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THE NATURAL ATTRIBUTES OF SHANG TI
AS REVEALED IN THE SHE JING
The Supreme God of scripture is
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Shang Ti as Revealed in the She Jing(Book of Poetry)
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Eternal
He has always been and always will be
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They did have a concept of eternal life. "May the Son of Heaven
live for ever" (Legge, 554-555). They believed they would live in the
presence of Shang Ti (Legge, 427-428). Thus they must have considered Shang Ti
to be eternal.
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Sovereign
All authority belongs to Him. Nothing can happen without His permission.
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"
明明上天。照臨下土"
(
詩經，小雅二，北山，小明，一章)
"O bright and high heaven,Who enlightenest and rulest this lower
world!" (Legge, 363)
" 有命自天。" (
詩經，大雅三，大明，六章
)
"The favoring decree was from heaven,Giving the throne to our King
Wan" (Legge, 435)."
下民之辟" The ruler of men below! (Legge, 505).
Other references in the She Jing that reveal the sovereignty of Shang Ti are
found in Legge pages 65, 66, 316, 325 (with Isa. 45:6-7), 427, 523, 529, 575 -
"Heaven's determinate appointment" is found in Legge, 578, 608, 624,
636, 639-641, 645.
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Immutable
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No specific references found
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Omniscient
He knows everything
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" 昊天孔昭" (
詩經，大雅三，抑，十一章)"
Great Heaven is very intelligent" (Legge, 517)."
Great Heaven is intelligent and clear seeing" (Legge, 503).
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Omnipotent
All power belongs to Him
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"
商之孫子。其麗不億。
上帝
既命。侯于周服。"
( 詩經
，大雅三，文王，四章)
"The descendants of Shang were in number more than hundreds of thousands;
but when Shang Ti gave the command they became subject to Chow" (Legge,
430).
Other passages that reveal the omnipotence of Shang Ti are found in Legge pages
325, 451.
We also find, "mysteriously Great Heaven is able to strengthen
anything" (Legge, 564).
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Omnipresent
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No specific references found.
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Infinite
He is beyond measure
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" 蕩盪上帝"
"How vast is Shang Ti" (Legge, 505).
"It is like Great Heaven, illimitable" (Legge, 352).
Other passages are found in Legge pages 325, 340, and 448.
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By the very nature of poetry there are many possible interpretations for each
poem. This is understandable because poetry is understood with the heart as
well as with the mind. In light of what we have already learned about the
Chinese understanding of Shang Ti, there can be little doubt that the
interpretation adopted by James Legge, based on the Chinese commentators, is
perfectly acceptable. Thus the Shu Jing adds more evidence to the thesis that
Shang Ti revealed in the Chinese Classics is a general revelation of the same
God Christians have come to know intimately through His special revelation in
the Bible.
MORAL ATTRIBUTES OF SHANG TI
AS REVEALED IN THE SHE JING
The Supreme God of Scripture is
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Shang Ti as Revealed in the She Jing
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Love
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"Heaven protects and establishes thee... that thou mayest enjoy
every happiness" (Legge, 255-256). (See also Legge, 635).
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Holy
Perfect
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" 疾威上帝"
" How arrayed in terrors is Shang Ti” (Legge, 505).
" 昊天不色?" (
詩經，大雅三，抑，十二章)
"Great heaven makes no mistakes" (Legge, 518).
"The bright and glorious Shang Ti" (Legge, 583).
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Grace
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"There is peace throughout our myriad regions; there has been a succession
of plentiful years: - Heaven does not weary in its favour" (Legge, 607).
"Shang Ti regarded her with favour" (Legge, 621).
Other passages include Legge pages 640 and 641.
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Faithful
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"
惟予侯興。上帝臨汝。無貳爾心"
(
詩經，大雅三，大明，七章)
"We rose [to the crisis]Shang Ti is with you [said Shang-Foo to the King]
Have no doubts in your heart" (Legge, 436, also p. 623).
"The ordinances of heaven - how deep are they and unintermitting"
(Legge, 570).
Other passages include Legge pages 582-583 and 622.
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Just
Righteous
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"
命之不易。無遏爾躬。宣昭義問。有虞殷自天。"
(
詩經，大雅三，文王，七章)
"The appointment (decree) is not easily (preserved)Do not cause your own
extinction. Display and make bright your righteousness and name, And look at
(the fate of) Yin in the light of heaven" (Legge, 431).
"
皇天弗尚。如彼泉流。無淪胥以亡。"
(
詩經，大雅三，抑，四章)
"Shall not those whom great heaven does not approve of, surely as the
waters flow from a spring, sink down together to ruin?" (Legge, 512).
Other passages include Legge page 523.There were times when people questioned
the justice of Heaven. (See Legge, 312-313, and 340 and compare it with similar
questions in the Bible in Job 34:5, 10-12 and Lam. 3:38-41.)
"It is not God that has caused this evil time, but it arises from Yin's
not using the old ways" (Legge, 509).
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Merciful
Compassionate
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"Compassionate heaven, arrayed in terrors" (Legge, 326, 330).
Other passages are found in Legge pages 519 and 564.
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It is this perfect justice of an omnipotent Creator that should
cause every human being to tremble in fear of judgment. He is the sovereign
Shang Ti who determines what is right or wrong. No one is ignorant of the high
moral standard that He requires of all His creatures. And yet none of us have
lived up to His perfect standard. "All have sinned and come short of the
glory of God" (Rom. 3:23).
There would be no hope for any of us to have a happy eternity if
it wasn't for the fact that Shang Ti is also merciful and wise. Shang Ti has
devised a way for sinful people to restore their broken relationship with Him.
We will learn about this a little later.
Goodness
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"
上帝不寧。不康煙祀。居然生子"
(
詩經，大雅三，生民，二章)
"Did not Shang Ti give her the comfort? Had he not accepted her pure
offering and sacrifice? so that thus easily she brought forth her son?"
(Legge, 467, also p. 620-621).
"
於皇來牟。將受厥明。明昭上帝。迄用康年。"
( 詩經，周頌，臣工)
"How beautiful are the wheat and barley. Whose bright produce we shall
receive! The bright and glorious Shang Ti will in them give us a good
year" (Legge, 582-3). (Se also 580 and 635)
"receive the blessing of Heaven" (Legge, 375, 386, 460).
"receive the blessing of Ti" (Legge, 452).
In these poetic books, like the poetic literature of the Bible, we find people
questioning the goodness of Heaven. (See Legge, 310-311, 336, 559) Trials, such
as Job in the Bible went through, are common to the entire human race!
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Wisdom
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"
維此王季。帝度其心。"
(
詩經，大雅三，皇矣，四章
)
"The King Ke Was gifted by Shang Ti with the power of judgment."
(Legge, 451).
" 昊天孔昭" (
詩經，大雅三，抑，十一章)
"Great Heaven is very intelligent" (Legge, 517).
"Heaven enlightens the people" (Legge, 509).
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The Shu Jing is the Book of History. It is also one of the most venerated and
important manuscripts of ancient China. It covers a period of history from 2400
B.C. to 721 B.C. We now list some of the attributes of Shang Ti as they are
recorded in the Shu Jing. They match up with most of the attributes of Jehovah
as revealed in the Holy Bible.
NATURAL ATTRIBUTES OF SHANG TI AS REVEALED IN THE SHU JING
The Supreme God of Scripture is
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Shang Ti or Heaven as Revealed in the Shu Jing
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Eternal
He has always been and always will be.
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As the Shu Jing covers a period of history from 2400 B.C. to 721
B.C. we can logically assume that the Chinese believed Shang Ti to be eternal.
He has always been there and always will be. They never try to explain the
origin of Shang Ti or Heaven. They always worshipped Him as the Supreme God!
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Sovereign
Nothing can happen without His permission
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" 天之
曆數在汝躬，汝終蔀?
元后"
(? 書，大禹? 十四節尾 )
The determinate appointment of Heaven rests on your person; you must eventually
ascend the throne of the great sovereign" (Legge, 61, end of verse 14).
Many other references from the Shu Jing also reveal the ancient Chinese
understood Shang Ti or Heaven to be sovereign: Legge pages 54, 61, 73, 89, 153,
179, 213-214, 245, 269, 287, 299, 311, 313, 425, 454-455, 479, 497, 548, 567,
and 613.
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Infinite
Beyond measure
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The fact that they did have a concept of Heaven's omnipotence, omniscience, and
omnipresence all imply Heaven's infinite attributes.
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Immutable
He never changes
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"
惟上帝不常。作善降之百殃"
(° 商書，伊訓 八節)
"The ways of God are not invariable; on the good doer He sends down all
blessings, and on the evil doer he sends down all miseries" (Legge, 198).
(See also Mal. 3:5-6)
"To revere and honour the way of Heaven is the way ever to preserve the
favoring regard of Heaven" (Legge, 183). We must not forget that Jesus is
"the way of Heaven" (Jn. 14:6).
Other references from the Shu Jing that reveal an understanding of the
immutability of Shang Ti are found in Legge pages 186, 209, 332, and 490.
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Omnipotent
His power is greater than all the forces of the universe combined.
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"
皇天既付中國民，越厥疆土于先王。"
( 周書，梓材六節 )
"Great Heaven having given this middle kingdom with its people and
territories to the former kings" (Legge, 418).
Omnipotence would be implied in the ability to control entire peoples and
territories.
God warned the people of coming calamities by "signs" in the heavens
(Legge, 163-167). Such ability to control the heavens implies omnipotence.
Compare this understanding of the Chinese with God's special revelation in Gen.
1:14-18, Matt. 16:1-4, and Lk. 12:54-56.
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Omniscient
He knows everything
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"
惟天聰明，惟聖時憲。"
( 商書， 說命中三節)
" It is heaven which is all intelligent and observing" (Legge, 255).
"Heaven sees as my people see; Heaven hears as my people hear"
(Legge, 292).
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Omnipresent
All of God is everywhere all the time
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"
惟德動天，無遠弗屆。滿招損，謙受益，時乃天道"
( 虞書，大 禹? 二十一節)
"It is virtue which moves Heaven. There is no distance to which it does
not reach. Pride brings loss, and humility receives increase. This is the way
of Heaven" (Legge, 65).
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MORAL ATTRIBUTES OF SHANG TI AS REVEALED IN THE SHU JING
The Supreme God of Scripture is
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Shang Ti or Heaven as Revealed in the Shu Jing
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Love
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" 惟天惠民" (
周書，泰誓中四節)
"Heaven loves the people" (Legge, 290).
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Holy
Perfect
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"
惟德動天，無遠弗屆。滿招損，謙受益，時乃天道"
( 虞書，大 禹?
二十一節)"
It is virtue which moves Heaven. There is no distance to which it does not
reach. Pride brings loss, and humility receives increase. This is the way of
Heaven" (Legge, 65-66, also 193-194, 269-271).
" 具嚴天威"(
周書，呂刑十七節 )
"In everything stand in awe of the dread majesty of Heaven" (Legge,
604, 559).
"Heaven was not with him because he did not seek to illustrate his
virtue" (Legge, 457-458).
Other passages that illustrate the ancient Chinese understanding of the
holiness of Heaven or Shang Ti are: Legge pages 174, 188-89, 285, 396, 399-401
(with Isa. 28:7), 480, 482, 484, 495, 499-500 (with Ps. 73), 507, and 597.
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Wisdom
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"
亦越成湯，陟丕釐上帝之耿命"
( 周書，立政四節 )
"T'ang, rising to the throne, greatly administered the bright ordinances
of Shang Ti" (Legge, 512).
"Heaven gifted our King with valor and wisdom" (Legge, 178).
"Heaven guided his mind" (Legge, 427). (Compare this concept with
James 1:5 in the Bible).
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Grace
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"
惟時上帝，集厥命于文王"
( 周書，文侯之命一節
)"Therefore did Shang Ti cause his favoring decree to light upon King
Wan" (Legge, 613).
This seems parallel to Noah finding grace in the eyes of the LORD (Gen. 6:8).
" 皇天眷佑有商"
Heaven has graciously favored the House of Shang" (Legge, 206).
Other passages that reveal the grace of Shang Ti or Heaven are in Legge pages
315, 378, 387, and 443.
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Faithful
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"Heaven took notice of his virtue, and caused its great appointment to
light on him, that he should soothe and tranquillize the myriad regions"
(Legge, 199).
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Goodness
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"
亦越成湯，陟丕釐上帝之耿命"
( 周書，立政四節 )
"T'ang, rising to the throne, greatly administered the bright ordinances
of Shang Ti" (Legge, 512).
"God leads men to tranquil security" (Legge, 455).
Other passages that reveal the goodness of God are found in Legge on pages 79
and 286.
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Merciful
Compass-ionate
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"Heaven had compassion on the people" (Legge, 426).
Other passages that reveal God's mercy or compassion are found in Legge pages
65-66, 207, 288, 454, 462, and 506.
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Justice
Righteous-ness
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" 有夏多罪，天命? 之"
( 商書，湯誓一節 )
"For the many crimes of the sovereign of Sya Heaven has given the
charge to destroy him" (Legge p. 173-5).
"
惟天監下民，典厥義"
( 商書，高宗月日三節)
" inspection of men below, Heaven's first consideration is of their
righteousness" (Legge p. 264-266, see text and notes).
Many other passages reveal the ancient Chinese had a strong concept of the
justice of God. See Legge pages 55, 74, 168, 186-187, 216, 276, 295-296, 304,
459, 461, 514, 592, and 616.
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