Imperial Reliance: A Comparative Missiological Consideration of Emperor Figures and Missionaries in Christianity and Buddhism

The institution of formal empire is not limited to studies of the past, but shows itself as a present possibility. This article employs the new discipline of comparative missiology in order to examine the relationship between missionary religions and empire. As Buddhism and Christianity parallel one...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Missionalia
Authors: Bieber, Ken (Author) ; Beyers, Jaco 1971- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: University of South Africa [2020]
In: Missionalia
IxTheo Classification:AD Sociology of religion; religious policy
BL Buddhism
CG Christianity and Politics
KAB Church history 30-500; early Christianity
KAJ Church history 1914-; recent history
KBM Asia
KBQ North America
RJ Mission; missiology
TB Antiquity
Further subjects:B Erik Prince
B Xi Jinping
B Constantine
B Donald Trump
B Empire
B comparative missiology
B Dalai Lama
B Ashoka
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Description
Summary:The institution of formal empire is not limited to studies of the past, but shows itself as a present possibility. This article employs the new discipline of comparative missiology in order to examine the relationship between missionary religions and empire. As Buddhism and Christianity parallel one another as two global religions that have spread beyond their communities of origin due to the sending of proselytizers, or missionaries, they have relied on the frameworks, features, and power dynamics of empire, whether intentionally or not. Early in their respective histories, each tradition had an emperor who converted to the faith and then promoted the religion by patronizing missionaries. This dynamic continues in the example of the propulsion of the figure of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama onto the world stage. The historical examples in both the ancient and recent past serve to demonstrate the reliance of the missionary endeavors on empire for the spread of their respective religions.
ISSN:2312-878X
Contains:Enthalten in: Missionalia
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.7832/48-1-349