The worship of the Jade Emperor originated in prehistoric times. At that time, there was no such name, only? God? Or? The emperor? In fact, it means the emperor of heaven. So from this perspective, we must say that the prototype of the jade emperor should be heaven and earth. Prehistoric ancestors were in awe of everything in the world, such as wind, rain, thunder, lightning, earthquake, flood and drought. The ancestors thought it was a masterpiece of heaven, so they worshipped it.
Because there were no mature words at that time, it was difficult for us to have a glimpse. But in Shang dynasty, it was already in Oracle Bone Inscriptions, Oracle Bone Inscriptions? The emperor? With what? Wang? Meanwhile. According to the Oracle, what is in the sky? God? The most powerful, okay? Feng Ling? 、? Rain? 、? Lei Ling? 、? Disaster? Wait a minute. After the destruction of Shang Dynasty in Zhou Dynasty, it directly inherited the merchant's view of heaven emperor. Call it? God of heaven? ("elegance? ), Han Yun? Oh, my god. ("Monthly Order") and so on. And also imagine that the emperor of heaven also has a palace similar to the imperial court on earth, called? Di ting? Or? Diso? . The Zhou Dynasty strongly advocated the view of God. Why did Zhou Kangwang call himself after that? What about Zhou? It was because of his emphasis on divine right that he claimed to be the son of the Emperor of Heaven.
During the Warring States period, what do you think? Heaven emperor? It's Polaris. Polaris is located on the rotation axis of the earth, so it looks relatively static on the earth. According to the Taoist cosmology, at this time? God? Naming? Taiyi? . Because? Taiyi? Is the essence of everything in the world, isn't it? One life two, two lives three, three lives everything? .
During the Qin and Han dynasties, relying on Taoist ideas, it was further improved? God? The image of Wei Zi Palace is the palace of the Emperor of Heaven, and the Big Dipper is the royal car of the Emperor of Heaven. There is a mural in Wushi Temple in Shandong Province, which expresses? Taiyi? The image of the god patrol in the Beidou car.
Southern and Northern Dynasties after the frescoes of Wushi Temple in Shandong Province? Jade emperor? 、? Jade emperor? The name began to appear and spread widely. Then it was not until the Tang and Song Dynasties that the Jade Emperor really took the supreme position of the Emperor of Heaven. This is mainly because the Tang Dynasty was Li Tang, and they believed that the ancestor was Laozi, that is, Li Er, so they respected Taoism even more. And in the Song Dynasty, what about Yuan Tan's alliance? After the humiliation, Song Zhenzong further sublimated the orthodox position of the Jade Emperor under the guise of a sealed book. Also arranged the drama of the Jade Emperor's accession to the throne. The Jade Emperor now has a formal and officially recognized orthodox supremacy. Therefore, if you look at the image of the Jade Emperor in The Journey to the West, you also have the demeanor of an official in the Song Dynasty. I guess it's influenced by this.
Therefore, the emergence of the Jade Emperor is certainly related to the worship of gods and religion, but the most important thing is the support of the rulers. It is a way for the rulers to fool the people and benefit themselves!