A PRELIMINARY SURVEY OF SOME CHRISTIAN TERMS USED IN CAODAISM (SUMMARY)

A PRELIMINARY SURVEY

OF SOME CHRISTIAN TERMS

USED IN CAODAISM

Listed in this booklet are twenty-five Christian terms often found in the Caodai literature. They are arranged in ABC order, and numbered from 1 to 25. Suggesting a scrutiny on the relation between Christian and Caodai terms, this preliminary survey is much insufficient, for sure.

When surveying a Christian term, I intentionally give quotes from the following age-old dictionaries:

- J.M.J., Tự Vị An Nam – Pha Lang Sa. Dictionnaire annamite-français. Tân Định: Imp. de la Mission, 1877.

- Petrus Jean Baptiste Trương Vĩnh Ký, Petit dictionnaire français-annamite. Saigon: Imp. de la Mission, à Tân Định, 1884.

- Huình Tịnh Paulus Của, Dictionnaire annamite / Đại Nam Quấc Âm Tự Vị. Tome I. Saigon: Imp. Rey, Curiol & Cie, 1895.

- Huình Tịnh Paulus Của, Dictionnaire annamite / Đại Nam Quấc Âm Tự Vị. Tome II. Saigon: Imp. Rey, Curiol & Cie, 1896.

In this way, I imply that the term being surveyed was collected by the three Christian scholars - J.M.J., Petrus Ký (1837-1898) and Paulus Của (1830-1908) - and it is included in their four dictionaries published in Saigon in 1877, 1884, 1895, and 1896.

In other words, that term is possibly regarded as an archaic Vietnamese term having been used for a very long time by the Christian community in Vietnam before the advent of Caodaism.

In all, there are twenty-five Christian terms preliminarily found in the Caodai literature, as follows:

1. BÍ TÍCH - sacrament

2. CHIÊN - lamb

3. CHUỒNG CHIÊN - lamb shed

4. CÒI - whistle

5. CỦA LỄ - offerings

6. CỨU CHUỘC - redeeming, redemption

7. CỨU RỖI - saving, salvation

8. DỌN MÌNH - preparing body and mind

9. ĐÀN CHIÊN - a flock of lambs

10. ĐỒNG NHI - choirboy, choirgirl

11. GẬY - crook, staff

12. GIÁ CHUỘC - ransom

13. GIÁO TÔNG - Pope

14. HỘI THÁNH - the Holy Assembly

15. MỤC TỬ - shepherd

16. NGƯỜI CHĂN CHIÊN - shepherd

17. NGƯỜI CHỦ CHĂN - pastor

18. NHÀ CHUNG - common house

19. NHÀ THÁNH - holy house

20. THÁNH LINH - the Holy Spirit

21. THÁNH THỂ - holy body

22. THÁNH TỬ - the child(ren) of God

23. THÔNG CÔNG - communion

24. TÒA THÁNH - the Holy See

25. TÔNG ĐỒ - apostle

*

Before the advent of Caodaism, the commonly-known term the Three Teachings refers to the three Oriental religions such as Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism (or Shakyamunism).

In the twentieth century, Caodaism coined a new term: the Four Teachings, which comprises the three Oriental religions and Christianity (the religion stemming from the birth, life, teaching, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ).

Likewise, in the pre-Caodai centuries, the commonly-known phrase is the Three Teachings emanating from the same origin (Tam Giáo đồng nguyên). In the twentieth century, Caodaism made up a new one: the Four Teachings emanating from the same origin (Tứ Giáo đồng nguyên).

By saying the Four Teachings emanating from the same origin, Caodaism maintains that Buddhism, Daoism, Confucianism, and Christianity have the same root (or source), which is designated Dao, from which all religions have come and existed on earth. Dao (the same origin of all religions) is personified as Heaven, Tiān 天, Shàngdi 上帝, Jehovah (Hebrew), God, Gott (German), Dieu (French), etc.

In the Caodai liturgy, based on the Four Teachings emanating from the same origin, Jesus Christ is worshipped on the God’s altar together with the Founders of the Three Teachings, i.e., Shakyamuni, Laozi, and Confucius (see the illustration below).

In the realm of language, also based on the Four Teachings emanating from the same origin, Caodai holy teachings received at numerous spirit evoking seances contain lots of Christian terms along with the Three Teachings ones. The present Preliminary Survey is a proof for the existence of Christian terms in Caodai holy teachings.

Hence, the present Preliminary Survey suggests that understanding Caodai holy teachings requires a knowledge of not only the Three Teachings terms but also Christian ones.

Studying the existence of Christian terms in Caodai holy teachings also helps us realize the “closeness” between Christianity and Caodaism, and this closeness should be more intensively explored.

Last but not least, the fact that Caodai holy teachings use the terms of both the Three Teachings and Christianity should be regarded as a very positive element: It upholds the harmony amongst religions or the inter-religious spirit so as to serve humanity on earth, and it also eliminates religious discrimination which is a poisonous germ splitting every society, ruining friendship and love, and betraying the genuine Dharma of every true religion East and West, past and present as well.

Huệ Khải

Christmas 2018