188 CHRIST IN THE "LI TAI SHEN HSIEN T'UNG CHIEN" 



three days he rose again. His body was very refulgent. 

 First he went to see his mother to comfort her. 



After forty days, when he was about to ascend to heaven, 

 he personally instructed his disciples, one hundred and 

 twenty in number, saying: 'Go ye and teach all nations, 

 baptizing them with holy water, washing away their sins, 

 and receiving them into the religion.' Having finished 

 issuing his commands, he went up to heaven, accompanied 

 by all the host of the ancient saints. 



Ten days later, an angel descended to receive his 

 mother. She was promoted to the ninth [highest] rank, 

 and became the Mother Queen of heaven and earth, and 

 the protecting sovereign of all the people in the wodd. 

 His disciples preached his doctrine in all directions." 



This passage, evidently derived from. Roman Catholic 

 sources, is interesting chiefly because of the anthropomor- 

 phic character given to God the Father, Pa-te-le (the Latin 

 Pater) in the sentence relating the presentation in the 

 temple. The crudeness of the idea in the author's mind 

 would seem to be indicated by the evident supposition that 

 the first person of the Holy Trinity was present in the 

 temple to receive the child at the ceremonial offering. 

 The priest (whose name is unknown) mentioned in the Bible 

 is not referred to. 



Still more interesting than the quoted narrative is 

 the original picture included in the series of illustrations 

 in the first volume of the work. This picture represents 

 the first person of the Holy Trinity blessing with his hand 

 the infant Jesus, who is tso i, bowing, as a child to a father 

 in the orthodox Chinese fashion. It will be noticed that the 

 scenery (tree, asphodel, etc.) are typically Taoist, the sense 

 of elevation being well brought out, and that the artist's 

 knowledge or imagination has not been equal to depicting 

 the figures in the costume of the country with which 

 they are more intimately associated, both being clothed in 

 Chinese dress. 



The picture (though fanciful and somewhat fantastic, 

 but perhaps not more so than many of the European 

 mediaeval representations) may, without fear of contradic- 

 tion, be regarded as adding another to the portraits existing 

 in Western countries of the first two persons of the Holy 

 Trinity. There can be no doubt as to the identity of the 

 persons represented in the picture, for the names are printed 

 above each in the upper margin of the Chinese work. 



The above statement must not, however, be taken as 

 indicating that I include in the other portraits the one 

 which, several years ago, Professor H. A. Giles published 



