Including Ancient Books Edited by Him, Books of His Sayings, and Accounts of His Teachings by His Disciples and by Early Apostles and Commentators.
Confucius was born in 552 B.C. and died in 479 B.C. His name was Kung Ch‘in Chung-ni, of which K‘ung was the family name, Ch‘in the personal (i.e., what we call Christian) name, and Chung-ni the special name given upon reaching full age. He was called K‘ung Fu Tse later, the appellation Fu Tse meaning "Master"; and this has been Latinized into Confucius.
1. The actual authorship of but one book is
This book is said to have been written by Confucius himself, in his seventy-second year, and to have been designed by him to serve as an epitome of his teachings upon all ethical, social, and religious subjects. At least, Mencius so speaks of it. The book, in a different form and known as "The Annals of Lu," was in existence before Confucius, and his task seems, after all, to have been to edit and amplify it. The work as it has come down to us, however, undoubtedly unchanged since the Han dynasty, is a bare record of events, almost utterly devoid of instruction and even of interest. 2. A collection of conversations with Confucius, containing many of his most important sayings, was made by his disciples after his death. It is known as: Lun Yü, "The Analects," translated by James Legge, and published in "The Sacred Books of the East." Several important books or collections of books, already ancient when Confucius was born and regarded as classics, were edited by Confucius and further edited by his early disciples. These are: 3. Yi King, the "Book of Changes." 4. Hsiâo King, the "Book of Filial Piety." 5. Shu King, the "Book of History." 6. Shi King, the "Book of Poetry," also called "The Odes."