a deity of the Chinese, often spoken of in terms which seem to point him out as, in their view, the Supreme Being, the only true God. This is, however, a much disputed point. Mr. S.C. Malan, in his work Who is God in China? argues in favor of Shang-te as identical with the God of the Christians. Others, (and among them Rev. Mr. M'Letchie) maintain that: Shang-te is not a personal being distinct from matter, but a soul of the world. The word is often used by Chinese classical writers to denote the power manifested in the various operations of nature, but is never applied to a self-existent Almighty Being, the Creator of the universe. In the sacred book Shoo-king there are no fewer than thirty-eight allusions to a great power or being called Shang-te. The name itself, as we learn from Mr. Hardwick, imports august or sovereign ruler.
To him especially is offered the sacrifice Looe, and the six Tsong, beings of inferior rank, appear to constitute his retinue. In the Shoo-king it is stated, and perhaps with reference to the nature of Shang-te, "Heaven is supremely intelligent: the perfect man imitates him (or it), the ministers obey him (or it) with respect, the people follow the orders of the government." Others maintain that in the very oldest products of the Chinese mind no proper personality has ever been ascribed to the supreme power. Heaven is called the father of the universe, but only as earth is called the mother. Both are said to live, to generate, to quicken; are made the objects of prayer and sacrifice. Heaven is a personification of ever present law, order, and intelligence. By these writers Shang-te is believed to be nothing more than a great "Anima mundi," energizing everywhere in all the processes of nature, and binding all the parts together in one mighty organism.
The Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature was edited by John McClintock and James Strong. It contains nearly 50,000 articles pertaining to Biblical and other religious literature, people, creeds, etc. It is a fantastic research tool for broad Christian study.
John McClintock was born October 27, 1814 in Philadelphia to Irish immigrants, John and Martha McClintock. He began as a clerk in his father's store, and then became a bookkeeper in the Methodist Book Concern in New York. Here he converted to Methodism and considered joining the ministry. McClintock entered the University of Pennsylvania in 1832 and graduated with high honors three years later. Subsequently, he was awarded a doctorate of divinity degree from the same institution in 1848.WikipediaRead More