Ben C Smith

I am interested here in gathering direct early Christian references to Buddha and Buddhism; I am also interested in indirect references, such as to the śramanas.

Both kinds are found in Clement of Alexandria, Miscellanies 1.15. What other mentions of Buddha or Buddhism, if any, are there in early Christian texts?

Thanks in advance.

Ben.

Ben C Smith

Jerome refers to Buddha in Against Jovinianus 1.42. Are there any Christian references between Clement and Jerome? Are there any from before Clement?

Ben.

Toto

So that's where that idea originated.

Ben C Smith

Look at this quote from chapter 52 the Acts of Archelaus:

On arriving there, Terebinthus succeeded in giving currency to a wonderful account of himself, declaring that he was replete with all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and that he was really named now, not Terebinthus, but another Buddas, and that this designation had been put upon him. He asserted further that he was the son of a certain virgin, and that he had been brought up by an angel on the mountains.

It may be that this is the source of the virgin birth of Buddha. It was Terebinthus who claimed to be Buddha (in some way) and also claimed to be virgin born. This may well be the source of the confusion.

Ben.

andrewcriddle

There is a reference at Greek Science & the Arabs Bar Daisan = Bardesanes. If accurate this would amount to an early Christian reference to Buddhism


Andrew Criddle

mountainman

Dear Ben,

I take it that you have studied the text "The Act of Thomas" (in India) and no references therein interest this enquiry. Might a "supposed christian references" to the Gita be included in this review?

Best wishes,


Pete

Roger Pearse

A heretic, rather. Nearly all of his works are lost, tho.

Porphyry, De abstinentia, book 4, ch. 17.

17. For the polity of the Indians being distributed into many parts, there is one tribe among them of men divinely wise, whom the Greeks are accustomed to call Gymnosophists 18. But of these there are two sects, over one of which the Bramins preside, but over the other the Samanaeans. The race of the Bramins, however, receive divine wisdom of this kind by succession, in the same manner as the priesthood. But the Samanaeans are elected, and consist of those who wish to possess divine knowledge. And the particulars respecting them are the following, as the Babylonian Bardesanes 19 narrates, who lived in the times of our fathers, and was familiar with those Indians who, together with Damadamis, were sent to Caesar. ...

n.19. This is the Bardesanes who lived in the time of Marcus Antoninus, and who wrote a treatise on the Lake of Probation in India, which is mentioned by Porphyry in his fragment de Styge, preserved by Stobaeus.

I don't know that an English translation of Stobaeus exists. Is his work online at all? Nor of De styge.

All the best,

Roger Pearse

Clivedurdle

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_Sutras

Is about what happened to xianity when it reached China in 635, and is a fascinating example of how different various xianities were.

http://www.christianityinchina.org/C...4&Charset=big5

And this may be evidence of xianity in China in the first century, if a phoenix and fish are xian.

DCHindley

I believe the christian-preserved tale called Parables of Barlaam & Joasaph (sp?) is supposed to be the story about Gautama Buddah (= Joasaph) withn the names of the key characters changed to make it a story about a Christian enightenment. Its present form dates to before the 7th century CE, probably betwen 491 and 630 CE. There is a tie-in with Egypt as well.

I believe this is on the net at:
http://www.sacred-texts.com/journals/jras/ns23-10.htm

DCH

GakuseiDon

Not directly related, but Plotinus (not a Christian himself) apparently had an interest in Indian philosophy, and tried to go there to study, though he didn't get past Iran. Some of his ideas that later influenced Christian ideas about God do have Buddhist-like qualities.