Religion in the Shang period

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Associate Professor of Religions and Mysticism, Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

This article studies the nature, components and function of religion in ancient China, especially the Shang period. Therefore, the study and analysis of works left from that period, including iconography on ritual bronze vessels, writings on oracle bones, royal tombs, and some late works (such as poetry book), show information about their religious beliefs and rituals. The religion of Shang included the belief in Shang Di, the Supreme God, the spirits of ancestors, the spirits and gods of nature, and the belief in life after death. The Supreme God was at the top and the rest of the spirits and gods were at a lower level and were his agents and subordinates. Communicating with spirits, gods and God in order to obtain favorable living conditions, or at least to be safe from evils, in a mutual relationship, has been associated with the implementation of rituals; the most important of which is very detailed burial, worshiping God and spirits, and ritual of sacrifice, in which shamans and the royal family, especially the king, played a role and supervised the performance of religious rituals. This shows that the Shang religion has the necessary components of being a religion; and the belief in Shang-di also puts it in the category of monotheism. There was a strong link between religion and power, in such a way that religion strengthened the king's power politically and at the same time controlled it, and the king's political power strengthened the religious influence.

Keywords

References

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Religions and Mysticism
Volume 55, Issue 2
December 2022
Pages 292-269

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