Book of Documents collects ancient Chinese speeches forming political philosophy basis. Fu Sheng preserved 29 Modern Text chapters post-Qin book burning. Old Text version with 16 extra chapters claimed found in Confucius house wall. Qing scholar Yan Ruoqu proved Old Texts fabricated from other sources. Mei Ze's 4th century rediscovery accepted until Song dynasty doubts. Zhou section dominates with over half the text from 11th century BC speeches. Modern Text chapters on Yao Shun Xia are Warring States compositions. Pan Geng chapters show Shang provenance with Zhou edits. Five Zhou announcements use most archaic language matching bronzes. Mandate of Heaven doctrine justifies dynastic cycles Xia to Shang to Zhou. Bamboo slips confirm some unknown passages and minor variants. Transmitted edition has 58 chapters in four eras: Yu Xia Shang Zhou. Chapters types include announcements instructions declarations commands. Warring States authors quoted fewer than half received passages. Han scholars favored Modern Texts – Old Texts lost then refound. Jesuit translations paralleled it to Old Testament Books of Kings.