Confucian Theology: Three Models
If there are still disagreements about whether Confucianism is a religion, there seems to be a consensus that Confucianism does not have a theology. In this article, I attempt to show that there are at least three models of serious god-talks in the Confucian tradition: (i) heaven is discussed in the...
Main Author: | |
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Format: | Electronic Article |
Language: | English |
Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
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Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
Published: |
Wiley-Blackwell
2007
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In: |
Religion compass
Year: 2007, Volume: 1, Issue: 4, Pages: 455-478 |
Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
Summary: | If there are still disagreements about whether Confucianism is a religion, there seems to be a consensus that Confucianism does not have a theology. In this article, I attempt to show that there are at least three models of serious god-talks in the Confucian tradition: (i) heaven is discussed in the Confucian classics of Book of Documents, Books of Poetry, and Analects as something transcendent of the world, similar to Christian God in crucial aspects; (ii) heaven is discussed among contemporary Confucians, represented by Xiong Shili, Mou Zongsan, and Tu Weiming, as something ‘immanently transcendent’, the ultimate reality immanent in the world to transcend the world; and (iii) heaven is discussed by neo-Confucians, particularly the Cheng brothers of the Song dynasty, as the wonderful life-giving activity transcending the world within the world. |
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ISSN: | 1749-8171 |
Contains: | Enthalten in: Religion compass
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Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1111/j.1749-8171.2007.00032.x |