Born in 551 B.C. in the Chinese province of Lu, Confucius had a difficult childhood. Although his father belonged to the nobility and was renowned as a warrior,¹ the family had struck hard times, and Confucius spent his childhood in poverty. When Confucius was only three years old, his father died. In order to support his family, Confucius was forced to take a job as a hired servant when he was still very young.² Despite his family’s poverty, however, he still managed to get an education, which started him on the path toward a lifelong pursuit of knowledge.

Confucius loved learning and teaching. At age fifteen he dedicated himself to study.³ When he was twenty-three, his mother died, and it was after this that he turned his attention to teaching. That same year he divorced his wife of four years in order to free himself for his academic pursuits. Confucius became well known in the province of Lu and acquired a number of loyal followers who traveled with him around the state.

Eventually Confucius decided to enter politics in order to reform the disorganized social system of China. Living during the Chou dynasty, Confucius observed the disorder and moral decay of the Chinese Empire and concluded that restoration would come only through a return to ancient wisdom.⁴ At about age fifty-one he achieved the status of Minister of Crime in the state of Lu, an influential position from which he implemented many reforms and became a trusted adviser of the Duke Ding of Lu.

Confucius’ success, however, did not continue. Apparently he fell out of favor with the duke, and the intrigues of his colleagues forced him to resign his position and go into exile in 496 B.C. Although the details as to what caused his resignation are not certain, it is known that he left the province of Lu to travel throughout China, seeking a ruler who would heed his advice. He went to the various feudal lords who governed the states of China, but his search proved useless.

Rejected, impoverished, and denied a political position of influence, Confucius finally returned to the state of Lu in 484 B.C.. There he spent the remainder of his life organizing the classics—such as the Book of Songs and the Book of Documents—and writing commentaries on them. Strangely, he never took the opportunity to record his own teachings, perhaps because his goal was primarily to draw attention back to the works of antiquity which he respected so much. In any case, Confucius died around 479 B.C., at approximately age seventy-two, leaving his disciples to draw up an account of his life, work, and teachings.

Years after Confucius’ death, his disciples wrote a work called the Analects of Confucius, which preserved his life and teachings for future generations. According to the Analects Confucius focused on ritual and right conduct, especially in regard to relationships. Some of his ideas came very close to the truth. For example, he preached love for all. In fact, he even came up with a rule of conduct very similar to the Golden Rule taught by Jesus in the Bible. “What you don't want done to yourself, don't do to others,” Confucius instructed.⁵ In spite of the truths found in his moral code, however, Confucius placed too much emphasis on ritual and the outward appearance. He did not realize that “man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”⁶ He also failed to recognize a final judgment or life after death, which deprived his ethical system of meaning. If this life is all there is, why does it matter how a person acts? But despite its flaws, Confucius’ teaching set down in the Analects had an incredible impact on Chinese society.

After his death and the writing of the Analects, Confucius’ ideas grew popular throughout China and the rest of Asia as well. China’s government instituted the worship of Confucius, and by 210 B.C. its laws began to reflect Confucian ideals.⁷ During the Han Dynasty, Confucianism became the state religion, and by 130 B.C., public officials were required to have knowledge of Confucius’ teachings.⁸ Confucianism also spread to countries such as Japan and the Koreas. Although Confucius did not achieve his goal of social and political reform during his lifetime, his work eventually had a greater impact than he could have imagined.

Endnotes

¹Charles Aiken, "Confucianism," The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume IV, 15 September 2003, http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04223b.htm (7 December 2003), The Teacher, Confucius. Return

²Aiken, "Confucianism," The Teacher, Confucius. Return

³Pat Zukeran, "Confucius," http://www.probe.org/docs/confucius.html (5 December 2003), The Life of Confucius. Return

⁴Jeffrey Riegel, "Confucius," The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2002 Edition), 3 July 2002, http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2002/entries/confucius/ (5 December 2003), Confucius’ Life. Return

⁵Charles Muller, "The Analects of Confucius," 5 March 2003, http://www.hm.tyg.jp/~acmuller/contao/analects.htm (11 December 2003). Return

⁶1 Samuel 16:7, NIV. Return

⁷Dr. J. Domínguez, "Confucianism," 1 December 2003, http://religion-cults.com/Eastern/Confucianism/confuci.htm (5 December 2003). Return

⁸Caroline Myss, Ph.D., "The State Religion," http://www.myss.com/worldreligions/Confucianism2.asp (11 December 2003). Return

Sources

Aiken, Charles. "Confucianism." The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume IV 15 September 2003. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04223b.htm (7 December 2003).

Domínguez, J. M.D. "Confucianism." 1 December 2003. http://religion-cults.com/Eastern/Confucianism/confuci.htm (5 December 2003).

Muller, Charles. "The Analects of Confucius." 5 March 2003. http://www.hm.tyg.jp/~acmuller/contao/analects.htm (11 December 2003).

Myss, Caroline, Ph.D. "The State Religion," http://www.myss.com/worldreligions/Confucianism2.asp (11 December 2003).

Riegel, Jeffrey. "Confucius," The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2002 Edition). 3 July 2002. http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2002/entries/confucius/ (5 December 2003).

Zukeran, Pat. "Confucius," http://www.probe.org/docs/confucius.html (5 December 2003).