{"product_id":"the-jesus-sutras-rediscovering-the-lost-scrolls-of-taoist-christianity-9780345434241","title":"The Jesus Sutras: Rediscovering the Lost Scrolls of Taoist Christianity","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn 1907  explorers discovered a vast treasure trove of ancient scrolls  silk paintings  and artifacts dating from the 5th to 11th centuries A.D. in a long-sealed cave in a remote region of China. Among them  written in Chinese  were scrolls that recounted a history of Jesus life and teachings in beautiful Taoist concepts and imagery that were unknown in the West. These writings told a story of Christianity that was by turns unique and disturbing  hopeful and uplifting. The best way to describe them is collectively  with a term they themselves use: The Jesus Sutras.  The origins of Christianity seem rooted in Western civilization  but amazingly  an ancient  largely unknown branch of Christian belief evolved in the East. Eminent theologian and Chinese scholar Martin Palmer provides the first popular history and translation of the sects long-lost scriptures--all of them more than a thousand years old and comparable in significance to the Dead Sea Scrolls. Gathered  deciphered  and interpreted by a team of expert linguists and scholars  these sacred texts present an inspiring use of Jesus teachings and life within Eastern practices and meditations--and provide an extraordinary window into an intriguing  profoundly gentler  more spiritual Christianity than existed in Europe or Asia at the time  or  indeed  even today.  Palmer has devoted more than a decade to seeking the extant writings and other evidence of this lost religion. His search was triggered by an encounter with an immense  mysterious carved (stele) stone from the 8th century that resides in a Chinese museum collection called the Forest of Stones. The Chinese text on this stone commemorates the founding of a \"religion of light\" in China by a great Western teacher and features a unique cross that merges Taoist symbolism with the Christian cross. The scrolls  the stone  and a strange map of the area around a hallowed temple (where Lao Tzu wrote the Tao Te Ching before disappearing forever) gave Palmer enough information to rediscover one of the earliest Christian monasteries. At the site was an 8th century pagoda still intact  and within it  in 1998  Palmer and his team found more evidence  including statues  underground passageways  and artifacts  that helped them uncover and recreate the era and rituals of the Taoist Christians.  The Taoist Christians  who wrote the Jesus Sutras recognized equality of the sexes  preached against slavery  and practiced nonviolence toward all forms of life. In particular  this tradition offered its followers a more hopeful vision of life on earth and after death than the dominant Eastern religions  teaching that Jesus had broken the wheel of karma and its consequent punishing  endless reincarnations.  Vividly re-creating the turbulence of a distant age that is remarkably evocative of our own times  Palmer reveals an extraordinary evolution of spiritual thought that spans centuries. A thrilling modern quest that is also an ancient religious odyssey  The Jesus Sutras shares a revolutionary discovery with profound historical implications--imparting timeless messages and lessons for men and women of all backgrounds and faiths.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67616034127925,"sku":"ByrdShop_0345434242","price":79.96,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780345434241.jpg?v=1791200165","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-jesus-sutras-rediscovering-the-lost-scrolls-of-taoist-christianity-9780345434241","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}