Chinese names for the God of Abrahamic religions

In the Chinese common religion and philosophical schools the idea of the universal God has been expressed in a variety of names and representations, most notably as 天 Tiān ("Heaven") and 上帝 Shàngdì ("Highest Deity" or "Highest Emperor").

This article is about Chinese terminology for the God of the Abrahamic religions. For the names of God in native Chinese traditions, see Chinese gods and immortals and Chinese theology.

These two and other concepts have been variously combined, in diverse contexts, to form titles such as: Huáng Tiān Shàngdì=Huáng "Emperor"+Tiān+Shàngdì[1] (皇天上帝) or Xuán Tiān Shàngdì=Xuán "Deep"+Tiān+Shàngdì[2] (玄天上帝), Shàngtiān=Shàng+Tiān "Highest Heaven"[3] and Tiāntáng=Tiān+Táng "Vault of Heaven".[4] The compounds tiānshén=tiān+shén "heavenly god"[5] and tiānxiān=tiān+xiān "heavenly immortal"[6] have been used for a deity, in a polytheistic sense. The word Dì by itself has likewise been used for God.[7]

When Abrahamic religions penetrated China, they appropriated some of the traditional titles, or created new compound titles, to express their theology.

General uses

Outside of direct translations in religious books, the following are often-encountered translations of the Abrahamic God in general usage.

Nestorian
Main article: Church of the East in China

The earliest introduction of documented Judeo-Christian religion appears to be Jǐng jiào (景教, literally, "bright teaching") around 635 AD, whose proponents were Nestorian Christians from Persia. Their term for God was Zhēnzhǔ (真主, literally "Veritable Majesty," "True Lord," or "Lord of Truth.").[8] In a hymn supposed to be composed by Lü Dongbin, the Christian God is denominated by the term Tiānzhǔ (天主, literally, "Lord of Heaven"), 800 years before Matteo Ricci and his companions.[9]

Islamic
Main article: Islam in China

Islam has enjoyed a long history in China. For Chinese Muslims, the principal term for God is also Zhēnzhǔ (真主) but transliterations of the Arabic Allâh also exist as Ālā, and as Ānlā=Ān "Peace"+Lā "Help"[10] (阿拉 and 安拉). The term Húdà (胡大), from Persian khudai, for God, is seen more often in north-western China.

Catholic
See also: Jesuit China missions

The earliest documented Chinese Roman Catholic church was founded in China in about 1289. The Roman Catholic Church historically favored Tiānzhǔ (天主, literally, "Heavenly Lord", or "Lord of Heaven"), and so "Catholicism" is most commonly rendered Tiānzhǔ jiào=Tiānzhǔ+jiào "teach"[11] (天主教), although among Chinese Catholics the literal translation of "catholic",[12] Gōng jiào=gōng "Universal"[13]+jiào (公教), is also used.[14] Korean and Vietnamese Catholics also use cognates of the term Tiānzhǔ for God. This appears to have been used by the Catholic Church to separate Confucian traditions, which were reported to worship spirits and therefore incompatible with the exclusive biblical worship of God. Ironically, although versions of popular Confucianism became strongly associated with idol worship, traditionalists, notably the Kangxi Emperor, did not believe that such idolization accurately reflected Confucius's intent; Matteo Ricci also considered Confucius to be a philosopher rather than the founder of a religion.[15]

Protestant
Main article: 19th-century Protestant missions in China

The earliest Protestant missionary to China, Robert Morrison, arrived there in 1807. Before this time, Bibles were not printed for distribution. Protestantism is colloquially referred to as Jīdū jìao (基督教, meaning "religion of Christ") but this term can sometimes refer to all Christians, so Xīnjìao (新教, literally, "new religion") is also used to distinguish Protestants as a group separate from Roman Catholics. Their translators, coming to China later and separately, chose to use the older terminology "Shangdi", apparently believing Shangdi was a valid or preferable representation of the "Most High God".

Translations
Main article: Chinese Bible Translations

A number of terms for "God" exist in the Judaeo-Christian Bible. For example, the first occurrence of a term for God in the Bible is in Genesis 1:1 and is rendered in the English as "God". However, many other titles (such as LORD — usually capitalized, as a replacement for the tetragrammaton — Almighty, etc.) are also used.

God

The term used commonly in Protestant Chinese bibles for God is Shén, or "神". This term is much more generic, meaning god, God, spirit, or soul. This probably appeals to groups who are not committed to interpreting Shangdi as a historical or spiritual equivalent to the "God Most High" of the Bible. The issue has remained controversial for over a century and Protestant organizations have published two versions of the Bible, using the two different words.

Tetragrammaton

In addition, the Tetragrammaton, a four letter pronunciation of the name of God from the original Hebrew often rendered as "YHWH", is rendered in different ways. Catholics have translated this into Yǎwēi (雅威, literally "Elegant Powerful," cf. English "Yahweh"). Protestants originally rendered it as Yéhuǒhuá (爺火華, literally "(old) Gentleman of Fiery Magnificence," cf. English "Jehovah"). A modern Protestant usage is Yēhéhuá (耶和華, phonetic). Some versions translate this term as Shàngzhǔ (上主, literally "Lord Above"), similar to the translation decision that uses a capitalized "LORD" by both Catholics and traditional Protestants. Catholics, Anglicans, and Lutherans particularly use Shàngzhǔ in prayers of the Eucharist.

Lord

The term Zhǔ (主, literally "Lord") is used by both Catholics and traditional Protestants in less formal prayers, and usually by contemporary Protestants.

Other less formal terms are used, for example, Tīanfù (天父, literally "Heavenly Father").

See also

References
  1. "huáng" in Collins Chinese Concise Dictionary, Second Edition (2006), New York: HarperCollins.
  2. "xuán" in Collins Chinese Concise Dictionary, Second Edition (2006), New York: HarperCollins.
  3. "shàngtiān" under headword "shàng" in Collins Chinese Concise Dictionary, Second Edition (2006), New York: HarperCollins.
  4. "tiāntáng" under headword "tiān", and "táng", in Collins Chinese Concise Dictionary, Second Edition (2006), New York: HarperCollins.
  5. "god" in Collins Chinese Concise Dictionary, Second Edition (2006), New York: HarperCollins.
  6. "tiānxiān" under headword "tiān", and "xiān", in Collins Chinese Concise Dictionary, Second Edition (2006), New York: HarperCollins.
  7. "dì" in Collins Chinese Concise Dictionary, Second Edition (2006), New York: HarperCollins.
  8. "Zhēnzhŭ", under headword "zhēn" in Collins Chinese Concise Dictionary (2005), Glasgow: Collins.
  9. "Jesus-Messiah of Xi'an". Hong Kong: The Holy Spirit Study Centre. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
  10. Cf. "ānjìng" "peaceful", under headword "ān", and "lā", in Collins Chinese Concise Dictionary, Second Edition (2006), New York: HarperCollins.
  11. "jiào" in Collins Chinese Dictionary, Second Edition (2006), New York: HarperCollins.
  12. As in the Creed Caput Firmiter from Lateran IV, Una vero est fidelium universalis Ecclesia, in Henricius Denzinger and Ioannes Bapt. Umberg, SJ, edd., (1937), Enchiridion Symbolorum, Definitionum et Declarationum, de Rebus Fidei et Morum, Freiburg im Breisgau: Herder, Canon 1, No. 430, p. 200.
  13. Cf. "gōnglĭ" "universal truth" under headword "gōng" in Collins Chinese Concise Dictionary, Second Edition (2006), New York: HarperCollins.
  14. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-06-22. Retrieved 2013-02-15.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  15. Vincent Cronin (1955/2015), The Wise Man from the West, San Francisco: Ignatius, passim.
  • Example - notice how Shen and Shangti (shangdi) alternatives are offered at the top of the page.
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