Erkegün (English spelling)

Japanese: エルケウン（英語表記）erkegün

A term used to refer to Christian clergymen, especially those of the Nestorian sect, in the Yuan dynasty in China. It is generally believed to include Nestorian adherents, but this is not certain. There are several theories about the origin of the word, including the Syrian arkun and the Arabic rekhabium. Nestorianism was already practiced by the Kerait and Ongut tribes before Genghis Khan, but later spread to the Yuan royal family, and later Catholic clergymen were also called by the same name. During the Yuan dynasty, Nestorians were given privileges such as tax exemption, along with Buddhist monks, Taoists, and Islamic scholars.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

中国，元代にキリスト教の聖職者，とくにネストリウス派のそれを呼んだ語。一般にはその教徒をも含んで呼称するとされるが確かではない。語源については，シリア語arkunやアラビア語rekhabiumなどの説がある。ネストリウス派は，すでにチンギス･ハーン以前よりケレイトやオングート部族などの間で信仰されていたが，のち元の王族にも広まり，後来のカトリックの聖職者なども同様に呼ばれた。元では仏僧，道士，イスラム学者と同様に，免税などの特権が与えられた。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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