CAJ | 학술논문

作为基督教一个分支的亚述教会于7世纪（唐朝）传人中国，始称波斯经教，后称景教。亚述教会的波斯传教士似乎是借用佛教中莲花这样的标志，向中国民众介绍这种新的宗教。莲花的出现也使人们对于两者之间的联系产生了猜想。自9世纪开始，亚述教会开始在中国衰落，直到13世纪的元朝都没能成为一种有影响的宗教。元代亚述教会信徒身上佩戴的铜质十字架上出现的万字符标志也成为两种宗教间密切关联的一种证据。而在中国发现的亚述教会的标志——莲花和万字符，可能是波斯人从中亚带来的雅利安文化传统的一部分，而不一定是取自中国本土佛教并与之结合的产物。由此看来，两种宗教间的联系可能要比原本设想的少得多。
작위기독교일개분지적아술교회우7세기（당조）전인중국，시칭파사경교，후칭경교。아술교회적파사전교사사호시차용불교중연화저양적표지，향중국민음개소저충신적종교。연화적출현야사인문대우량자지간적련계산생료시상。자9세기개시，아술교회개시재중국쇠락，직도13세기적원조도몰능성위일충유영향적종교。원대아술교회신도신상패대적동질십자가상출현적만자부표지야성위량충종교간밀절관련적일충증거。이재중국발현적아술교회적표지——연화화만자부，가능시파사인종중아대래적아리안문화전통적일부분，이불일정시취자중국본토불교병여지결합적산물。유차간래，량충종교간적련계가능요비원본설상적소득다。
The Assyrian Branch of Christianity began to appear in China in the 7th century. With the introduction of this form of Christianity, the Assyrian missionaries appeared to utilize seemingly Buddhist symbols, such as Lotus, to spread this new belief to the Chinese audience. Scholars generally maintained that the Lotus Symbol which appeared in Assyrian Christianity in China suggested a close link between Buddhist expressions and Assyrian Christian expressions in China, as these two faiths seemed to interact closely with each other. The Assyrian Christianity had declined in China since the 9th century and did not reappear until the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty in 13th, as many of the Mongols were Christians of the Assyrian Church. These Christians in the Yuan Dynasty usually carried a Bronze Cross （commonly yet wrongly referred to as Nestorian Cross） and many of these crosses contained the Swastika symbol.Based on the Buddhist--Christian relationship during Tang Dynasty, many scholars believe that the Swastika design in the Nestorian Cross further evidenced the continual close relation between Assyrian Christians and Buddhists just as they had done several hundred years ago with the Lotus symbol. The appearance of Lotus and Swastika in Assyrian Christians in China became the strong evidence to support such hypothesis. However this paper would like to suggest that the Lotus and Swastika found in the Assyrian Christian artifacts in China might be a legacy of the Aryan tradition carried over by Persians from Central Asia than syncretic integration from Buddhism in China. Such hypothesis may suggest that there is far less exchange between Assyrian Christianity and Buddhism in China than scholars wished to acknowledge.