The Mandate of Heaven [Hardcover]

S. J. Marshall (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 15, 2001

-- Stephen L. Field, professor and chair, department of modern languages and literature, Trinity University

Editorial Reviews

Review

S. J. Marshall's intriguing work will be read with great interest by ["I Ching"] aficionados, and it will also attract the attention of contemporary scholars. The former will be immensely grateful for the clarity that Marshall brings to such an enigmatic text. . . . Everyone who reads "The Mandate of Heaven" will return to the "Book of Changes" with a renewed historical perspective.

About the Author

S. J. Marshall works as an editor for one of the premier medical journals, The Lancet, when he is not pursuing his interest in ancient Chinese history.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 260 pages
• Publisher: Columbia University Press (March 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0231122985
• ISBN-13: 978-0231122986
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,691,481 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The deepest layer of the I Ching, November 24, 2001

By 

Michael P. McGarry (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Mandate of Heaven (Hardcover)

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 Marshall argues that the central text, the "Zhouyi", contains identifiable historical references to events in ancient China.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.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Research, July 11, 2010

By 

Brahman - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Mandate of Heaven (Hardcover)

For those who are interested in a deep historical look at the origins of the I Ching, this is a must book for your library. There are quite a few translations of the "Yi" on the market now, but there really aren't that many books on its historical origins. This book will not teach you how to use the I Ching. It will not teach you how to dissect the trigrams or memorize the Later Heaven Sequence. What it will do is give you a fascinating glimpse into the world that created the Book of Changes. I highly recommend it.