Ritualization of Texts and Textualization of Ritual in the Codification of Taoist Liturgy

Authors

Catherine M. Bell, Santa Clara University

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

5-1988

Publisher

University of Chicago Press

Abstract

Early in the fifth century in China, the Taoist master began to edit a set of scriptures that had been "revealed" years earlier. These were the Ling-pao or Spiritual tures, considered to be the second major scriptural development of medieval Taoism. ¹ In reconstructing corpus of Ling-pao scriptures from among a multitude and forgeries, Lu worked to present these texts as revelation of the Tao in history, thereby inhibiting further and securing some closure on an early canon. At however, Lu began to codify the ritual material contained scriptures to fashion the liturgical directives that for much of the subsequent Taoist tradition.

Comments

Copyright © 1984 The University of Chicago Press. Reprinted with permission.

https://doi.org/10.1086/463128

Recommended Citation

Bell, C. M. (1988). Ritualization of Texts and Textualization of Ritual in the Codification of Taoist Liturgy. History of Religions, 27(4), 366–392. https://doi.org/10.1086/463128