Christian idea of God = Ancient Chinese (Pre-Qin)

1. Ancient Chinese (Xia,Shang, Zhou, Pre-Qin) view of God:
Names of God:  
	ÉÏµÛ, cf Hebrew name: Sha-dai
	Éñ:  left: proclaim; manifest reveal
	Ìì: 
	(cf ¿××Ó: Ê«¾­,ÖÐÓ¹ ); 
One God: 166BC Chief of Censors wrote: 
	"I venture to say that nothing is more foolish than this new figment of the spirits ShangTi, of which he says that there are five.  It is indeed certain, that from the most ancient times, all who have been wise, and deemed masters of the nation, on account of their reputation for distinguished wisdom, have known but one ShangDi, eminent over all, on whom all things depend, from whom is to be sought whatever is for the andvantage of the empire, and to whom it is the duty and custom of the emperors to sacrifice."
Chinese have never made an image of ShangTi.
Creatian story (from border rituals, twice yearly by emporers): 
	"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 the moon to shine.  IN the midst thereof there existed neither forms nor sound.  Thou, O spiritual Sovereign, camest forth in Thy presidency, and first didst divide the grosser parts from the purer.  Thou madest heaven; Thou madest earth; Thou madest man.  All things with their reproducticing power got their being."  	"Thou hast vouchsafed O Ti, to hear us, for Thou regardest us as a Father..."

Characteristics: Father, loving, good, all-powerful

2.  Christian belief of God (cf CHinese character of 2500BC, Moses ~ 2000BC)
Creation story;
Beginnings 1
  In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a shapeless, chaotic mass, with the Spirit (Áé) of God brooding over the dark vapors. 3  Then God said ...
	

-- concentration on earth
1st period: 	Light & Darkness
2nd period: 	Atmosphere
3rd period: 	Dry land appears (water in oceans)
		Plants created	
4th period: 	Sun & Moon
5th period: 	Sea animals
		Fish
		Birds
6th period:	Animals
(not contradicted by fossil record)
Finally at the end of period Six:

... Then God said, "Let us make (Ôì) men in our image,someone like ourselves, to be the master of all life upon the earth and in the skies and in the seas."  So God made man like his Maker.  Like God did God make man;  Man and maid did he make them.  And God blessed them and told them, "Multiply and fill the earth and subdue it; you are masters of the fish and birds and all the animals.  And look! I have given you the seed-bearing plants throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food.  And I've given all the grass and plants to the animals and birds for their food."  Then God looked over all that he had made, and it was excellent in every way. This ended the sixth period of time.

	Now at last the heavens and earth were successfully completed, with all that they contained.  So in the seventh period, having finished his task, God ceased from this work he had been doing,  3  and God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he ceased this work of creation.

Interesting comments:
	Adam (µØ) is first (ÏÈ) man 
	Location? Initially one man in an enclosed garden (to west of China Î÷)	Everything good: he must have been happy close to God (¸£)
	Ancient Chinese also had a seven day week (Couperie). Why?
	
