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[Silk Fiji]

I've heard a Christian insist that the Chinese deity Shangdi is the same as Yahweh, citing this sketchy video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNT82P6JpSM

[jimwalton]

Hmm. I've never heard this idea before. I skimmed through the video. I guess it's possible on this remote idea: In Genesis 10 (the table of nations), there is a possible mention of the Chinese in v. 17: the Sinites.

The name of "Sin" became that of an important deity, appearing in such names as Sennacherib ("may the god Sin prosper the brothers") and even Sinai. It's a name found widely in the ancient Near East.

But the name "Sin" is also found in the Chinese names Siang and Sianfu, for instance. Tsin became the name of a dynasty. The Manchu emperors used the word for a title. It is believed that it was used by the Malays in the form of "Tchina" and then was brought back to Europe by the Portuguese as "China." Even today we call Chinese studies "Sinology," or we use the phrase "Sino-American relations."

What I'm saying is that it may be possible, though nowhere near certain, that the truths about YHWH made their way to eastern Asia. Nor would it be any surprise that the Chinese, if they were hearing the stories of YHWH, would use their own name for Him.

On the other hand, if the Chinese meant to acknowledge YHWH, I would expect their name for Him would show some kind of etymological derivation, and not just be completely different (Shang Di). "Shang Di" means "Supreme Deity," and yet YHWH is ontological, "The God who is; the self-determining God." These are different thoughts.

I guess without knowing too much about it (and I know hardly anything about it!), it doesn't seem apparent or even likely that the two describe the same God. But I'll grant that my information about this subject is tiny.