The Mandate of Heaven: Hidden History in the I Ching

By S.J. Marshall

Book Overview

The mysteries of the ancient Chinese text known as the I Ching continue to fascinate scholars and enthusiasts alike. While sinologists rely on historical criticism to explain the meaning of the work, those who use it for divination tend to accept without question the traditional account of its origin and purpose. Whereas modern scholars are generally dismissive of the book's reputed mystical significance, traditionalists often resent academic research into the oracle because it seems irreverent or iconoclastic. In The Mandate of Heaven, S. J. Marshall sets out to reconcile these opposing approaches. He plumbs the book's numerous, hidden historical references, reading them against other sources, and discovers that the oracle has far more narrative integrity and basis in historical fact than anyone has previously appreciated.

The Mandate of Heaven focuses on the story of the I Ching's origins. The book is attributed to King Wen, who died before he could succeed in overthrowing the tyrannical Shang dynasty. His son, King Wu, eventually triumphed over the Shang and established the Zhou dynasty as the legitimate royal house. According to the tradition, these events are in some ways alluded to in the earliest layer of commentary in the I Ching, but no sound historical basis has been discovered to substantiate this claim. Consequently, since the 1930s sinologists have discounted the value of this tradition. Marshall uncovers an account of Wu's conquest in an important, previously overlooked passage that tells of a solar eclipse believed by the King to have been an omen from Heaven to immediately march against the Shang. Marshall is able to match this account with a scientifically verified solar eclipse that took place on June 20, 1070 B.C., just one of his many historical readings that show how the earliest layer of the I Ching has preserved a hidden history that has remained undetected for three millennia.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0231122993
• ISBN13: 9780231122993
• Release Date: September 2002
• Publisher: Columbia University Press
• Length: 260 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.1" x 8.3"
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

The deepest layer of the I Ching

This fascinating book balances rigorous historical research with a respect for the profundity of the *I Ching*. Marshall argues that the central text, the "Zhouyi", contains identifiable historical references to events in ancient China. Specifically, Marshall argues that the date of the Conquest of the Shang Dynasty by what would become the Zhou Dynasty can be located in the year 1070 BCE, on the basis of evidence in the "Zhouyi" --- including a hitherto undetected reference to a solar eclipse in the text of Hexagram #55! In the course of his argument, he brings to life the semi-mythical figures of King Wen & King Wu (virtuous founders of the Zhou Dynasty) and Zhou Xin (depraved tyrant, last Shang ruler). He cogently suggests specific links between Shang bone oracles and the text of the "Zhouyi". By citing Chinese characters in the text, and providing a glossary of them in the back, he allows the reader to feel a part of the detective work he is doing. Overall, I enthusiastically recommend this book to anyone with an interest in ancient China and to anyone who works seriously with the *I Ching*. The former will find historical bases for figures often dismissed as mythological, while the latter will find profoundly meaning depth in some of the *I Ching's* inscrutable phrases.