Scripture of the Realm of Light and Hymnscroll

Abstract

The recently published Scripture of the Realm of Light is one of the documents of the Mingshi Daoist Linage of Qingtian, Zhejiang. The first part, from page 2, line 1 to page 7, line 3, corresponds to the “A Gāthā in Praise of the Unsurpassed Venerable Lord of Light” of Hymnscroll (H.223-34), but two lines are missing. The second part, from page 7, line 4 to page 45, line 3, corresponds to the “In Praise of the World of Light” of Hymnscroll (H.262-338), but one verse is added. Through comparison, it can be determined that the corresponding parts of the Scripture of the Realm of Light and the Hymnscroll are largely the same, but with some omissions, errors, variant readings, and supplements. The Scripture of the Realm of Light and the Hymnscroll can be cross-referenced. As early as 1954, Mary Boyce suspected that the Hymnscroll was missing a verse. Later, fragments in Old Uyghur, as well as Parthian in Manichaean script and in Sogdian script—including this verse—were successively discovered. This Chinese verse now found on pages 39-40 of the Scripture of the Realm of Light is precisely the verse omitted between verses 327-8 of the Hymnscroll. This provides new and concrete evidence for a problem that has persisted for over half a century.