Genesis and the Mystery Confucius Couldn't Solve

by Ethel R. Nelson and Richard E. Broadberry

Every year, the Chinese used to offer a “border sacrifice” to a god called ShangTi. This was held annually from 2205 BC (possibly earlier) to 1911 AD.

ShangTi = “the emperor above.” (20) In Cantonese (the oldest Chinese dialect), it’s pronounced ShangDai… El Shaddai?

She gives dozens of examples like:

The ancient ideogram for earth combines the symbols for person/adult male and ground. God formed man from the dust of the ground. (32)

These are not super compelling, but they are interesting, and there are a lot of them.

The symbol for ShangTi includes 3 mouths or persons. Thus the three persons of the Trinity, speaking things into existence. (30)

The symbol for beginning combines father and garden. (37)

woman + son = good (giving the woman Eve to Adam was good) (39)

Another symbol for beginning combines two + persons + glorious. (49)

The symbol for garden depicts the 4 rivers of Eden. (57)

These symbols are taken from a very ancient writing system which is preserved on bones used for fortune telling (“oracle bones”). There is something cool about the idea that God would use these evil artifacts to preserve the ancient writing and the connection to Scripture.

restrict = tree + adult + male (69)

restrain = mount + tree (you shall not eat of the tree; restrain yourself)

mouth + tree + God = law

garden + secret + man = devil (71)

The border sacrifice to ShangTi is tied to the daily sacrifice made at the eastern gate (border) of Eden. (94)

Kuang Wu was Emporer of China at the time of the crucifixion. (116)

Page 122 has “those who accept Jesus…” This is a CPH book!

Ussher’s Timeline (147)

• 2348 BC - the Flood
• 2247 BC - Tower of Babel
• 2205 BC - Hsia dynasty, first in China
• 1998 BC - 350 years after the Flood, Noah dies

Given how ancient the border sacrifice was – still during the lifetime of Noah – it is not as farfetched as you might think that details of the Biblical accounts would cling to ancient writing and customs from that time.