A Note on the Chinese Seals

All the seals in this book (except for the signature seals) have been created by You Shan Tang in the ancient Da Zhuan style from the Shang-Yin and Chou dynasties, ca. 1766–221 B.C. The characters are written in the oldest form that has come down to us – in the way Lao Tzu would have written them in the sixth century B.C.

After 221 B.C., by order of the «First Emperor», Shih Huang Ti, the seal script was standardized throughout China, and its style was formalized. The earlier Da Zhuan style, by contrast, allows for much more creativity and freedom.

THE SEAL: «Christ the Eternal Tao».

In the oldest form in which we find the character Tao it appears thus:, comprised of three elements, representing respectively a road, a human head, and a human foot. The head is topped with the two plumes that were used in ancient days to signify the rank of general, and thus it means «the leader»; while the picture of the foot has the meaning «to follow». Thus, the ancient character for the Tao or Way can be deciphered as «to follow the leader on the road».