Some have raised the point that the ancient Chinese dynastic civilization is - just as the archaic Egyptian civilization was once thought to have been - so ancient that it antedates even the Genesis estimations for the beginning of humanity and the Flood.
Introduction
How could there be sophisticated civilizations on earth prior to the creation of the world?
For a long time, until evolutionary thinking and dating models set in, the date for the creation of the world was generally accepted (by those who believed that it was indeed created by God) at around 4000 BC.
James Ussher (1581-1656), Archbishop of Ireland, famously dated this grand event to midday on Sunday October 23, 4004 BC.
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View full-sizeDownload James Ussher (or Usher; 4 January 1581 – 21 March 1656) was the Church of IrelandArchbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland between 1625 and 1656. He was a prolific Irish scholar and church leader, who today is most famous for his identification of the genuine letters of the church father, Ignatius of Antioch, and for his chronology that sought to establish the time and date of the creation as "the entrance of the night preceding the 23rd day of October... the year before Christ 4004"; that is, around 6 pm on 22 October 4004 BC, per the proleptic Julian calendar.
But when, some centuries later, chronologists of ancient civilizations arrived at dates for the beginnings of dynastic history that well pre-dated this biblical estimation, then the Genesis account fell into ridicule.
How could there be sophisticated civilizations on earth prior to the creation of the world?
Taking the case of ancient Egypt, the highly regarded chronologist, Eduard Meyer, of the Berlin School of Egyptology, had astronomically dated the beginning of Egyptian dynastic history to 4240 BC, some centuries earlier than archbishop Ussher’s date for creation.
I discussed the worth of Meyer’s astronomical model in my:
…. Meyer‘s belief that the ancient Egyptians had actually used this Sothic period of 1,460 years as a kind of long-range calendar is pure supposition, with no evidence in support of it.
In fact Meyer had to go to Classical texts to get some of his key information:
to Theon, an Alexandrian astronomer of the late 4th century AD, and to the 3rd century AD Roman author, Censorinus.
According to Meyer’s interpretation of the Sothic data as provided by Censorinus, a coincidence had occurred between the heliacal rising of Sirius and New Year‘s Day in the 100th year before Censorinus wrote his book, De Die Natali Liber, c. AD 140.
Meyer was therefore able to determine from there, using multiples of 1,460, his Sothic series of:
AD 140
1320 BC
2780 BC
and 4240 BC.
However, Censorinus had not actually connected the 1,460-year period with Sirius; his evidence contradicts that of Theon, according to whom the conclusion of a 1,460-yearperiod had occurred in the 5th year of the emperor Augustus — 26 BC, as opposed to Censorinus’ testimony that a Great Year had commenced in c. AD 140. ….
That date of 4240 BC for the unification of Egypt under pharaoh Menes (First Dynasty) became the accepted norm until wiser heads prevailed.
However, whilst the date for Menes currently stands at c. 3100 BC - considerably lower than both Meyer’s estimation and the era of Creation - the broad pattern of Meyer’s artificial Sothic arrangement still prevails.
But even 3100 BC is about a millennium too early for Menes, I have argued in:
Today, a more fertile ground for critics may be ancient China, which, like Egypt once again, has known many dynasties.
Biblical lecturer John D. Morris (Institute for Creation Research) tells of his having been the recipient of such a query from a scholar about the Chinese:
I was lecturing on the Biblical and scientific evidence for recent creation to a university audience in Hong Kong, China, when a scholar raised the objection:
"The Chinese have a documented history going back many thousands of years, much earlier than your dates for creation and the Flood.
We have known dynasties and named rulers.
The Bible must be wrong."
Critics have said the very same thing about the Egyptian and other ancient histories, presuming them to be right, hence the Bible must be wrong.
The fact is that, when exposed to the torch of scrutiny, they are found to be, not right.
What about China?
China’s Documented Dynasties
According to Morris, reliably documented Chinese history does not even precede 2000 BC:
The solution lies in an examination of the earliest Chinese dynasties.
Actually, precisely documented dynasties go back only to about 2000 B.C.
The first true dynasty was founded about 4000 years ago by a leader remembered for having "sweetened the waters," making the land habitable after wide-spread flooding.
The ten listed dynasties before that, however, were of a different sort, with very long lives and questionable details attributed to them.
This sounds suspiciously Noachic and reminds one of the great Genesis Flood.
And I shall be having more to say about Noah and the Chinese.
Fr. Hieromonk Damascene will begin by exploring an earlier phase of Genesis in his article, “Ancient Chinese History in Light of the Book of Genesis” (I do not necessarily accept Fr. Damascene’s dates)
In looking at the Chinese history in light of the Book of Genesis, it will be helpful to look first at the earliest known religion in China.
Later, we will see how this ancient religion fits in with the Biblical account of ancient history.
The earliest account of religious worship in China is found in the Shu Jing (Book of History of Book of Documents), the oldest Chinese historical source.
This book records that in the year 2230 B.C., the Emperor Shun“sacrificed to Shangdi.”
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View full-sizeDownload Emperor Shun (Chinese: 帝舜; pinyin: Dì Shùn) was a legendary leader of ancient China, regarded by some sources as one of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors being the last of the Five Emperors. Tradition holds that he lived sometime between 2294 BC and 2184 BC. Tradition also holds that those with the surname Hu (胡) are descendants of Emperor Shun. The Duke Hu of Chen, 胡公滿, a descendant of Shun, became the founder of the State of Chen. Later Chen dynasty emperors such as Chen Baxian would also claim descent from Shun. That is, he sacrificed to the supreme God of the ancient Chinese, Shangdi meaning Supreme Ruler.
This ceremony came to be known as the “Border Sacrifice,” because at the summer solstice and Emperor took part in ceremonies to the earth on the northern border of the country, and at the winter solstice he offered a sacrifice to heaven on the southern border.
The Chinese have been called one of the most history-conscious and tradition-conscious peoples of the world.
This is seen in many aspects of Chinese culture.
Perhaps it is seen most of all in this very Border Sacrifice which the Emperor performed twice a year.
This ceremony, which goes back at least to 2230 B.C. was continued in China for over four thousand years, up until the fall of the Manchus in A. D. 1911.
Even though the people gradually lost an understanding of what the ceremony was all about, and Shangdi was obscured behind all kinds of pagan deities in China, nevertheless the worship of the one God, Shangdi, was continued faithfully by the Emperor up into modern times.
The oldest text of the Border Sacrifice that we have dates from the Ming Dynasty.
We know this from the Border Sacrifice of which we spoke earlier.
The Border Sacrifice was like the sacrifices of Noah, which were like the sacrifices of Adam. And, as we have seen, the God that was invoked at the Border Sacrifices was the One God, the Creator of universe, that both Noah and Adam worshiped.
The prayers that were at the Chinese Border Sacrifice bear remarkable similarity to the prayers of the ancient Hebrews because both come from the same source:
the religion of Noah.
An interesting point to ponder is why the Chinese called their sacrifices “Border Sacrifices,” and why the Emperor traditionally performed them at the border of the Empire.
We know that Adam would have performed his sacrifices outside the borders of Paradise, probably as close as possible to Paradise, outside the Gate that was guarded by the Cherubim.
During a prolific 20-year career on stage, the performer has been ‘opening beautiful doors with communication and compassion.’
"The Chinese love Israel more than any other people I have ever met,”
says Ahinoam Nini, the international concert and recording artist known outside of Israel by her stage name, Noa.
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View full-sizeDownload Achinoam Nini (Hebrew: אחינועם ניני, romanized: Aẖinóʿam Nini; born 23 June 1969), known professionally as Noa (נועה), is an Israeli singer-songwriter, percussionist, poet, composer, and human rights activist working internationally. She is accompanied by guitarist Gil Dor and often plays the conga drums and percussions as she sings. Noa represented Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 together with singer Mira Awad, with the song "There Must Be Another Way". Her music is known to fuse languages and styles. She has performed in 52 countries and was the first Israeli artist to perform in the Vatican.
She posted daily blog entries about her experiences on tour in China with her Israeli-Arab singing partner, Mira Awad, in May.
The two women, who promote peaceful initiatives on and off stage, are well traveled but had never been to the Far East.
"The Chinese admire Jewish wisdom and perseverance and see themselves as ‘the Jews of Asia.’
The message of peace Mira and I convey is agreeable to them, of course, but I must say, it is the music itself that moves them to tears, not the politics.
We seem to evoke the deepest emotions in so many people here.
It is a great honor.”
….
‘I never perform a song I am not completely in love with’
An official United Nations goodwill ambassador, Noa has performed at venues ranging from the Vatican to Carnegie Hall to Oslo, entertaining the likes of former US President Bill Clinton, the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and the Pope.
"I’m a performance artist who’s good at concerts, and I have a loyal, large fan base.
I’m more interested in quality and originality than popularity.”
….
"I get a lot of help and support from my wonderful husband and my parents, who are just amazing,” she says.
"I have made many compromises, but it’s worth it.
As a song I once wrote goes, ‘Life is just a balancing act,’ and I am doing my best.
I consider myself very, very lucky to have such a beautiful family.”
Portrait by Joshua Reynolds c. 1769
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View full-sizeDownload Edmund Burke (/bɜːrk/; 12 January [NS] 1729 – 9 July 1797) was an Anglo-Irishstatesman, journalist, writer, literary critic, philosopher, and parliamentary orator who is regarded as the founder of the social and cultural philosophy of conservatism. Regarded as one of the most influential conservative thinkers and writers, Burke spent most of his political career in Great Britain and was elected as a member of Parliament (MP) from 1766 to 1794 in the House of Commons of Great Britain with the Whig Party. His writings and literary publications influenced British conservative thought to a great extent, and helped establish the earliest foundations for modern conservatism and liberal democracy. His writings also played a crucial role in influencing public views and opinions in Britain and France following the 1789 French Revolution, and he remains a major figure in modern political conservative circles.
