E-raamat: Mandate of Heaven: Hidden History in the Book of Changes [Taylor & Francis e-raamat]

The Mandate of Heaven presents new evidence that challenges current thinking on the origin of the Book of Changes. S. J. Marshall shows that the oracle book contains allusions to lost historical narratives that have eluded discovery for the past 3,000 years. In this probing and accessible investigation Marshall brings alive the mysteries of the ancient text.

At the core of this work is the concept of "tian ming", the "Mandate of Heaven", originally given to King Wen in the 11th century BC, which the author traces back to its origin. Credited not only with founding the Zhou dynasty but also with creating the ancient oracle known as the Book of Changes.

The Mandate of Heaven was originally given to King Wen in the 11th century BC. King Wen is credited with founding the Zhou dynasty after he received the Mandate from Heaven to attack and overthrow the Shang dynasty. King Wen is also credited with creating the ancient oracle known as the Yijing or Book of Changes. This book validates King Wen's association with the Changes. It uncovers in the Changes a record of a total solar eclipse that was witnessed at King Wen's capital of Feng by his son King Wu, shortly after King Wen had died (before he had a chance to launch the full invasion). The sense of this eclipse as an actual event has been overlooked for three millennia. It provides an account of the events surrounding the conquest of the Shang and founding of the Zhou dynasty that has never been told. It shows how the earliest layer of the Book of Changes (the Zhouyi) has preserved a hidden history of the Conquest.