Wednesday, May 12, 2010

El Elyon = Shang Di?

It always seemed strange to me that if G-d was truly universal, that is, the G-d of the whole world that he would not speak as clearly to one people as to another. In reality, YHVH was never a G-d for the whole world. He was the particular G-d of the children of Israel. See Deuteronomy 32:8-9. But, YHVH’s father, El, the Highest and Almighty G-d claims to be the Lord of All the World and Father of the G-ds. Surely, if this claim is true, others would have heard about Him as He would have spoken to them and would have sent his Prophets to them as well.

The Hebrew culture although ancient was not the only ancient culture. The people of Mesopotamia and of Egypt were certainly as ancient and also the people of the Indus Valley were ancient. One other people were very ancient as well: the people of that area of the world now known as China.

Ethel Nelson published an interesting article on this subject in Creation 20(3): 50-53. Here is a partial reprint of her article:
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. Even more similar is the Early Zhou pronunciation of ShangDi which is ‘djanh-tigh’ [Zhan-dai].4 Another name for their God which the ancient Chinese used interchangeable with ShangDi was Heaven (Tian). Zheng Xuan, a scholar of the early Han dynasty said, “ShangDi is another name for Heaven (Tian)”.5 The great philosopher Motze (408-382 BC) also thought of Heaven (Tian) as the Creator-God:
‘I know Heaven loves men dearly not without reason. Heaven ordered the sun, the moon, and the stars to enlighten and guide them. Heaven ordained the four seasons, Spring, Autumn, Winter, and Summer, to regulate them. Heaven sent down snow, frost, rain, and dew to grow the five grains and flax and silk so that the people could use and enjoy them. Heaven established the hills and river, ravines and valleys, and arranged many things to minister to man’s good or bring him evil.’ 6
How did ShangDi create all things? Here is one further recitation from the ancient Border Sacrifice rite:
‘When Te [ShangDi], the Lord, had so decreed, He called into existence [originated] heaven, earth, and man. Between heaven and earth He separately placed in order men and things, all overspread by the heavens.’ 7
Note that ShangDi ‘called into existence,’ or commanded heaven and earth to appear.
Compare this with the way the Hebrew text describes the method of creation by El Shaddai, who, we suspect, is identical with ShangDi, and the similarity in name and role would suggest:
‘… by the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. … For He spake, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast’ (Psalm 33:6, 9).
The New World Encyclopedia says:
Shangdi (上帝, pinyin: Shàngdì, Wade-Giles Shang Ti), or simply Di (帝), is the High God (or Clan Ancestor) postulated in the earliest-known religious system of the Han Chinese people. The term can literally be translated as "Emperor (or Sovereign) Above," "Lord On High," "Highest Lord," "the Supreme God," or "Celestial Lord." While such terminology implies parallels with the divinities of the world's monotheistic traditions, two important differences must be acknowledged: first, while Shangdi was understood as a patriarchal ruler deity, this conception was not conflated with a role in the cosmogony; second, He was seen as one deity (ancestor) among many.[1] In this way, Shangdi bears more similarities to the dyeus figures in Indo-European religions (e.g., Zeus, Jupiter, Tiwaz) than to the God of Jews, Christians and Muslims.
However, when we look at the statements in Exodus 6:2 and Deuteronomy 32:8-9 we see that this view of G-d was held by the earliest Hebrews and was transmitted to us in the Torah. El Elyon is Highest G-d literally and El Shaddai means G-d the Almighty. (Note from Rabbi Albin.)
This being said, Shangdi is also the name given for God in the Standard Mandarin Union Version of the Bible, though shen 神 (lit. spirit or deity) was also adopted by Protestant missionaries in China to refer to the Christian God. Much like the ancestors, Shangdi is never represented with images or idols in Chinese tradition.
Just as the descendants of Jacob have conflated the power and authority of the Father G-d El to his Son YHVH, so we find that the Father G-d Shang Di has his power and authority conflated to Tian, the Lord of Heaven.
What conclusions can be drawn? First, that the true G-d is El or Di; that YHVH and Tian are children of El or Di: that the people of Earth have been misled into worshipping the Son and not the Father, who is the True G-d; and that we have a duty to restore the Truth to the world and worship again as was intended.

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