An idealized portrait of Confucius even appears on the façade of the U.S. Supreme Court building, known in American history as the Temple of Justice.

A marble frieze on the temple’s south wall depicts an imaginary procession of nine historical lawmakers from different civilizations Before the Common Era; they are arranged in chronological sequence and grouped by four allegorical figures representing fame, authority, light of wisdom, and history. Confucius (551-497 BCE) is juxtaposed between Draco (Greek, 7th century BCE) and Augustus (Roman, 1st century BCE) in the final group; together the triad exemplifies the humanistic developments of philosophy and history in the ancient world.

According to historical records, Confucius was active in the final years of the tumultuous period known as chunqiu 春秋. The term chunqiu literally means Spring and Autumn and derives from the title of a contemporary historical text. The text is organized as an annalistic compilation documenting important affairs, both internal and external, of the state of Lu (鲁) from 722 to 481 BCE. The Spring and Autumn period was a hegemonic world – a political system of decentralization in which powerful feudal lords, known as hegemons ba (霸) – acted as de facto rulers while maintaining nominal and ritualistic loyalty to the ancient royal house of Zhou. For this reason the Spring and Autumn period is often referred to as the first half of the Eastern Zhou dynasty.

The ancient Lu state roughly corresponds to the modern province Shandong on China’s northeastern coast and they share the same capital, Qufu (曲阜). Qufu was also the birthplace of Confucius and has been a traditional epicenter of intellectual activities of the Confucian school of thought since his lifetime. The life of Confucius in many ways reflects the history of his native state of Lu. Born into an extinguished noble family in a state on the wane, Confucius was an inevitable product of his time, a transitional phase when ritualized warfare and political intrigues among the hegemonic states would eventually degenerate into complete anarchy, known as the Warring States period zhanguo (戰 國). While the history of the Warring States is characterized by unsanctioned violence at massive scales – genocides of peoples and cultures were commonplace – it was also an unprecedented time of robust intellectual activities and technological advancements. Because of his posthumous fame, Confucius is commonly viewed as the seminal prototype to later thinkers of the so-called “Hundred Schools,” who flourished during the Warring States period.

In life, Confucius was one among many talented men in a rapidly expanding diplomatic corps searching to serve a worthy master – for Confucius the ideal ruler was characterized by an unchallenged moral character and he who governs by benevolence. What distinguishes Confucius from his contemporaries is his legacy as the teacher par excellence to a large school of worthy disciples, who recorded, compiled, and transmitted his teachings in The Analects. Despite a lofty reputation as one of the greatest lawmakers in world history, the highlight of Confucius’s career in public service was as the police commissioner of the state of Lu. It is in this post that Confucius first achieved fame as a deft advisor at the Summit at Jiagu, a historical event illustrated in this painting. According to the colophon:

In the tenth year of the reign of Duke Ding of Lu state (r. 509 -494 BCE), the lords of the Qi and Lu states conferred at Jiagu to negotiate a potential alliance. Confucius was in charge of the ceremonial proceedings on behalf of the embassy from Lu. During the summit, the embassy of the Qi state played music native to the uncivilized tribes. Confucius admonished: “Why play the music of the barbarians when the lords of two civilized states are conferring to build everlasting friendship? It is requested that elegant music appropriate for court be played!” The Qi embassy continued to play barbarian music. Confucius again admonished: “Those who humiliate Duke Ding of Lu on this solemn occasion must be executed! It is requested that proper punishment be carried out!” His call for adherence to decorum shamed the lord of the Qi state. Driven to regret the impropriety demonstrated by his embassy, the lord of the Qi state returned lands that were once seized from the state of Lu and offered an apology.”

This story provides an apt description of the political environment of the Spring and Autumn period, when feudal lords maintained ducal titles so as not to violate their nominal loyalty to the Zhou royalty and engaged not in overt warfare, but convert political intrigues of shifting alliances. This painting depicts a hegemonic world when rulers of states still engaged each other in a ritualistic manner and tolerated expectations of propriety to maintain a semblance of order. This historical context helps us better understand the inceptive rationale of Confucian philosophy, for Confucius was witness to a regressing humanity at a historical precipice. Confucianism was, in its primordial form, a sage’s attempt to save his fellow men from their inevitable demise.