Gods Heroes and Ancestors

Though a minority religion in Vietnam Christianity has been a significant presence in the country since its arrival in the sixteenth-century. Anh Q. Tran offers the first English translation of the recently discovered 1752 manuscript Tam Giáo Ch(u V.ong (The Errors of the Three Religions). Structured as a dialogue between a Christian priest and a Confucian scholar this anonymously authored manuscript paints a rich picture of the three traditional Vietnamese religions: Confucianism Buddhism and Daoism. The work explains and evaluates several religious beliefs customs and rituals of eighteenth-century Vietnam many of which are still in practice today. In addition it contains a trove of information on the challenges and struggles that Vietnamese Christian converts had to face in following the new faith.Besides its great historical value for studies in Vietnamese religion language and culture Gods Heroes and Ancestors raises complex issues concerning the encounter between Christianity and other religions: Christian missions religious pluralism and interreligious dialogue.