In the first few days, I wrote an article entitled "Iran Dare Not Fight Back After Being Beaten by Israel? Will there be an Arab World without Iran's resistance?" and reading the comment section, most readers can still understand the meaning of this article. But there are a few people, I don't know if they didn't pass the "reading comprehension" test when they were in school, or they just read the title without reading the content, and they came out and accused me of not knowing that Persians are not Arabs.
There is even one person who reported that my article was a "headline party", and of course the headline platform did not deal with my article, after all, people who have read it once will naturally understand what I mean. Today I am writing this article, and I still want to take the name of such an article, this time I am Jiang Taigong fishing with a straight hook, to see if anyone reports the "title party" again.
This article is divided into three parts, and today is the first part.
1. The important social heritage of the ancient Persians - the formation and eastward spread of Manichaeism to China and the establishment of the Ming Dynasty.
Persia is an ancient and long-standing nation with its own cultural traditions, and once established the world's first great empire across Asia, Europe and Africa, the Persian Empire.
Mausoleum of Cyrus II of the Persian Empire
The ancient Persians also had their own religious tradition, which was Zoroastrianism, the state religion. Zoroastrianism was born before Islam and was once called "Zoroastrianism" by Muslims. The main Zoroastrian text is the Avesta, commonly known as the Persian Scriptures. Zoroaster, the founder of Zoroastrianism, is also translated as Zarathustra, and Nietzsche wrote the philosophical masterpiece "Thus Said Zarathustra".
The doctrine of Zoroastrianism is theological monotheism and philosophical dualism. The religion believed that Ahura Mazda was the supreme god who created the material world and also created fire, the "infinite light", so Zoroastrians made it their sacred duty to worship fire. Zoroastrianism is a unique dualistic religion that holds that good and evil are constantly fighting, ending in the final triumph of good.
Zoroastrianism had a profound influence on later Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Persia passed through the Northern Wei Dynasty in 518 and the neighboring state of Persia, the city of Nankundus in the Amu Darya River valley in present-day Central Asia, in 516, both of which embraced the Zoroastrian religion known as the Fire Zoroastrianism, so the Fire Zoroastrianism was introduced to the Northern Wei and Southern Liang with Persian merchants.
In the fifth year of Huichang (845), Emperor Wuzong of the Tang Dynasty banned Buddhism and other foreign religions, and the Fire Zoroastrian religion was also ostracized.
Abroad, after the rise of Islam, the Arabs forced the Persians to convert to Islam, and in order to survive, the vast majority of the Persians Islamized and abandoned Zoroastrianism.
Some of the Persians who adhered to Zoroastrian religion had to move to the Gujarat region of Gujarat on the west coast of India, where they accepted two conditions from the princely states of India, Jadilana, who renounced the Persian language and women had to wear saris, and survived and became "Parsis" in India. The Parsi immigrated to Bombay in 1640 and there are still 80,000 people left.
Before the Opium War, some Passi came to Guangzhou to do business, and developed some Zoroastrian followers in Hong Kong. The Pasis and the Hong Kong minority are the last remaining Zoroastrians in the world.
Zoroastrianism's greatest influence on China was not itself, but its offshoot Manichaeism.
In the 3rd century AD, the Persian Mani combined some teachings of Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, and Christianity into his theory of "two sects and three worlds", and founded the world's first "religion of world religions" - Manichaeism. The so-called "two sects" refer to darkness, that is, good and evil, the so-called "three worlds" refer to the first world, where light and darkness are separated, the middle world, where darkness invades light, and light and darkness fight, and the two are mixed, and the latter stage, when light and darkness are separated again.
Before founding the new religion, Mani lived with his father in a Judeo-Baptist (Ilchase) group. He claimed that at the age of 12, he received a revelation from the god "Cause God." But it was not until he heard the Second Apocalypse at the age of 24 that he officially declared his departure from Baptism and founded Manichaeism. Mani's original intention was to establish a world religion that surpassed all previous denominations. The Manichaean scripture Kefreya says:
"I have chosen you, it is God's choice, the Father sent me to this holy church, I am sowing the seeds of life...... From East to West......... My hope extends to the place where the sun rises, to every corner of the world, to the far north...... None of the prophets before did this......... (My hope) will remain on earth until the resurrection of the Last Judgment, and He will seat my church on the right hand of God and the evildoers on the left. ”
In a Sogdian Manichaean document originating from Turpan, the Manichaeans described their religion as the vast "sea of the world", and that the previous religions were just rivers into which they would eventually merge. Therefore, some scholars believe that Manichaeism is the first true religion in the modern sense.
However, in the second half of the 3rd century, Manichaeism was denounced as heresy by Sassanid Persia at the behest of the Zoroastrian lord Kod, and Mani defended the Sassanid monarch Wahlan I, and he was arrested and imprisoned, skinned and died, and the followers fled in all directions. The religion then spread westward to West Asia and the surrounding countries of the Mediterranean, and eastward to Central Asia, China's Western Regions (Xinjiang) and the Central Plains.
Soon after, Manichaeism was expelled from North Africa and within the Roman Empire. However, it has existed in the Western Regions and the Central Plains for thousands of years.
Unlike Zoroastrianism, which was forbidden by the Arab Empire that conquered Persia, after the Muslim conquest of Persia, the situation of the Manichaeans improved, and the Umayyad dynasty allowed them to operate peacefully. But because the religion was so small, Manichaeism died out in the Arab world around 1000 AD.
There is controversy over the time when Manichaeism was introduced into China, and there are three theories: before the Tang Dynasty, during the Tang Gaozong period, and during the Wu Zetian Zhou Dynasty. It is generally believed that in the first year of Wu Zetian's reign (694), the Persian chief in China, Aro, introduced the Manichaean leader Fu Duo to Wu Zetian and preached to her a sermon that would help the Tang Dynasty to become Zhou. Wu Zetian recognized Manichaeism and allowed it to preach openly. In return, Aro "summoned the kings of Tibet and built the Heavenly Hub". This year is considered to be the beginning of the legal spread of Manichaeism in China.
He was a leader of Persian immigrants during the Tang Dynasty, and Tang Gaozong conferred on him the post of general of the Yulin Army. He made great contributions to Gaozong's envoy to the Tibetan region, and served as the ambassador of the Zhufan of the Fulin State. He called on the kings of Zhufan to build a heavenly hub for Wu Zetian. Tianshu is the pillar of Ji Gong of Wu Zetian's pacification of the wars of Tibet, Turks, and Murowei, which means "the center of the world" and symbolizes the center of the world. It was built in Luoyang, the capital of the gods, by "Zhuhu Gathering Millions of Dollars", and its full name is "Great Zhou Wanguo Songde Tianshu".
Stills from the movie "Di Renjie's Tongtian Empire".
Tianshu, one hundred and five feet high, is divided into eight sides, five feet on each side. The foundation of the pillar is made of iron casting, and the surrounding area is one hundred and seventy feet, two feet high, and the copper dragon is loaded under the iron mountain, and there are carved stone beasts around it. There is a cloud cover at the top of the pillar of heaven, one zhang high, three zhang around, embedded with big beads, the big beads are supported by four dragons, all the projects cost two million catties of copper and iron, it is of great significance in the history of world casting. Tianshu survived for more than 20 years and was destroyed by Tang Xuanzong in the second year of Kaiyuan (714).
In the first year of Tang Jingyun (710), A Luo died at the age of 95 and was buried outside the Jianchun Gate in Luoyang. The "Epitaph of Aluo" was unearthed near Louzi Village in the southeastern suburbs of Luoyang at the end of the Qing Dynasty, and later flowed into Japan, where it is now stored in the National Museum of Japan in Ueno, Tokyo. "Epitaph of Aro" contains, "The great chief of the Persian State of the Tang Dynasty, the general of the Right Tunwei Shangzhu State, the founding prince of Jincheng County, the inscription of the Persian Junqiu." The king is sorry for Aro, and the people of Persia are also hopeful. (Translation: "The inscription on the hill of Mr. Persia, the late former chief of the Persian State of the Tang Dynasty, served as the general of the Right Tun Guard, Shangzhu State, and the founding prince of Jincheng County.") His name was Aro, and he was born into a prominent family in Persia. ”）
Rubbing of "Epitaph of Arrow".
Many scholars believe that Arro's original name should be Abraham, and that Fulin should refer to the Eastern Roman Empire.
Tang Xuanzong was influenced by Buddhism, from the 20th year of the Kaiyuan Dynasty (732) when Manichaeism was forbidden to spread among the Han people, and only the Hu people were allowed to believe, to the 28th year of the Kaiyuan Dynasty (740), a large number of Manichaean Hu monks were simply expelled. It was not until after the Anshi Rebellion that the Uighur reinforcements who helped the Tang Dynasty recover Luoyang in the first year of Baoying (762) brought several Hu Mani teachers from Luoyang back to the Uighur state of Gaochang, which later moved to the area of Turpan in present-day Xinjiang. So Gao Changguo abandoned shamanism and converted to Manichaeism. In the ninth and twelfth centuries AD, the Uighurs of Ghochang were the de facto center of Manichaeism in the world. Later, with the defeat of the Uighurs by the Tunas, Manichaeism began to decline in the Western Regions.
Similarly, Manichaeism was gradually suppressed by the rulers in the Central Plains. The reason for this has something to do with the religious teachings of Mormonism -- Manichaeism has a doctrine that extremely denies reality, and it is easy to be regarded as a "cult." Manichaeans, as light elements who do not harm the world, are forbidden to engage in most secular activities, including agricultural activities. Manichaeism believed that light was omnipresent, even in dust particles. As a result, the Manichaeans tried their best to reduce production and oppose childbearing, which shook the economic basis of the country's heavy agriculture and increased population, and was bound to cause discontent among the rulers of successive dynasties.
Later, the Mormons relied on the special relationship between the Uighurs of Gaochang and the Tang Dynasty to establish missionary monasteries in the Central Plains. At that time, the Central Plains Manichaeism may have been affiliated with the Mobei Uighur Church, which regularly sent monks of a certain rank to the Central Plains in turn to preside over the monasteries scattered throughout the country.
However, during the reign of Emperor Wuzong of the Tang Dynasty, with the decline of the Uighurs in Gaochang, Manichaeism suffered extinction in the Central Plains. In the second year of Huichang (842), Tang Wuzong gradually banned Manichaeism. From "stopping the Jianghuai monasteries", only Manichaeism was allowed to practice in Liangdu and Taiyuan, to officially confiscating the money and property of the Uighurs and Manichae monasteries, and collecting the monks.
In the fifth year of Kaicheng (840), the Uighur Khanate was defeated, proclaimed himself a vassal to the Tang Dynasty, and sent Tang Xianzong's daughter, the last princess Taihe, who was close to the Uighurs, to return to China. In the first year of Huichang (841), the princess was retained by the Uighur Usuke Khan, who had gone south. After that, the Tang army repeatedly broke the Uighurs.
On the 11th day of the first month of the third year of Huichang (843), the Tang army defeated Wujie and welcomed back Princess Taihe, and the Uighurs no longer threatened the capital of the Tang Dynasty. When the princess entered the city, the Uighurs who came with the princess were forbidden to enter the city. After more than ten days, he issued the "Retrieval of the Hu System", officially confiscated the money and property of the Uighur and Mani Monastery houses, and collected the monks. "In the middle of April, the Edict ordered the Manichaean Master of the World. shave your hair, make your robe, and make it in the shape of a sand gate." Manichaean monasteries were banned, monks were slaughtered, and Manichaeism in the Central Plains was devastated.
Manichaeism relied on the power of Wu Zetian and the Uighurs of Gaochang in the Tang Dynasty for a time, but with the death of Wu Zetian and the decline of the Uighurs of Gaochang, they lost their strong support and were no longer treated by the Li Tang dynasty. The Hu people among the Manichaean congregation often borrowed money from the Hui Dynasty to contribute to the historical arrogance and lawlessness of the Tang Dynasty, which also caused widespread dissatisfaction among the court and people in the Central Plains, which was one of the reasons why Manichaeism could not spread for a long time in the Central Plains.
According to the Book of Min, "those who had Master Hulu came to Futang (now Fuqing), granted the three mountains (now Fuzhou), traveled to Fangquan County (now Quanzhou), and died at the foot of the North Mountain of the county", and a small number of Manichaean believers turned to the secret preaching of the people, but they were not completely eradicated. Since then, the religion has been hidden in secluded mountains and forests or mixed into secret folk religions. Fujian became the source of the spread of Manichaeism in southern China.
The hermitage in Luoshan Town, Jinjiang City, Fujian Province, is the most complete Manichaean site found at home and abroad so far
Tang Wuzong's extermination of Buddhism was a major event in history, and there was also a detail at that time that showed that Tang Wuzong's extermination of Manichaeism was only a small episode - when monks were executed by the emperor, and even when Manichaeans were beheaded, they were first put on monk's robes, shaved their hair, and then executed. In other words, the fact that the Manichaeans were to be killed in the guise of Buddhists shows how much the emperor hated Buddhism in his heart.
Or from another point of view, Wuzong destroyed Buddhism, mainly destroying Buddhism, and brought along the three small religions of Manichaeism, Zoroastrianism (Zoroastrianism) and Nestorianism (Nestorian Christianity, a branch of Orthodox Christianity).
There was still a great difficulty in the spread of Manichaeism in China, and Manichaeism always followed the upper line, mainly maintaining good relations with the Uighur monarchs of Wu Zetian and Gaochang and did not seek support from the scholars and scholars of the Central Plains. The Persians who immigrated to the Central Plains mainly believed in Zoroastrianism, which doomed Manichaeism to preach during the Tang Dynasty, lacking the support of both Han and Hu people, so it quickly declined under the suppression of the imperial court.
But what is very interesting is that Manichaeism spread among the Chinese people for a much longer period of time than Zoroastrianism, and it has survived the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms and the Song Dynasty until the end of the Yuan Dynasty.
In order to survive, Manichaeism, which was secretly spread by the people, also had to embark on the road of sinicization. In the Song Dynasty, Manichaeism, which had been completely sinicized, evolved into Mingjiao or Mingzun, and its teachings were simply summarized as "pure, bright, vigorous, and wise" 8 words. In order to meet the needs of the people, it propagated the moral concepts of pursuing light, kindness, frugality, and fraternity, which were deeply rooted in the hearts of the people and widely spread.
Chen Shuozhen, the leader of the peasant rebel army during the Tang Gaozong period, claimed the emperor as a woman, and she used Manichaeism to call "Yuhua Dengxian" to expose the uprising, and after the failure, she left two mysterious ruins of "Tianziji" (ten doors and nine unlocks) and "Wannian Building" (Wannian snail). In the second year of Xuanhe in the Northern Song Dynasty (1120), Fang La took Mingjiao as the banner and used Chen Shuozhen's "Tianziji" and "Wannianlou" to launch a large-scale peasant uprising - Fangla Uprising, and established a Mingjiao society in Liujialing in Chun'an.
By the time of the Southern Song Dynasty, the power of the folk Ming religion was even greater, so that the Song Dynasty repeatedly banned it, but the effect was not obvious. Lu You said about this situation, "The names are different, and the Ming religion is especially prosperous." There are talents, officials, and soldiers who have also passed on their habits. ”
The Yuan Dynasty was more tolerant of all religions, and there were institutions in Quanzhou that managed Ming and Qin (Nestorian) religions, and allowed Manichaeism or Ming religion to preach. By the end of the Yuan Dynasty, the world was in turmoil, and folk sects such as Manichaeism or Mingjiao, Maitreya, and White Lotus developed rapidly, merged with each other, and even became one. The Red Turban Army rebelled, and the slogan was "Maitreya was born, King Ming was born", calling themselves demon soldiers, indicating that they were deeply influenced by Manichaeism.
The Red Turban Army once hit the Korean Peninsula, and the Mingjiao followers have also walked on the Korean Peninsula ever since.
The Red Turban Army where Zhu Yuanzhang, Guo Zixing and others belonged was nominally managed by Han Lin'er, the king of Xiaoming, the son of Han Shantong, the leader of the Red Turban Army uprising. After the rise of Zhu Yuanzhang, he pretended to order Liao Yongzhong to welcome Han Lin'er to Yingtian (now Nanjing, Jiangsu) to claim the emperor, and drowned Han Lin'er in the Yangtze River. Then Zhu Yuanzhang established the Ming Dynasty and used the banner of "Ming" to win the hearts of the people who believed in Mingjiao in the world.
Illustration of Jin Yong's "Heaven and Dragon Slayer", this novel has Zhu Yuanzhang and King Xiao Ming
But when Zhu Yuanzhang sat firmly on the emperor's dragon chair, he began to worry that there would be secret associations like Mingjiao among the people, and encouraged the people to rebel from time to time. Zhu Yuanzhang issued an edict and enacted legislation prohibiting all kinds of heretical beliefs, including Muni Mingzun, or Manichaeism. Zhu Yuanzhang suppressed Mingjiao, except for the country name still called "Da Ming", everything related to Mingjiao was ordered to be changed.
After the establishment of the Qing Dynasty, the Qing Laws promulgated after the establishment of the Qing Dynasty, as well as the Annan Laws, continued to prohibit the Muni Ming Zun Religion because of the Ming Laws. But at this time, I am afraid that there are no real Manichaeans among the people. Some of the customs of Manichaeism were eventually combined with the folk customs of China's southeast coast, and they still have their last influence on China to this day.
I am writing this article mainly to show that China has had exchanges with Persia since ancient times, not only in economic and trade exchanges, but also in religious and cultural exchanges. Zoroastrianism, the state religion of Persia, and one of its branches, Manichaeism, were once spread in China, but Zoroastrianism and Manichaeism, both of which were Zoroastrianism, withered after Wuzong's destruction of Buddhism. However, Manichaeism was more tenacious, and became a folk religion through sinicization, and Mingjiao became the enlightener of civil rebellion, and its major influences in history include the Fangla Uprising, the Red Turban Army Uprising, and Zhu Yuanzhang's establishment of the Ming Dynasty.
You see, China's history and culture have not been closed since ancient times, and they have always exchanged with overseas nationalities and cultures, and have been eclectic, creating our rich traditional culture today.
Because of time constraints, I can't finish this article today. Let me briefly say a few words about the fact that the Persian nation began to grow strong and came to the stage of history in the centuries BC, founding Zoroastrianism and Manichaeism. However, after the rise of the Arab Empire, the Persians were forced to convert to Islam. Zoroastrianism and Manichaeism both spread to the outside world after the demise of Persia itself, and both followed Persian immigrants to China.
In contrast, Zoroastrianism, known as Zoroastrianism, had little influence on Chinese history, while Manichaeism went from being openly proselytized to being suppressed to being able to preach secretly among the people, and finally Sinicized to form Mingjiao, which had an important and far-reaching impact on Chinese history. In addition, the establishment of the Ming Dynasty was not entirely a factor of Mingjiao, which only played a role as a banner of rebellion, and the establishment of the Ming Dynasty accepted more traditional Chinese culture.
On the issue of the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, Mingjiao was an important factor, but it was not an absolute factor, and it could not be dominated, which can also be seen from the fact that everyone is generally unable to distinguish the relationship between Zoroastrianism and Mingjiao today.
The next part of this article will deal with the historical process of how the Arab Empire conquered Persia and forced the Persians to abandon their religion and convert to Islam.
To be continued.