ABSTRACT
The articles of E.T.C. Werner and K.L. Reichelt as reproduced in this volume bring to light a unique source concerning the incorporation of a life of Jesus into Chinese religious historiography. They describe and translate a life of Jesus and Mary as included, together with illustrations, in a Chinese collection of lives of gods and immortals. The source used by Werner and Reichelt is (Lidai) shenxian tongjian. The main compiler of (Lidai) shenxian tongjian was Xu Dao about whom no further information is known. Xu gathered his stories from several sources. One of the most important was a “secret manuscript” (miben) from the Taoist sacred sites in lake Tai in Jiangsu, which was shortened by Xu. The different editions of (Lidai) shenxian tongjian also throw some light on problems with regard to the illustrations that have been reproduced in the articles of Werner and Reichelt.
