Religious Thought and Practice in the Analects

Abstract

Most contemporary interpreters of the Analects agree that the text presents a religious perspective or, at the very least, that the text has religious aspects, but scholars have taken diverse positions on what kind of religious perspective that is. This chapter examines the most controversial religious themes in the Analects, namely Confucius’ views on the existence and nature of Tian and spirits. Through a close reading of the text, it examines why these ideas have presented interpretive challenges to contemporary scholars of Confucianism and how the views of traditional and contemporary interpreters relate to the text, especially in light of the cultural and religious context of ancient China. Both terminological and interpretive issues are explored, as well as the range of positions on religion in the Analects, ranging from a-theistic to theistic interpretations. Close attention is given to the textual evidence concerning spirits and Tian in the Analects in relation to the spectrum of views in the field.