Great stuff. I have a question. I’ve recently been reading books such as “Ancient China’s Hebrew Connection” by Ryan Steed Parks, “Genesis and The Mystery Confucius Couldn’t Solve” and “God’s Promise to the Chinese” by Ethel R Nelson, “The Gospel Hidden In Chinese Characters” by Timothy D Boyle, and “Faith of Our Fathers: Finding God in Ancient China” by Chan Kei Thong. I must admit that it seems very compelling, that is, that the Israelite exiles arrived at “Sinim” (Isaiah 49:12) and that the Chinese New Year is the Hebrew Passover (also Feast of Unleavened Bread), and that even before then they shared many beliefs, suggesting a common source (Noah), that ShangDi is certainly YHWH the God of Israel, and that also that the Border Sacrifice recalls the gate of Eden where sacrifice was offered. If you’ve already examined these claims, what do you think of these conclusions? Are they legitimate and do you think it’s true?
The exiled Israelites went both East and West along the steppe that included the Silk Road. So, the idea that Israelite exiles arrived in China between 720 and 600 BC is entirely reasonable. Huang-Di was the Yellow Emperor, whom Hamilton identifies as Enosh, the son of Seth (Shennong), third from Adam (Fu-Xi). So I would say that some of those claims have some truth, but some may be exaggerated or misplaced.
The date of the Israelite Exile was toward the latter half of the Zhou Dynasty. So any Chinese traditions that are older than the Zhou would be pre-Israelite contact.
God has used exile multiple times in history to spread the Gospel to new groups through cultural contact.
When you say Huang-Di do you mean the Emperor of Heaven or ShangDi, the one that was worshiped during the Border Sacrifice who apparently had no images
The title itself is Huangdi — literally "Yellow Emperor" or "Yellow Thearch" — one of the legendary Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, traditionally reigning 2697–2597 BC.
Personal names
Sima Qian's Shiji opens the Annals of the Five Emperors with: "Huangdi was the son of Shaodian. His surname was Gongsun (公孫), and his prename Xuanyuan (軒轅)". So the full personal name is usually given as Gongsun Xuanyuan (公孫軒轅).
Alternative and additional names:
Ji Xuanyuan (姬軒轅) — the Shuowen Jiezi says he took the surname Ji after the Ji River near which he lived; this is the ancestral surname later claimed by the Zhou royal house (Wikipedia, ChinaKnowledge)
Xuanyuan-shi (軒轅氏) — Huangfu Mi held that Xuanyuan was the name of the hill where he lived, which he adopted as his own; the Qing scholar Liang Yusheng argued the reverse, that the hill was named after him
Youxiong-shi (有熊氏) — from his hereditary clan or principality, located near modern Xinzheng in Henan
I do not claim to understand ancient Chinese religion. Shang-di was the highest God of the Shang pantheon, and could refer to Yahweh. Huang-di was the Yellow Emperor who was an ancestor.
Great stuff. I have a question. I’ve recently been reading books such as “Ancient China’s Hebrew Connection” by Ryan Steed Parks, “Genesis and The Mystery Confucius Couldn’t Solve” and “God’s Promise to the Chinese” by Ethel R Nelson, “The Gospel Hidden In Chinese Characters” by Timothy D Boyle, and “Faith of Our Fathers: Finding God in Ancient China” by Chan Kei Thong. I must admit that it seems very compelling, that is, that the Israelite exiles arrived at “Sinim” (Isaiah 49:12) and that the Chinese New Year is the Hebrew Passover (also Feast of Unleavened Bread), and that even before then they shared many beliefs, suggesting a common source (Noah), that ShangDi is certainly YHWH the God of Israel, and that also that the Border Sacrifice recalls the gate of Eden where sacrifice was offered. If you’ve already examined these claims, what do you think of these conclusions? Are they legitimate and do you think it’s true?
The exiled Israelites went both East and West along the steppe that included the Silk Road. So, the idea that Israelite exiles arrived in China between 720 and 600 BC is entirely reasonable. Huang-Di was the Yellow Emperor, whom Hamilton identifies as Enosh, the son of Seth (Shennong), third from Adam (Fu-Xi). So I would say that some of those claims have some truth, but some may be exaggerated or misplaced.
The date of the Israelite Exile was toward the latter half of the Zhou Dynasty. So any Chinese traditions that are older than the Zhou would be pre-Israelite contact.
God has used exile multiple times in history to spread the Gospel to new groups through cultural contact.
When you say Huang-Di do you mean the Emperor of Heaven or ShangDi, the one that was worshiped during the Border Sacrifice who apparently had no images
Huangdi (黃帝)
The title itself is Huangdi — literally "Yellow Emperor" or "Yellow Thearch" — one of the legendary Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, traditionally reigning 2697–2597 BC.
Personal names
Sima Qian's Shiji opens the Annals of the Five Emperors with: "Huangdi was the son of Shaodian. His surname was Gongsun (公孫), and his prename Xuanyuan (軒轅)". So the full personal name is usually given as Gongsun Xuanyuan (公孫軒轅).
Alternative and additional names:
Ji Xuanyuan (姬軒轅) — the Shuowen Jiezi says he took the surname Ji after the Ji River near which he lived; this is the ancestral surname later claimed by the Zhou royal house (Wikipedia, ChinaKnowledge)
Xuanyuan-shi (軒轅氏) — Huangfu Mi held that Xuanyuan was the name of the hill where he lived, which he adopted as his own; the Qing scholar Liang Yusheng argued the reverse, that the hill was named after him
Youxiong-shi (有熊氏) — from his hereditary clan or principality, located near modern Xinzheng in Henan
Xuanyuan Huangdi — the formal combined style
I do not claim to understand ancient Chinese religion. Shang-di was the highest God of the Shang pantheon, and could refer to Yahweh. Huang-di was the Yellow Emperor who was an ancestor.
Thanks for taking the time to answer me. Again, your work here has been so helpful and strengthens my faith. Thank you and God bless
Brilliant as always.