global-christianity/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2020/12/Status-of-Global-Christianity-2021.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ cf. Acts xi.
- ^ Acts 11:26
- ^ "Saint Nina Orthodox Christian Mission :: Vancouver, BC, Canada". Archived from the original on 12 July 2007. Retrieved 3 January 2008.
- ISBN 978-0-230-62125-1
- ^ a b c d Roux, L'Asie Centrale, p.216
- ^ Foltz, Religions of the Silk Road
- ^ a b c d e f g A. E. Medlycott, India and The Apostle Thomas, pp. 18–71; M. R. James, Apocryphal New Testament, pp. 364–436; A. E. Medlycott, India and The Apostle Thomas, pp. 1–17, 213–97; Eusebius, History, chapter 4:30; J. N. Farquhar, The Apostle Thomas in North India, chapter 4:30; V. A. Smith, Early History of India, p. 235; L. W. Brown, The Indian Christians of St. Thomas, p. 49-59.
- ^ "Thomas the Apostole". Archived from the original on 8 February 2011. Retrieved 25 April 2010.
- ^ a b James, M. R. (1966) "The Acts of Thomas" in The Apocryphal New Testament, pp. 365–77; 434–8. Oxford.
- ^ Breviary of the Mar Thoma Church in Malabar
- ^ "A Brief History Of Christianity In Sri Lanka". Colombo Telegraph. 20 September 2013. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
- ^ "Features | Online edition of Daily News – Lakehouse Newspapers". archives.dailynews.lk. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
- ^ "Mar Aprem Metropolitan Visits Ancient Anuradhapura Cross in Official Trip to Sri Lanka | Assyrian Church News". 26 February 2015. Archived from the original on 26 February 2015. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
- ^ Roux, L'Asie Centrale, p. 217.
- ^ Roux, L'Asie Centrale, p. 218.
- ^ Foltz, p. 68.
- ^ Foltz, p. 70.
- ^ Roux, L'Asie Centrale, p. 242.
- ^ a b Roux, p. 220.
- ^ Uhalley, p. 14.
- ^ The Silk Road, Frances Wood, p. 118.
- ^ Runciman, p. 238.
- ^ Grousset, Empire, p. 165
- ^ Les Croisades, origines et conséquences, p. 74.
- ^ a b Runciman, p. 246.
- ^ "Sorghaqtani, a Kerait by birth and, like all her race, a devout Nestorian Christian", Runciman, p. 293.
- ^ Runciman, p. 299.
- ^ Runciman, p. 296.
- ^ Mahé, p. 71-72.
- ^ Luisetto, p. 98.
- ^ Grousset, Empire, pp. 280–281.
- ^ a b c Uhalley, pp. 14–16
- ISBN 978-90-04-17026-1
- ^ History of Christianity in Indonesia, p. 530.
- ^ The Liturgy of the Hours Supplement (New York: Catholic Book Publishing Co., 1992), pp. 17–18.
- ^ Johnstone, Patrick; Miller, Duane (2015). "Believers in Christ from a Muslim Background: A Global Census". IJRR. 11: 14. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
- ^ "Religious Affiliation in the Philippines (2020 Census of Population and Housing)". psa.gov.ph. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
- ^ "Global Christianity – A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World's Christian Population". Pew Research Center. 19 December 2011.
- ^ http://wciom.ru/index.php?id=268&uid=13365 Archived 29 September 2020 at the Wayback Machine VTSIOM
- ^ http://www.fgi-tbff.org/sites/default/files/elfinder/FGIImages/Research/fromresearchtopolicy/ipsos_mori_briefing_pack.pdf#page=40 Archived 17 January 2013 at the Wayback Machine Ipsos MORI
- ^ http://fom.ru/obshchestvo/10953 Public Opinion Foundation
- ^ http://www.levada.ru/17-12-2012/v-rossii-74-pravoslavnykh-i-7-musulman Archived 31 December 2012 at the Wayback Machine Levada Center
- ^ Members of the Russian Orthodox Church; 4% — 5,900,000 people identifying as Christians without belonging to any church; 1.5% — 2,100,000 people believing in Orthodox Christianity without belonging to any Orthodox church or belonging to non-Russian churches; 0.2% — 400,000 Old Believers 0.2% — 300,000 Protestants; 0.1% — 140,000 members of the Catholic Church
- ^ "Главная страница проекта "Арена" : Некоммерческая Исследовательская Служба "Среда"". Арена Атлас религий и национальностей России.
- ^ "20% of Singapore residents have no religion, an increase from the last population census". CNA. 16 June 2021. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
- ^ "PACI Statistics". Kuwait Public Authority for Civil Information. Archived from the original on 13 March 2014. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
- ^ "Nationality By Religion and Nationality" (in Arabic). Government of Kuwait. Archived from the original on 14 August 2018. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
- ^ a b c d e "Global Christianity – A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World's Christian Population" (PDF). Pew Research Center.
- ^ "2010 Census Results". Archived from the original on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 15 June 2012.
- ^ "Map of the distribution of religions 2022". gis.dukcapil.kemendagri.go.id 21 June 2022: Muslim 231.069.932 (83.19), Christian 20.806.470 (7.41), Catholic 8.596.545 (3.06), Irreligion 10.931.988 (3,93%), Hindu 4.692.548 (1.74), Buddhist 1.693.833 (0.77), Confucianism 74.899 (0.03), Others/Traditional faiths 117.412 (0.04), Jewish 20.000 (0,0) Total 280.725.428. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
- ^ "Average intelligence predicts atheism rates across 137 nations" (PDF). 3 January 2008. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
- ^ a b Guide: Christians in the Middle East
- ^ "Operation World". Archived from the original on 5 September 2005.
- ^ ANALYSIS (19 December 2011). "Global Christianity". Pewforum.org. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
- ^ CBS: 161,000 Christians live in Israel
- ^ Bhoutan, Aide à l'Église en détresse, "Appartenance religieuse".
- ^ "Global Christianity – A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World's Christian Population" (PDF). Pew Research Center.
- ^ "International Religious Freedom Report 2021". USSD Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. 2009. Archived from the original on 30 November 2009. Retrieved 6 March 2010.
- ISBN 9780199329069.
- ^ International Religious Freedom Report 2008 – Saudi Arabia
References
- Denise A. Austin, Jacqueline Grey, and Paul W. Lewis (2019), Asia Pacific Pentecostalism, ISBN 978-90-04-39670-8
- Brown, Bernardo; Chambon, Michel (4 February 2022). "Catholicism's Overlooked Importance in Asia". The Diplomat. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
- Corbon, Jean (1998). "The Churches of the Middle East: Their Origins and Identity, from their Roots in the Past to their Openness to the Present". Christian Communities in the Arab Middle East: The Challenge of the Future. Oxford: Clarendon Press. pp. 92–110. ISBN 978-0-19-829388-0.
- Ding, Wang (2006). "Remnants of Christianity from Chinese Central Asia in Medieval Ages". In Malek, Roman; Hofrichter, Peter L. (eds.). Jingjiao: The Church of the East in China and Central Asia. Institut Monumenta Serica. pp. 149–162. ISBN 9783805005340.
- Evers, Georg (1999), "Asia", in Fahlbusch, Erwin (ed.), Encyclopedia of Christianity, vol. 1, Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, pp. 134–140, ISBN 0-8028-2413-7
- Farag, Lois (2011). "The Middle East". Christianities in Asia. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons. pp. 233–254. ISBN 9781444392609.
- ISBN 978-0-230-62125-1
- Histoire des Croisades III, 1188−1291, René Grousset, editions Perrin, ISBN 2-262-02569-X
- OCLC 90972.
- Hunter, Erica (1996). "The church of the East in central Asia". The Bulletin of the John Rylands Library. 78 (3): 129–142. S2CID 161756931.
- Jackson, Peter (2005). The Mongols and the West: 1221-1410. Longman. ISBN 978-0-582-36896-5
- Luisetto, Frédéric, Arméniens et autres Chrétiens d'Orient sous la domination Mongole, Geuthner, 2007, ISBN 978-2-7053-3791-9
- Mahé, Jean-Pierre, L'Arménie à l'épreuve des siècles, ISBN 978-2-07-031409-6
- ISBN 9780881410556.
- Moffett, Samuel Hugh. A History of Christianity in Asia, Vol. II: 1500-1900 (2003) excerpt vol 2
- Neill, Stephen (1966) [1984]. Colonialism and Christian Missions. New York: McGraw-Hill.
- ISBN 9780521548854.
- ISBN 9780521893329.
- O'Mahony, Anthony (2006). "Syriac Christianity in the modern Middle East". The Cambridge History of Christianity: Eastern Christianity. Vol. 5. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 511–536. ISBN 9780521811132.
- Ostrogorsky, George (1956). History of the Byzantine State. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.
- ISBN 978-2-213-59894-9
- Weatherford, Jack (2004). Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World. Three Rivers Press. ISBN 0-609-80964-4.
- Wilmshurst, David (2011). The Martyred Church: A History of the Church of the East. London: East & West Publishing Limited. ISBN 9781907318047.
- Winkler, Dietmar W. (2013). "Christianity in the Middle East: Some historical remarks and preliminary demographic figures". Syriac Christianity in the Middle East and India: Contributions and Challenges. Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias Press. pp. 107–125. ISBN 9781463235864.
- Uhalley, Stephen; Wu, Xiaoxin (2001). China and Christianity: burdened past, hopeful future. M.E. Sharpe. ISBN 978-0-7656-0661-7.