REV. ARTHTR EJ.WIST, ON CONFUCIANISM. 



69 



and to the Chinese mind husband and wife are by no means equal. 

 I should have thought Legge's translation beyond question the 

 correct one, had I not happened upon a Chinese commentator who 

 clearly approves the other explanation. It is possible that the 

 original meaning was that Duke Chan " associated" the worship of 

 his father and King Wan with God, by worshipping them at the 

 same time and with the same or similar sacrifices, and that after- 

 wards this practice introduced the notion of equality of the beings 

 worshipped, At any rate it seems to me that too much stress must 

 not be laid upon one text. In one of the Psalms it is said, " I said 

 ye are gods," and the meaning is not easily explained ; but I think 

 no one would assert that all the Israelites, or all their nobles and 

 judges, were said to be " gods " in the sense of equality with 

 Jehovah. For the interpretation of Confucius I rely upon the 

 general tenour of his teaching. But during more than two 

 thousand years, and among many millions of scholars, no doubt 

 there have been many different interpretations of that teaching 

 among the Chinese ; and it is not surprising that foreign students 

 differ in opinion. 



