The transmission of Christian texts at Turfan

Between 1904-1907 the Second and Third German Turfan Expeditions discovered at the monastery site of Bulayïq in the Turfan oasis (modern Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous province, China) more than 1000 Syriac and Christian Sogdian fragments written in the Syriac script. These were brought to Berlin where they are now preserved. Many translations were made from Syriac into Sogdian (an Iranian language originating near Samarkand) as considerable Sogdian diaspora communities settled at Turfan and in China. Material translated into Sogdian included biblical texts, psalters, lectionaries as well as hagiographies and ascetical works. By contrast, the liturgical material was written exclusively in Syriac, this conservative transmission was entirely in keeping with the fact that Syriac was (and still is) the liturgical language of the Church of the East. It supplied a cohesive thread amidst the ethno-linguistic diversity of the Church of the East's dioceses.

The project investigates the transmission and translation of literature at Turfan to illustrate the mechanics of diaspora; how the 'mother church' in Mesopotamia responded to the ethno-linguistic character of its communities, yet sustained its traditional profile. To do so the project adopts two trajectories: (i) a trilingual Sogdian-Syriac-English dictionary, (ii) a reconstruction of Hudra D incorporating a critical edition of MIK III/45 and 26 fragments, accompanied by an annotated translation. MIK III/45, a 61-folio manuscript, dates from the 9th/10th centuries and is the earliest extant copy of the Hudra. The dictionary gives graphic insight into the processes of translation that took place between Semitic and Iranian languages. The reconstruction of the Hudra documents the transmission history of the principal liturgical book and sheds light on the evolution of the East Syrian liturgy about which little is known.

The project brings together the foremost language and liturgical experts on Christianity in Central Asia: Prof. Nicholas Sims-Williams FBA, Dr. Erica C D Hunter, also Dr. Jonathan Loopstra and His Grace, Mar Awa, bishop of the Assyrian Church of the East (Modesto, California). Mar Awa is also a participant in the 'Forum Syriacum' held by the Pro Oriente Foundation that discusses issues pertinent to the Oriental Orthodox Churches.

Dissemination of results would take place in:
(1) Workshop 'Christian Sogdian and Syriac fragments', at the Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften, Berlin in 2013. This would be 'in progress' for scholars.

(2) Conference 'Text and Transmission: the legacy of Turfan', at the Museum für Asiatische Kunst, Berlin in 2014. With a specific focus on the Hudra and MIK III/45, this conference would be relevant for scholars and the public. It would be accompanied by an exhibition of material from Turfan.

(3) The Christianity in Iraq XI Seminar Day in March 2015 would provide the forum for the public release of the material. This annual series, inaugurated in 2004 by Dr. Hunter, has the express aim to impart knowledge about Christianity in Iraq to academics, the public, press, policy makers as well as the Iraqi Christian communities and clergy who are active participants.

The results of the project will benefit academic and wider audiences. There is no Sogdian-Syriac-English dictionary, so its publication would open a new dimension in philology and would also serve the growing recognition of the role of 'Persian Christianity' in the T'ang dynasty. The reconstruction of Hudra D would give seminal insight into the development of the early liturgy of the East Syrian churches. The Hudra (based on 16th century manuscripts) is used daily by the East Syrian churches [Assyrian Church of the East, Ancient Church of the East, Chaldaean Catholic Church and the Syro-Malabar Church] in Syria, Iraq, Iran and India as well as large diaspora communities in Australia, America and Europe, but there is no English translation.

The project would enrich cultural exchanges between China and the United Kingdom, being extremely relevant to museum curators and custodians of cultural heritage both in China [Turfan Museum, Urumqi Museum] and in Europe [Museum fur Asiatische Kunst, Berlin, British Library and British Museum]. It enriches knowledge about the minority religions and ethnic groups in China by highlighting the multiculturalism of the medieval period. Museums in Xinjiang are particularly eager to exhibit the ethno-linguistic diversity of the region, which today is home to a sizeable Uighur population and growing Han settlement.

Several conferences in China have addressed the theme of multi-culturalism, the most recent being the 'International Symposium on Multilingualism and Society in Ancient Central Asia' [23-26 October 2010] hosted by Li Xiao, Director of the Turfan Museum. More than 50 academics, museum officials and regional policy-makers from China attended; other academics came from Japan, Russia, Germany and U.K. The papers read by Sims-Williams and Hunter have been translated into Chinese for dissemination.

The project would enhance the standing of British universities in East Asia, by continuing to foster cultural ties between U.K. universities and Chinese tertiary institutions, which are keen for young scholars to receive language training to enable them to research further into the ethno-linguistic diversity of their country. It would contribute to major web enterprises, notably adding to the Turfan material on the International Dunhuang Project (see www.idp.bl.uk) that disseminates material from the Silk Route including the Turfan manuscript images.

The project responds to the growing interest in China about the historic presence of the 'Persian religions' [Zoroastrianism, Christianity and Manichaeism]; this being considered somewhat analogous to the modern situation where the country has recently opened itself to Western influences. The Chinese are keen to explore various facets of 'Persian Christianity' because of its non-Western roots that provides a different model to the Protestant and Catholic expressions of Christianity which Europeans introduced. In November 2010, the Church of the East celebrated Mass on Chinese soil, the first such occasion for at least five hundred years.

The project has great appeal for the modern communities of the East Syrian churches, especially the large communities now located in Australia, America and Europe. Dislocated from their traditional homeland in Iraq, the lesson of ethno-linguistic diversity is one of immediate importance since there are concerns about how to maintain their identities. The active participation of His Grace, Mar Awa is indicative of the interest of the community in this project. The exotic presence of the East Syrian Church at Turfan is attractive and relevant; highlighting trajectories of bilingualism (via the proposed dictionary), yet demonstrating how core elements (via the Hudra studies) were retained despite the population being largely Sogdian speakers. An English translation of part of the Hudra would make this work, at present only accessible in Syriac, immediately available to many members of the East Syrian churches, thus enriching their understanding of their culturo-religious heritage. It could also be used in the training of young seminarians in the growing English-speaking communities.

The research would have an impact at the very heart of theological dialogue since the consultations held by the Pro Oriente Foundation in Vienna address issues concerning the Oriental Orthodox Church. Mar Awa, consultant to the project, is a participant in the Forum Syriacum branch of the Pro Oriente Foundation. The results of the project could be implemented in the on-going discussions about the East Syrian liturgy that seek to resolve differences of interpretation which have developed between the various Oriental churches and the Roman Catholic church.