Interpretation and Debate on the"Three in One"Illustration in Fang Shi Mo Pu by Western Sinologists in the Early 20th Century
In the early 20th century,there was a widespread debate in the Western Sinology community on an illustration titled"Three in one"(函三为一)in Fang Shi Mo Pu(《方式墨谱》).Herbert Allen Giles believed that the theme of the illustration was"Trinity",the three figures in the illustration were Jesus Christ and two Nestorian priests;while Berthold Laufer,Friedrich Hirth,Edward Harper Parker,Henri Maspero,Edward Theodore Chalmers Werner and others believed that the theme of the illustration was"the unity of three religions"(三教合一),and the three figures in the illustration were Confucius,Laozi and Buddha.Huang Bolu(黄伯禄),a Chinese scholar,also participated in this debate with convincing viewpoints and materials.Though this debate could not form a consensus on another historical relic of the eastward transmission of Nestorianism,finally it has advanced the understanding of the core issues of ancient Chinese religion and philosophy in the Western Sinology community.This debate is noteworthy in history,as it has not only revealed the evident characteristics of the Western Sinology at that time,which was in a process of development and transformation,but also showed the breadth and depth of the exchanges and mutual learning between Chinese and Western Civilization to some extent.
"Three in one"Herbert Allen GilesBerthold LauferEdward Harper ParkerFang Shi Mo Pu
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