Mohist theological and political chapters: translator's foreword

The article serves as a foreword to the publication of the first complete and commented translation of chapters 4, 26-28 of the Mozi from the ancient Chinese into Russian. These chapters are connected with each other through the general issue of the relationship between human society and the supreme founder and maintainer of the world order, which the Mohists call «Heaven». Their text is of paramount importance for the study of ancient Chinese theological thought. The article, which precedes the translation, analyzes the dating, textual characteristics, style, structure, and content of these chapters.