Alphonse Mingana’s ‘The Early Spread of Christianity in Central Asia and the Far East’: Additions, Corrections and Reflections

Dickens, Mark (2025) Alphonse Mingana’s ‘The Early Spread of Christianity in Central Asia and the Far East’: Additions, Corrections and Reflections. ACTA ORIENTALIA ACADEMIAE SCIENTIARUM HUNGARICAE, 78 (4). pp. 761-809. ISSN 0001-6446

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Abstract

This article evaluates the first part of Alphonse Mingana’s seminal work ‘The Early Spread of Christianity in Central Asia and the Far East’, published 100 years ago. After a short introduction to Mingana and his place in the study of Syriac literature, the present author examines pages 297–343 of Mingana’s article, suggesting extensive corrections to factual errors either made or perpetuated by Mingana, as well as the need to supplement the many out-of-date sources he used. The article then reflects on Mingana’s contribution to the study of Syriac Christianity in Central Asia and China; although it has perhaps been helpful in the past, it cannot now be relied on as an authoritative source, given the amount of erroneous information it contains.

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