The Vegan Christ in the Sutra of Hearing the Messiah. Dr. Chapman Chen

In one of the earliest and most ethically profound Christian texts from the East, the 《序聽迷詩所經》 (Sutra of Hearing the Messiah, Taishō Tripiṭaka T2142), Jesus is portrayed not only as a compassionate teacher but as one who embodies a vegan ethic. It also teaches that God commands that no sentient being be killed, no flesh be eaten, and no animal be sacrificed, for all living beings share in the same divine life. This Nestorian Christian scripture, written in Classical Chinese between the 7th and 10th centuries, unequivocally confirms that Christianity is a vegan faith and that Jesus is a Vegan Christ.

1. Jesus is Staunchly Vegan

The sutra describes Jesus the Messiah (彌師訶) as abstaining entirely from animal flesh and wine:

「不食肉，不飲酒。唯食生菜蜜漿。」“He did not eat meat, nor drink wine. He only ate raw vegetables and syrup.”1

This remarkable statement presents Jesus as a raw-food ascetic, aligned with Taoist and Buddhist ideals of purity, compassion, and harmony with creation. It is one of the clearest ancient records of Jesus living a vegan life.

2. The Fifth Commandment Extended to Animals

In a parallel ethical teaching, the sutra presents what it calls the Fifth Vow, an unmistakable echo of the Fifth Commandment (“Thou shalt not kill”) in the Decalogue. However, this version radically expands its scope:

「第五願者。眾生自莫殺生，亦莫諫他殺。所以眾生命共人命不殊。」“The Fifth Vow: Do not kill any living creatures; nor encourage others to kill. For the lives of all sentient beings are no different from human life.”2

Here, “眾生” (zung3 saang1) clearly includes all sentient beings—not merely humans. The text not only forbids murder but prohibits the killing of animals, and even counselling others to kill, whether for food or sacrifice.

The reason given is foundational to vegan theology: “The lives of all beings are no different from human life.” This universal ethic of compassion positions Jesus not just as a moral teacher for humans, but as a spiritual liberator for all sentient life.

3. Rejection of Sacrifice and Flesh Eating

The sutra condemns ritual animal sacrifice and the pleasures of meat eating in no uncertain terms:

「莫使眾生殺祭祀。亦不遣殺命。眾生不依此教…喫肉噉美。將灟詐神。即殺羊等。」“Do not let living beings be killed in sacrifice, nor send others to kill. Those who do not follow this teaching… eat meat delightfully, deceive God with sacrifices, killing sheep and other animals.”3

This denunciation of sacrificial violence mirrors Jesus’ courageous liberation of sacrificial animals from the Second Temple (Mark 11:15–17). The assertion here that sacrificial animal-eating is deception and spiritual corruption echoes Jesus’ declaration, “I desire COMPASSION, not sacrifice!” (Matt. 9:13, 12:7; cf. Hosea 6:6).

4. Historical Context

The Nestorian Church, formally known as the Church of the East, arrived in China in 635 CE through the missionary Alopen (阿羅本). Their teachings, known in Chinese as ging2 gaau3景教 (Luminous Religion), were translated into Classical Chinese and shaped by Taoist and Buddhist terminology. These texts, discovered in the Tun-huang (Dunhuang) caves and preserved in the Taishō Tripiṭaka, reveal a form of Christianity radically different from that of the Latin West.

5. Theological Significance

Together, these passages make it clear: Jesus is a Vegan Christ, and Christianity is a vegan faith:

A. Jesus never ate flesh, never drank wine.

B. The Fifth Commandment applies to animals, not just humans.

C. Animal sacrifice is rejected, and flesh-eating condemned.

D. All sentient beings share the same divine life.

This is not a modern reinterpretation. It is an ancient Christian gospel, preserved outside the Roman Empire, rooted in compassion, purity, and universal reverence for life. It gives powerful evidence that Christianity began, in part, as a compassionate, vegan path — one that modern believers are now rediscovering. #VeganChrist #VeganGod  #VeganChurch  #VeganTheology

Full Text: https://www.vegantheology.net/post/the-vegan-christ-in-the-sutra-of-hearing-the-messiah-dr-chapman-chen

Footnotes

1.《序聽迷詩所經》, Taishō Tripiṭaka No. 2142, line ~80. CBETA edition: http://buddhism.lib.ntu.edu.tw/FULLTEXT/sutra/chi_pdf/sutra22/T54n2142.pdf.

2. Ibid., lines ~60–65.  

3. Ibid., lines ~90–95.