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Handout #197 |
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The beginnings of Christianity in Korea |
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The distinguishing feature of the first church of Korea is
that it was established by converted lay Koreans. That caused difficulties
subsequently. In a letter of 1789 A.D. Yi Seung-hun (Peter Li) describes the
religious situation in Korea to French missionaries in Peking. He is
disturbed because he has been told that he acted against the rules of the
church.
When I was baptized (by the fathers in Peking) I had only a superficial knowledge of what I should know ... When I arrived in my own country I had nothing more urgent to do than to study my religion in the books which I had brought and to preach to kinsfolk and friends. In my career, I met a wise man who had found a book of our religion which he had studied for several years ... It was he who instructed me; we helped one another to serve God, and helped others to serve him. In the number of a thousand, they submitted to the faith and ardently asked to be baptized. At this general request, I baptized several of them with the ceremonies observed at the baptism which I received in Peking. At this juncture persecution broke out: my family suffered more than any other and this forced me to leave the company of my brothers in Jesus Christ. But so that the baptisms should not stop, I appointed two others in my place. One was the wise man whom I mentioned earlier, and the other was a man who had suffered a good deal from the persecution: he died in 1785 A.D. in the autumn of the year after he had been taken. Towards the spring of 1786 A.D. the Christians met together to discuss how they should confess to one another. It was decided that Kia should confess to Y and to Pin, but that Kia and Y, and Y or Pin, could not make mutual confessions. The Christians again met the same autumn; it was decided that I should say the holy mass and that I should administer confirmation. Not only did I accede to their wishes, but I gave the same power to say mass to ten others. As to the ceremonies, I observed them as they are recorded in different books and hours of prayer, omitting some and adding others. |
