| Shang Zhou Qin and Han period for the founding of the agriculture, the basis of social institutions and social relations is agriculture, and the theocratic regime from the country to folk beliefs and customs are based on agricultural civilization. The country lurks a strong agricultural thinking, which determines the gods as a ritual object, is attached between the subtle agricultural Godhood. This "god of agriculture" is the concept of a broad perspective; agriculture godhood is not the sole godhood of the gods, but as part of the god’s godhood. Determined to gods which possess agricultural godhood have two criteria, at first, the gods have been identified in the area of agricultural production capabilities, and second, when the gods of being sacrificed distinctive agricultural expectations. This paper aims to examine historical documents and unearthed documents, unearth the agriculture godhood of Shang Zhou Qin and Han dynasties, hackle the system for gods of agriculture, explore the evolution of the concept of gods and worship-oriented, examining major agricultural ritual gods, liturgical poetry and song, in order to reveal the agriculture implications in worship and sacrifice. The thesis includes five parts.The introduction describes the origin of the thesis, the main concepts and academic history of this thesis.The first chapter mainly elaborates the agricultural godhood of the deity in the Shang, Zhou, Qin and Han Dynasties. Deity, as the sacrificial offering object, has the agricultural godhood, and this can be generally embodied in the supreme deity and ordinary deity. The Supreme deity mainly refers to the Emperor, the Heaven, Tai Yi and Fang-God. From oracle bone inscriptions and other documents, God can make the wind and rain, we know the God have agriculture authority, so we confirm the god have agricultural godhood.Although the god name varies, but the thinking are the same, so the sacrifice of "God" "Heaven" in Shang and Zhou and other dynasties, including a strong agricultural demand. The foundation godhood and multiple lines linking points of "Tai Yi" is its agricultural godhood. Sacrifice Fang seeks to obtain abundant rains, cereal harvest festival offerings. Sacrifice Fang in Yu Fete become a ordered tradition in Shang Zhou Qin and Han dynasties.Sun-god be seen as God’s agricultural yield, oracle bone inscriptions contained worship of Sun-god in Shang dynasties, already reflect its agricultural godhood. Sun-god in Zhou Qin and Han "Outskirts sacrifice"worship, its core purpose that is, "to pray for farming". Appearance of Luna worship, Bin month, on the eve of the day of the ceremony and the combined offering, are closely related to agriculture. Stars sacrifice inherent in strong agricultural Hope:Star Master storm, dominating the weather, thereby affecting agricultural production, the most typical is the Star of Ji and Bi; stars as farming coordinates to guide agricultural production, the most typical is the Star of Shen and Chen; the sacrifice of Star of Ling, aims to remove hazards to pray farming harvest. Wind god control wind, which inscriptions and historical documents proved, broad and narrow, sacrifice of Wind god, the goal is to pray for rain and corn.Rain god control rain, Fang god and the god of Dragon are also the Rain god, sacrifice Fang, sacrifice Yu, burning wizard designed to pray for rain. Thunder god and Cloud god are small gods, but the sacrifice of Thunder god and Cloud god carrying the expectations of the harvest.The second chapter mainly elaborates the agricultural godhood of land in the period of the Shang, Zhou, Qin and Han Dynasties. The god of She is the agricultural deity of Shang dynasty. Sacrifice the god of She is intended to ending or seeking rather stormy wind and rain, Ju Long, Yu is worship for the god of She, is the association for agricultural deity worship and ancestor worship. God of Ji is one of the Lord God in Zhou dynasty, the need for high-yield agriculture, as well as the desire of royal rule, Sacrifice regime change, the godhood of Hou Ji also both ancestral god, god of agriculture, the state protection of God. The god of mountain an river are considered the gods dominated the wind, rain, and agricultural harvest, therefore they worshiped by the ways of sinking corpses, Liao sacrifice etc., in order to pray for rain and sunshine.The Zha sacrifice, Jitian ceremony, silkworm sacrifice are closely related with the agricultural ritual. A series of rituals for the agricultural gods in the Zha sacrifice aim to reward the protection from all agricultural gods and people pray for a harvest next year. The study of the language and religious music of Zha, Yiyun, will be aware of the death and funeral ceremony to pay homage to God grain offering is the core content of the original Zha cultural metaphor. Ji Tian sacrificial ritual objects including the god of the land, the god of grain and Xiannong,from Western Zhou Dynasty to Han Dynasty, both with strong agricultural godhood.The silkworm worship is mainly towards female gods, and the reason contains not only the idea that women contributed more in feeding and managing silkworm, but also to match with the male gods who were dedicated to farming. The agricultural expectation in the ritual is mainly around the grains and silkworm harvest.The third chapter mainly discusses the agricultural godhood of the ancestral gods in the Shang, Zhou, Qin and Han Dynasties. Tools creatures from the Eight Diagrams is one of the agriculture achievements of Shennong, All of the tools are related to agriculture, God of Yan and Shennong argument makes agriculture god and ancestor together, so Shennong have dual godhood, subsequently, with the integration with Xiannong faith, "Shennong-God of Yan-Xiannong""tie-linking and xiannongtan of worship, reflects the importance and worship of agriculture.Inscriptions and historical documents recorded the "Bin Emperor", as well as ancestor worship activities carried out, from people in Shang dynasty held notion ancestor affect agricultural production, therefore pray for good harvest, rain, sunshine, and grains, in order to achieve the agricultural rituals purposes. Due to the demands of agriculture by offering Shang ancestor was given agricultural godhood.Zhou attaches great importance to agricultural production, Houji, Emperor Wen, Emperor Wu as tie-in god in Outskirts Heaven, not only the demand in political control, aimed at strengthening the imperial power from Heaven and protect people, but also the shadow in the agricultural worship, aimed at express repay and aspiration for agricultural, which is the root cause of time, space and the concept of gods in Outskirts sacrifice. The Outskirts sacrifice in Qin and Zhou are difference, but gods in "Zhi Ji" also have agricultural godhood. Han Dynasty inherited the tie-in god tradition, through evolution and transformation, made up the southern suburb of Heaven, tie-in ancestors, northern suburb of the earth, tie-in deceased mother, temple hall is equipped with ancestor worship system. Outskirts sacrifice belongs to the typical agricultural sacrifices, and the main sacrificed gods, subordinative sacrificed gods, and buried sacrificed gods all have a strong agricultural godhood.The epilogue concluded the whole thesis, discussed the reasons that agricultural godhood unchanged, concluded for stable agricultural fundamention and the multiple godhood. While the agriculture godhood in agriculture civilization as an entry point, discussed the reasons that ancient civilization didn’t appear A spirit of religion. We concluded agricultural fundamention, one god for multiple godhood and same godhood in different gods, polytheism worship and utilitarian beliefs hindered the formation of A spirit of religion. |
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