The Gods among Us: A Shared Recipe for Making Saints in Early Jewish and Daoist Hagiographies
Religions February 23, 2024 Jianyu Shen 1 citation
Early Jewish and Daoist hagiographies share a common pattern for constructing the image of saints as quasi-divine beings during their earthly lives. Comparing Sefer Shivchei Ha-Ar”i and Shenxian Zhuan reveals three key phases: mystical birth, life in seclusion, and divine encounters. In these stages, sages receive esoteric wisdom and godly features that make them extraordinary exemplars of religiosity. Both traditions emphasize human-centered sainthood rather than divine endorsement, where painstaking periods of self-isolation and learning with true masters are more crucial to the transformation of identity than predestined birth. The earthly realm serves as a dynamic incubator that breeds holiness for the most qualified souls.