Strategic naming? : on the use of Seng 僧 in the Jingjiao Stele lists of names / Alexis Balmont

Journal of the American Oriental Society, 2026-06, Vol.146 (2), p.377-386

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Boston College Library

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Journal of the American Society for Premodern Asia

Abstract:

The article examines the quasi-systematic use of the character seng 僧 in the Chinese names listed on the sides of the Jingjiao stele, proposing that it functioned as a surname equivalent to mark Christian affiliation while concealing ethnic origins. In the context of heightened political sensitivities toward certain foreign associations following the An Lushan Rebellion, the monument’s author may have deliberately obscured Christian foreign origins. This ethnic concealment reflects the political realities of 781 CE, when associations with those labeled “foreigners”—especially Sogdians—were regarded as problematic in Chang’an under the early reign of Dezong. A comparative analysis with the Luoyang pillar (815 CE) and Mi Jifen’s epitaph (806 CE) suggests that seng functioned on the Jingjiao stele as an integral component of compound religious names rather than as an ecclesiastical title.