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[German Version] (Pinyin-transcription: Aluoben). Alopen is the sinized name of the first Nestorian from "Da Qin," i.e. the East-Roman Empire or Syria, to be received by emperor Taizong (ruled 626-649) in the empire's capital Chang'an, now Sian or Xi'an in 635 (Nestorian Mission). The stele of Sian or Sian-fu (781) inscribed in Chinese and Syriac reports that …

1. Religious History 1.1. Temples are places to worship God (§1) or the gods. Their construction and artistic furnishings reflect the basic cosmological and mythical ideas of a religion. Especially the way of distinguishing the sacred and the profane, which is not always as clear and simple as in the case of the Greek temenos or the Roman templum, is demonstrated by the shape of the temple. In many cases, as in the East, we find concentric spheres of the sacred, culminating in the holiest place of all (Sanctuary). A ¶ path leads from the outer secular sphere through intervening rooms …