From chronicle to canon: The hermeneutics of the 'Spring and Autumn Annals' according to Tung Chung-shu

This dissertation examines Tung Chung-shu's efforts to establish a scriptural basis for imperial sovereignty and his influence in shaping the relationship between textual authority and political power in the traditional Chinese state. Drawing upon his previously unexamined exegetical writings, this study explores Tung Chung-shu's conceptions of the ontological status and functional roles of the Spring and Autumn Annals and his contributions to the canonization of this text under Emperor Wu of the Han dynasty.;Part One, a study of Tung Chung-shu's literary corpus, reevaluates the traditional attribution of the Ch'un-ch'iu fan-lu (The Luxuriant Gems of the Spring and Autumn Annals). It suggests that this text is most likely a compilation of a wide variety of sources with varying degrees of relation to the historic Tung Chung-shu and should not be accepted as entirely from the hand of this Han master.;Part Two, the focus of the study, reconstructs Tung Chung-shu's legal, ritual, and cosmological interpretations of the Spring and Autumn Annals. Chapter Three is a brief introduction to pre-Han interpretations of the Annals. Chapters Four and Five demonstrate that Tung's interpretations of the Annals as both a book of judgments and a code of ethical principles had a significant impact on the practice of Han law but that his influence on the religious practices of Emperor Wu was more limited. Chapter Six argues that Tung's cosmological interpretations of the Annals were influenced by Huang-Lao thought. By conflating the Taoist ideal of nature with the Confucian conception of Heaven, Tung established a cosmological foundation for his text-based theology. Collectively these chapters show that Tung Chung-shu's interpretations also reflected his efforts to reform Ch'in institutions. Moreover, his ideal of an alternative religious and political culture for the Han was characterized by an emphasis on the value of simplicity which distinguished him from other Confucian scholars. The conclusion considers the significance of Tung Chung-shu's interpretations for the study of comparative scripture and Confucian religiosity.