Conversation of the Angels

Edited and engraved by Archimandrite Iakinf (Bichurin), Beijing, 1810

A jpg scan is made available of the original copy located under Libri sin. 242 at Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin - Preußischer Kulturbesitz (Berlin State Library - Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, Germany). Another copy also exist under call number 3В 2-4 145 0 at the Russian State Library.

This abridged 1810 edition of the Mandarin Chinese catechesis "Conversation of the Angels" by the Jesuit Francesco Brancati (1607-1671) was compiled by Fr Iakinf with chapter two taken from another Jesuit Andre-Jean Lubelli (1610-1683) published under various titles (1788, 1845), and edited to conform to Orthodox Christian teaching when Fr Iakinf was head of the ninth Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in China (1807-1821).

Chapters one and two have been published by the Chinese Orthodox Brotherhood of Shanghai in 1936 under the title Sheng Jiaohui Yaoke with the divine name Tianzhu replaced by Shangdi along with other minor edits. Chapters one and two were subsequently reprinted including beginning of chapter five in 1948 as part of a prayer book with blessing of St John of Shanghai.

Table of Contents

• Chapter 1. Six tenets of the doctrine of the Holy Church.
• Chapter 2. On the essence of the doctrine of the Holy Church, in question and answer format.
• Chapter 3. Concerning the Ten Commandments of the Lord, in question and answer format.
• Chapter 4. Explanation of the Lord's Prayer.
• Chapter 5. Concerning Precepts of the Church, in question and answer format.

Transcription is completed and proofread which allows it to be searchable and includes rare variant glyphs which can be rendered with a Unicode font.