Abstract
Kairos is one of the core rhetorical concepts and a significant way of thinking in ancient Greece, while ancient Chinese civilization has also witnessed quasi-kairotic thinkings. Among its implications, timing and moderation are two basic elements. Studies have displayed an intersection between kairos and religion by exploring the rhetoric of timing in the New Testament. However, The comparative study in this regard has hardly been touched upon. In order to further investigate the religious thoughts in kairos, we propose following questions: 1) What kind of relationship between people and Gods/celestial God is reflected in the kairotic thinking of Ancient Greek and Chinese Pre-Qin classics (c.800-221BC) respectively? 2) What are the major similarities and differences? 3) Why does kairos in these two cultures reflect such relationship? To solve these questions, we will mainly analyze two classics in detail: The Book of Documents (Shang Shu《尚书》) and Hesiod’s Works and Days. Also probed into are the corresponding religious thoughts in the Songs of Chu (Chu Ci《楚辞》) and the Book of Change (Zhou Yi《周易》) in Pre-Qin era as well as Hesiod’s Theogony and Plato’s Phaedrus in Ancient Greece. Through this comparative study, we have discovered a common theological feature within–the importance of Gods or celestial God in guiding people to act appropriately in the right time. Tracing back to the works in the Axial Age is of great significance, as it will not only enrich kairos by revealing its religious thoughts, but also suggest an effective way of deepening the research on key categories.
Presenters
Yiling FangStudent, Doctoral Student, Soochow University, Jiangsu, China Qian Na
Soochow University
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2023 Special Focus—Religion in the Public Sphere: From the Ancient Years to the Post-Modern Era
KEYWORDS
Kairos; Religious thoughts; Axial Age; Comparative study
