Nestorian Hymn of the Holy Trinity

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Manuscript of Hymn of the Three Majestic Powers of the Luminous Teaching
The first half of the manuscript contains the Hymn of the Three Majestic Powers of the Luminous Teaching, followed by the Zunjing.

Hymn of the Three Majestic Powers of the Luminous Teaching (also known as Hymn of the Three Majestic Powers of the Da-Qin Luminous Teaching; French: Éloge de la Sainte Trinité[1]) is a Jingjiao (Church of the East) manuscript discovered in 1908 by the French sinologist Paul Pelliot at the sealed cave of Dunhuang's Mingsha Mountain. Pelliot acquired the manuscript at a low price and transported it to Paris.[2]

The Hymn of the Three Majestic Powers functioned as a liturgical chant recited by Nestorian believers, consisting of scripture and praise hymns. The manuscript represents texts originally brought to China in 635 by the missionary Aluoben and translated in 760 by the Tang monk Jingjing. "Three Majestic Powers" refers to the Holy Trinity: the Holy Father (Aloho), the Holy Son (Mshiha / Messiah), and the Holy Spirit (the Pure Wind King).

The original scroll is preserved in the Bibliothèque nationale de France under catalogue number Pelliot chinois 3847.[3] An English translation is extant.

The hymn is also included as hymn No. 385 in the Hymnal (New Edition) of the China Christian Council.

Lyrics

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The highest heavens bow in profound reverence and praise,
The great earth, with heavy mindfulness, brings universal peace and harmony.
The true nature of humanity finds refuge and support,
The compassionate father of the Three Realms: the Arhat.

All virtuous assemblies bow with utmost sincerity;
All wise beings sing hymns of praise;
All who embody truth turn to him in complete devotion;
By the holy light of compassion, they are saved and freed from demons.

Incomparable, unequaled, the eternal True Constant—
Compassionate Father, Bright Son, King of Pure Wind—
Among all emperors, he is the Teacher of Emperors;
Among all World-Honored Ones, he is the Dharma King.

He ever abides in the wondrous, luminous, boundless realm,
His radiant majesty fully illuminates the bounded worlds.
From the beginning, no one has ever seen him;
Yet he cannot be grasped through form or appearance.

Solely he embodies absolute stillness and pure virtue,
Solely he wields unequaled divine power,
Solely he remains unchanging, majestically present—
The root of all goodness, infinite and inexhaustible.

Now, with all my thoughts, I recall his compassionate grace,
Praising that wondrous joy which illuminates this land.
Maitreya, the Universally Revered, Great Holy Son,
Widely saves the realms of suffering, rescuing countless beings.

The ever-living King of Life, the lamb of compassionate joy,
Greatly endures suffering without shirking toil.
He vows to abandon the heavy sins accumulated by all beings,
Protecting true nature so that liberation may be attained without hindrance.

The Holy Son sits upright at the Father’s right hand,
His seat surpassing immeasurable heights.
The Great Master, in response to the pleas of the multitude,
Descends with the Dharma-raft to save them from the river of fire.

The Great Master is our Compassionate Father,
The Great Master is our Holy Lord,
The Great Master is our Dharma King,
The Great Master can universally save and deliver.

With the power of the Great Master’s wisdom, he aids the weak;
All eyes gaze upon him without ever turning away.
He bestows sweet dew upon the withered and scorched,
Nourishing the roots of goodness in all who receive his grace.

O Great Holy One, Universally Revered Maitreya,
I praise the oceanic treasury of the Father’s compassion.
Great Sage, humble and pure in the nature of the Wind of Purity,
Clear, condensed, Dharma-ear—wondrous beyond thought.

[This quote needs a citation]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Pelliot chinois 3847 (cote) : Textes nestoriens". archivesetmanuscrits.bnf.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 2018-07-28. Retrieved 2025-11-13.
  2. ^ Paul Pelliot: "Dunhuang Manuscript Cave Travel Notes", in Paul Pelliot's Western Regions Expedition Diary, trans. Geng Sheng. Yunnan People's Publishing House. ISBN 7222031871
  3. ^ idp.bl.uk: IDP International Dunhuang Programme - Pelliot chinois 3847

Further reading

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