The mandate of heaven : hidden history in the I ching

-- Stephen L. Field, professor and chair, department of modern languages and literature, Trinity University The Mysteries Of The Ancient Chinese Text Known As The I Ching Continue To Fascinate Scholars And New Age 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 May Resent Academic Research Into The Oracle Because It Seems Irreverent Or Iconoclastic. The Mandate Of Heaven Attempts To Resolve The Antagonism Between These Two Approaches.--book Jacket. The Framework Of The Argument -- The Title Of The Oracle -- Imprisoned For A Sigh -- An Overlooked Solar Eclipse Record -- Darkness At Noon, June 20, 1070 Bc -- The Army Carries The Corpse -- Battling In The Wilds -- A Few Concluding Remarks -- The Mingyi Bird -- Melons, Willows, Hoarfrost, And Creepers -- King Wen Is Fed His Own Son -- The Curse Of The Ancestors -- Clouds Follow The Dragon -- No Skin On His Thighs -- Appendices: The Sinological Maze Of Wilhelm-baynes ; Genealogical Matters ; Chinese Text Of Hexagram 55 ; The Sexagenary Cycle ; Simplified Dynastic Chronology. S.j. Marshall. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 216-230) And Index. The subject of this study is the earliest layer of the Yijing.