The Original ‘Unknown’ God of China
ShangDi, the Creator-God of the Chinese, surely appears to be one and the same as the Creator-God of the Hebrews. In fact, one of the Hebrew names for God is El Shaddai, which is phonetically similar to ShangDi.
Why did the emperors sacrifice a bull on the great white marble Altar of Heaven at an annual ceremony?
The ceremony goes back 4,000 years. Found in the Shu Jing (Book of History).
Who is ShangDi? This name literally means ‘the Heavenly Ruler.’
The emperor took part in this annual service dedicated to ShangDi, the following words were recited, clearly showing that he considered ShangDi the Creator of the world:
‘Of old in the beginning, there was the great chaos, without form and dark. The five elements [planets] had not begun to revolve, nor the sun and moon to shine.
You, O Spiritual Sovereign, first divided the grosser parts from the purer. You made heaven. You made earth. You made man.
All things with their reproducing power got their being.’
For the Christian, the above recitation sounds strangely familiar. (Genesis 1)
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| Temple of Heaven in Beijing China |
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