The Vegan Nestorian Church in Ancient China, Part III: Condemnation of Animal Sacrifice & Flesh-Eating. By Dr Chapman Chen
- Chapman Chen
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The Sutra of Hearing the Messiah 《序聽迷詩所經》(n.1) , a major scripture of the Nestorian Church in ancient China, states 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. It represents Jesus as a compassionate teacher who died for all sentient beings and John the Baptist as a strict vegan.
1. Animal Sacrifice and Flesh-Eating Denounced
此為第一天尊處分。眾生依天尊依…莫使眾生殺祭祀。亦不遣殺命。眾生不依此教。自殺生祭祀。喫肉噉美。將[潳-者+禹]詐神。即殺羊等。
“The first thing is to follow God’s law. All sentient beings depend on the Lord of Heaven for protection. People who do not follow this teaching kill sentient beings for sacrificial rites, eating their flesh and relishing its taste; they offer libations and seek to flatter the spirits by slaughtering sheep and other animals (my transl.) .”
The second part of this passage explicitly condemns the killing of animals as sacrifices to God and the consumption of flesh. However, it is mistranslated by Martin Palmer (2001, p.165) as:
“All sacrifice and slaying of the lamb is to be offered for the sacred spirits' blessing and forgiveness," seemingly condoning this cultic practice, whereas immediately before this, the sutra, as translated by Palmer (2001, p.165) himself, reads “It is forbidden to take a life even for a sacrifice, for these teachings forbid taking any life.”
2. The Five Vegan Prophets
The passage above corresponds to the five OT great prophets’ (Amos, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Micah, and Hosea) anti-sacrifice writings. For example, via Amos, God bluntly reveals that He detests the cult of animal sacrifice:-
“I HATE, I DESPISE your religious festivals; your assemblies are a stench to me. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. (Amos 5:21-4 NIV)
Similarly, via Isaiah, God makes it clear that He has never required animal sacrifice:-
“Of what value to me is the abundance of your sacrifices? saith the Lord: I am FULL of [fed up with] whole-burnt-offerings of rams; and I DELIGHT NOT in the fat of lambs, and the blood of bulls and goats: neither shall ye come with these to appear before me; for WHO HAS REQUIRED these things at your hands?” (Isaiah 1:11-12, Greek Septuagint Bible).
3. Meat-Eaters Deviate from Jesus’ Good Way
The Sutra of Hearing the Messiah portrays the Messiah as converting sentient beings to the ‘good Way’ and characterises those who reject his teaching as people who refuse to abandon alcohol and animal flesh.
所有作惡人不過向善道者。不信天尊教者。遂欲殺卻。不信天尊教者。及不潔淨貪利之人。今世並不放却。嗜酒受肉。及事[潳-者+禹]神。文人留在著遂誣或趐覩。遂欲殺却。
All evildoers who do not turn towards the good Way, those who do not believe in the teaching of the Lord of Heaven, and those who are impure and greedy for gain—even in this present life they will be not spared. They indulge in wine and partake of flesh, and they serve false, unclean spirits. … The scholars [chief priests & scribes], out of envy, tried to eliminate Him by framing Him up or inciting hatred of Him (my transl.)
Palmer omits abstinence from alcohol & flesh in his translation:
“Those who do evil, and do not recognize the True Way or the words teaching of God’s religion, as well as the unclean ones, can never be truly saved, not today or even in this generation.” (Palmer 2001, p.167)
4. Jesus the Animal Liberator
The Sutra’s denunciation of sacrificial violence mirrors Jesus’ courageous liberation of sacrificial animals from the Second Temple (Mark 11:15–17), which eventually led to His crucifixion (cf. Akers 2000, pp.113-114; Chen 2026) (n.2). 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).
5. The Golden Rule
In Clementine Homilies, Peter also tells us that the Golden Rule is “to abstain from the table of devils, not to taste dead flesh” (Hom. 7, Ch. IV), and that “refraining from the table of demons… you can escape everlasting punishment, and be constituted heirs of eternal blessings” (Hom. 9, XXIII) (n.3) .
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