The Bible of Bibles; Or, Twenty-Seven "Divine" Revelations — John Shaqi
The Bible of Bibles; Or, Twenty-Seven "Divine" RevelationsGraves, Kersey
Religion
The Bible of Bibles; Or, Twenty-Seven "Divine" Revelations
Graves, Kersey
Free thought
The Chinese have varions sacred books, the principal of which are the
Five Kings. They have also four Holy Books, known as Shoo, and one
called Tao-te, though the word King is a term applied to all their
sacred books. Some of these Holy Bibles are attributed to Confucius, one
of them (Ta-heo, the Great Learning) to his grandson, and others to his
disciples. Some of the sects recognize thirteen Kings, or sacred books,
others only seven, and the principal sect but five. Some of these
Holy Books bear a resemblance to the Christian Gospels, others to the
Epistles; and one of them bears a considerable resemblance to Paul's
Epistle to the Hebrews. They are believed to be divinely inspired;
and all are regarded as authority in matters of faith, doctrine, and
practice. All of them inculcate virtue, and condemn vice and immorality.
I will present merely a brief exposition of a few of the leading books.
I. TA-HEO; OR, GREAT LEARNING.
This book forms the basis of the religious sect known as the Tao-ists.
It treats principally of doctrines, but enjoins many important
duties,--such as family government, the cultivation of the natural
faculties, the acquisition of knowledge, the duty of being honest and
sincere and rectifying the heart, and the moral obligation of having
good rulers and a righteous government as means of making all peaceful
and happy.
II. THE CHUNG YUNG; OR, THE DOCTRINE OF THE MEAN.
This book contains the Golden Rule: "What you do not like others to
do to you, do not so to them." It recommends a state of harmony in the
mental faculties as the path of duty and the road to happiness and to
heaven. It teaches that people should follow the dictates of their
own consciences, and cultivate and fully develop their natures. On the
whole, it admonishes a system of moral perfection. It declares that
spiritual beings are constantly around us, and we do nothing without
them, though we do not see nor hear them. Pretty good spiritualism!
III. THE BOOK OF MANG, OF MENCIUS.
Mang, or Mencius, the philosopher, lived about two hundred years after
Confucius. This Holy Book of his was not admitted into the Chinese canon
till several centuries after it was written. Up to that date it was
regarded as apocryphal, but is now held in high veneration as an
inspired book. It affirms the essential goodness of human nature,
instead of the Christian doctrine of "total depravity." It teaches that
all men are possessed of more or less goodness by nature, but are often
corrupted by bad example and bad governments. It argues the moral right
of the people to choose their own rulers.
IV. SHOO KING; OR, BOOK OF HISTORY.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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