The feminine spiritual figures of compassion, the Catholic Christian Virgin Mother Mary, and the Chinese Buddhist, Kuan Yin, share a number of traits and attributes in spite of their cultural differences. They also sh...The feminine spiritual figures of compassion, the Catholic Christian Virgin Mother Mary, and the Chinese Buddhist, Kuan Yin, share a number of traits and attributes in spite of their cultural differences. They also share a common history in the development of their devotional worship through two empresses who identified themselves with their respective cultural icon thereby enhancing their political roles while endearing themselves to the common people through their promotion of the spiritual figures of compassion. This paper seeks to show the parallels between the rise in devotion to the Virgin Mary under the Byzantine Empress Pulcheria （399-453） and the corresponding rise in the interest in, and feminization of, Avalokiteshvara/Kuan Yin under the Tang Dynasty Empress Wu Zetian （625-705）. While there has been a substantial amount written about how ancient political leaders used selected deities as vehicles for asserting their power, there are only a few that have looked at these two unique Empresses and none that compares their influence in the popularization of devotional worship to Mary and Kuan Yin. This study attempts to begin to fill that gap.展开更多
宗教是统治者控制社会的一种有效手段。①多神教(又称异教)在很长一段时期内是罗马帝国统治者建立和巩固政权的工具之一。拜占庭帝国建立初期境内的多神教与基督教呈并存态势。一方面,新帝国与基督教之间尚未建立起牢固的同盟关系,②君...宗教是统治者控制社会的一种有效手段。①多神教(又称异教)在很长一段时期内是罗马帝国统治者建立和巩固政权的工具之一。拜占庭帝国建立初期境内的多神教与基督教呈并存态势。一方面,新帝国与基督教之间尚未建立起牢固的同盟关系,②君士坦丁大帝(Constantine I The Great,272-337)及其子既支持基督教发展又承担着多神教大祭司职能。另一方面,这两任皇帝均在实行宗教宽容政策的同时支持基督教,基督教在二人治下发展迅猛。两种宗教并存局面给后世统治者留下难题:如果多神教和一神教无法共存.展开更多
文摘The feminine spiritual figures of compassion, the Catholic Christian Virgin Mother Mary, and the Chinese Buddhist, Kuan Yin, share a number of traits and attributes in spite of their cultural differences. They also share a common history in the development of their devotional worship through two empresses who identified themselves with their respective cultural icon thereby enhancing their political roles while endearing themselves to the common people through their promotion of the spiritual figures of compassion. This paper seeks to show the parallels between the rise in devotion to the Virgin Mary under the Byzantine Empress Pulcheria （399-453） and the corresponding rise in the interest in, and feminization of, Avalokiteshvara/Kuan Yin under the Tang Dynasty Empress Wu Zetian （625-705）. While there has been a substantial amount written about how ancient political leaders used selected deities as vehicles for asserting their power, there are only a few that have looked at these two unique Empresses and none that compares their influence in the popularization of devotional worship to Mary and Kuan Yin. This study attempts to begin to fill that gap.
文摘宗教是统治者控制社会的一种有效手段。①多神教(又称异教)在很长一段时期内是罗马帝国统治者建立和巩固政权的工具之一。拜占庭帝国建立初期境内的多神教与基督教呈并存态势。一方面,新帝国与基督教之间尚未建立起牢固的同盟关系,②君士坦丁大帝(Constantine I The Great,272-337)及其子既支持基督教发展又承担着多神教大祭司职能。另一方面,这两任皇帝均在实行宗教宽容政策的同时支持基督教,基督教在二人治下发展迅猛。两种宗教并存局面给后世统治者留下难题:如果多神教和一神教无法共存.
