An Ancient Chinese Mystery Cult
1942; Cambridge University Press; Volume: 35; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1017/s0017816000029679
ISSN1475-4517
Autores Tópico(s)Chinese history and philosophy
ResumoAncient China of the first century B.C., like ancient Greece, possessed more than one religion. There was the national state religion, worshipping the Supreme One ( Tai-yi —, also called Heaven [ Tien ] and the Lord on High [ Shang-di ]), the Five Lords on High ( Wu-di or Wu-shang-di ), the imperial ancestors, and other divinities, whose sacrifices were supported by the imperial government. For the educated, there were two philosophical religions, Confucianism and Daoism. For the common people, there were gods, spirits, and ghosts of various sorts, whose care was attended to by such professionals as shamans (mostly female), fortune-tellers, physiognomists, mediums, and exorcists. Such animistic cults were despised by the more intelligent Confucians, who considered them as mere superstition. The famous Confucian, Sün-dz ( ca. 320– ca. 235 B.C.), had indeed denied the existence of all spirits.
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