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Explanation: “The Mandate of Heaven” is a concept used in Chinese history that performs a legitimizing function for the ruling power of China. The thinking goes, the ruling power could not maintain power on earth without permission of heaven; therefore, their rule is divinely approved.
However, unlike European concepts of divine right, the Mandate of Heaven does not preclude the idea that going against the ruling power may be the correct, or even divinely inspired, course of action. The thinking there is that if the ruling power is able to be overthrown (often preceded by signs of “heaven’s” displeasure, like unrest or natural disasters), then Heaven has removed its mandate, and is offering it to the most just and pious of the challengers. This justification has allowed each succeeding dynasty to claim divine sanction without rebuking their own rise to power.
It’s only sacrilege if you lose!
The concept isn’t that dissimilar to the ancient Roman concept of imperium.
I’d have to disagree there. The Roman notion of imperium is a legal concept; the ‘extent’ of one’s authority.
Roman notions of intersecting governments and gods is more along the lines of the pax deorum - ‘the peace of the gods’. The thinking there being that governments had a certain ‘contract’ with the gods, to respect and honor them, and in turn, be granted the boon of a stable and peaceful land.
The similarity I see is that not being able to wield the authority granted by either concept is proof enough that you don’t have that authority in the first place.
