Buddhism and Christianity

There were links between Buddhism and the pre-Christian Mediterranean world,^[1] with Buddhist missionaries sent by Emperor Ashoka of India to Syria, Egypt and Greece from 250 BC.^[2] Significant differences between the two religions include monotheism in Christianity and Buddhism's orientation towards nontheism (the lack of relevancy of the existence of a creator Deity) which runs counter to teachings about God in Christianity, and grace in Christianity against the rejection of interference with karma in Theravada Buddhism on.^[3]^[4]^[5]

Some early Christians were aware of Buddhism which was practiced in both the Greek and Roman Empires in the pre-Christian period. The majority of modern Christian scholarship rejects any historical basis for the travels of Jesus to India or Tibet and has seen the attempts at parallel symbolism as cases of parallelomania which exaggerate resemblances.^[6]^[7]^[8]^[9] However, in the East, syncretism between Nestorian Christianity and Buddhism was widespread along the Silk Road in Antiquity and the Middle Ages, and was especially pronounced in the medieval Church of the East in China, as evidenced by the Jesus Sutras.^[10]

^ Bentley, Jerry H. (1993). Old World Encounters. Cross-cultural contacts and exchanges in pre-modern times. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-507639-7.
^ Will Durant (7 June 2011). Our Oriental Heritage: The Story of Civilization. Simon and Schuster. pp. 711–. ISBN 978-1-4516-4668-9. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
^ Cite error: The named reference Numrich10 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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^ The Historical Jesus in Recent Research edited by James D. G. Dunn and Scot McKnight 2006 ISBN 1-57506-100-7 page 303
^ Gerald O'Collins, "The Hidden Story of Jesus" New Blackfriars Volume 89, Issue 1024, pages 710–714, November 2008
^ In the 13th century, international travelers, such as Giovanni de Piano Carpini and William of Ruysbroeck, sent back reports of Buddhism to the West and noted the similarities with Nestorian Christian communities. Macmillan Encyclopedia of Buddhism, 2004, page 160

[Bentley_1993-1] Bentley, Jerry H. (1993). Old World Encounters. Cross-cultural contacts and exchanges in pre-modern times. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-507639-7.

[Durant2011-2] Will Durant (7 June 2011). Our Oriental Heritage: The Story of Civilization. Simon and Schuster. pp. 711–. ISBN 978-1-4516-4668-9. Retrieved 27 August 2012.

[Numrich10-3] Cite error: The named reference Numrich10 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[Bromo515-4] Cite error: The named reference Bromo515 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[Lim34-5] Cite error: The named reference Lim34 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[Voorst17-6] Cite error: The named reference Voorst17 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[Les140-7] Cite error: The named reference Les140 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[Borg303-8] The Historical Jesus in Recent Research edited by James D. G. Dunn and Scot McKnight 2006 ISBN 1-57506-100-7 page 303

[Collins-9] Gerald O'Collins, "The Hidden Story of Jesus" New Blackfriars Volume 89, Issue 1024, pages 710–714, November 2008

[10] In the 13th century, international travelers, such as Giovanni de Piano Carpini and William of Ruysbroeck, sent back reports of Buddhism to the West and noted the similarities with Nestorian Christian communities. Macmillan Encyclopedia of Buddhism, 2004, page 160

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