A Comparison Between The Ideologies Represented In The Hebrew Bible And Taiping Jing

The Hebrew Bible is the culmination of early Jewish thought and is a cenlral representative work of the axial period. The Taiping jing as a foundational Han Daoist classic adopted many Spring and Autumn philosophical doctrines developed during the Chinese axial period. Given that both religious classics share a significant historical status, social influence, and share many conceptual similarities, this paper will analyze and explore both works’philosophies of life and death, including their understanding of moral ethics, social justice, immortality, longevity, curative arts, marriage, death and utopia.The fundemantal concern of The Hebrew Bible and Taiping jing is centered upon the resolution of the relationship between man and heaven(God/Dao), as well as to provide a moral and ethical standard. Both the moral code of the Bible and Taiping jing are absolute and beyond question. The ancient Jewish and Chinese Daoist religions provide an ontological source of legitimacy for their respective life-death philosophies. For example, as a means to achieving social justice; and in order to safeguard the rights of the weak in society, the Bible enforces the law through a stringent judicial system. The Taiping jing, however, relies on ’natural law’ and moral responsibility when dealing with issues pertaining to social justice. Second, the question of ’longevity’ is a common concern of both works. The Bible maintains that, besides the requirement to adhere to God’s command, life and death are ultimately in God’s hands alone. The Taiping jing, however, maintains that both longevity and immortality primarily rest in the hands of the individual and depend on whether the individual has achieved certain moral standards pertaining to good and evil. Furthermore, curative arts are a common concern of Judaism and Daoism. The Old Testament holds that illness is the direct punishment for breaking God’s command, whereas the Taiping jing seeks to cure illness through the Daoist health regiment. Although the two religions offer different approaches to deal with illness, both place an equal emphasis on man’s health and wellbeing, sexual relations as well as the sexes’ various social interactions. With regards to marriage, The Old Testament places special emphasis on the ’Holy Covenant’ established between God and man, whereas the Taiping jing’s focus is primarily natural law.With regards the question of death, the Taiping jing not only advocates the possibility of ’immortality’, but also incorporates the concept of ghosts/spirits and the underworld into its religious doctrinal system. The interaction between ghosts and humans constitutes a crucial part of early Daoist teachings. In The Old Testament, however, death is connected to the concept of "Sheol", taking on negative non-anthropomorphic connotations. Indeed, the Taiping jing and Old Testament’s understanding of man hints at their unique understanding of the underworld. The doctrinal persuit of immortality in the former is further reflected in its funerary rights, whereas the latter’s funerary etiquette holds a sacred status in Hebrew ritual, falling under the constraints of the ’Holy Covenant’. The Taiping jing’s concept of ’yin yang reconcilation’ as well as the interconnectedness between man and the underworld reflects a dualistic world view. Moreover, The Taipingjing and Old Testament’s concept of inter-generational retribution are further reflections of two unique religious doctrines. The former’s concept of "Chengfu" is an integral part of its system of ’natural law’. Whereas the latter’s inter-generational retributive model is firmly under the control of an anthropomorphic God. It is only in reference to the future Utopia that both Daoism’s concept of "taiping" and Judaism’s concept of "shalom" coincide. Both envision a world where external fortune accurately reflects man’s inherent merits.