The Discovery of Genesis (3 page)

Another problem involves some new and unconventional ways of interpreting certain characters. Only those knowledgeable in the Chinese language would detect these apparent innovations. For this reason, there are explanatory study notes for each chapter. They are listed with the book references in numerical order at the end of the book. It is hoped that Chinese friends will with hold judgment until all the facts are in, for admittedly we are looking at characters in a somewhat different way. But this is not new! Many books
⁴
have been written in an attempt to decipher ideographically the original intent of the venerable writing, so this book is not unique except in its interpretative foundation in sacred primeval history. One’s natural skepticism gives way to pondering mathematical probability when viewing the great number of characters which accurately portray these ancient sagas. Could so many meaningful ideograms “just happen”—just evolve — without intelligent synthesis?

As coauthor of C. H. Kang’s thought-challenging work, I make no apologies for not being a linguist. I have learned a bit about the Chinese written language during the months of ingesting the submitted characters with their analyses. Perhaps someone, such as myself not engrained in previously accumulated knowledge and biases of the language can be more objective and critical. From the viewpoint of an English-speaking readership, something not clear to me would certainly be equally puzzling and unconvincing to others.

A most annoying experience has been trying to scrutinize a tiny printed character to identify each little stroke in its composition. Therefore a standard part of my equipment has become a three-inch magnifying glass. This is quite impractical, however, for the readers of this book, so each new character under discussion, along with its unfamiliar constituent radicals, have been greatly enlarged and placed in the margins, together with the English equivalents.

All Biblical references are from the Revised Standard Version (RSV) unless otherwise specified e.g. King James Version (KJV), New English Bible (NEB) etc. The more ancient calligraphy found in the text and notes is taken from the work of Lin Tze Ching.
⁵

The outline followed in this book is intended to substantiate evidence for the truthfulness of the Genesis account, climaxed with the introduction of the heretofore unrecognized twin account of Genesis found in the Chinese characters. A brief glimpse into the ancient history and religious background is necessary first to set the stage. Then, in order to understand and appreciate the structure of the Chinese characters, a brief introduction to the written language is added to stimulate interest and launch the reader into the investigation. The body of the book follows thereafter, keeping with the Genesis chronology, as specific characters are scrutinized one by one and reduced to meaningful component parts. Very quickly the reader will begin to recognize the simpler symbols and enjoy the flavor of discovery.

There are many whom we would like to thank for their ideas, counsel given, or review of the manuscript, in whole or in part. Dr. Lit-sen Chang, special lecturer in missions at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, reviewed the completed manuscript and made a number of helpful suggestions.

A special thanks is extended to Dr. E. C. Zimmerman veteran missionary to China for his careful and helpful critique of the entire completed manuscript. I would also like to mention by name others who have been most helpful at some stage in the preparation of the book: Dr. Frances Read, David Doucette, J. R. Spangler, Nancy Wall, Otho Eusey, Dr. Lynn Sauls, John Wood, Dr. Cynthia Watts, Dr. Gerard Damsteegt, Ezra Longway, Lillian Lo, and D.T. Djang.

Finally, I would like to express my great appreciation for the kindness, interest and patience of the staff of Thai Watana Panich Press Co., Ltd., Bangkok, Thailand, who have pains-takingly type-set the book with the disadvantage of working in two foreign languages—English and Chinese! Little does one realize, viewing the completed book, the separate problems they incurred in acquiring Chinese type, the services of a calligrapher, and the reproductions by their press artist of the unfamiliar ancient forms. The technology they found challenging, and the whole was accomplished without complaint!

E
THEL
R. N
ELSON
, M.D.
Pathologist
New England Memorial Hospital
Stoneham, Massachusetts

Chapter 1: Not Without Witness

Theories of man’s origin have haunted scientists and theologians alike for years. They have debated the authenticity of the beginnings of life on this earth as recorded in Genesis. Interested people the world around, it seems, have either accepted these writings “by faith” or have considered them mere fables.
¹

What would be your reaction to an extra-Biblical source of the same narratives as portrayed in the first 11 chapters of Genesis—those “hard-to-believe” early writings? One or two fragmentary stories are found in many early cultures—the creation, the fall of mankind into sin, Noah’s flood—but the whole picture is not there; and vivid, accurate, unmuddied details are lacking. One might think of looking into the most ancient records and artifacts of the oldest civilization in the world for confirmation. That would lead us to China, which proudly claims the distinction of 4,500 years of unbroken civilization. But China? Who would consider this country, with its religious mixtures of ancestral worship, Taoism and its myths and magic, Buddhism and its superstitions and divinations, Confucianism and its scholarly teachings, as the depository of anything Judeo-Christian?

Yet, if we take a journey backward in time, passing the first century B. C., when Buddhism was introduced; the fifth century B.C., when Taoism and Confucianism simultaneously blossomed; and continue back 1,500 or even 2,000 years more, we find a different religious atmosphere. There we find the little-appreciated evidence that these ancient people served only
one
God, had
no
myths or idols, and kept a strict moral code.
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They called their God
ShangTi
(Shang Ti, Shangti, Shangti), the Heavenly (
above
)
Emperor
.

It is supposed that the Chinese originally migrated from a site in Mesopotamia, for they show evidences of similarity to the later Babylo-Assyrian culture in arts, sciences, and government.
³
The approximate date of their origin, 2500 B. C., is surprisingly close to the strict chronological dating of the great event at the tower of Babel which resulted in the division of all mankind into new linguistic groups and the consequent dispersion of peoples over the face of the earth. If God at that time truly confused the mother tongues of earth, these people carried with them a newly acquired spoken language. They also must have had an accurate knowledge of historical events from the beginning of time, which they communicated by word of mouth. This should have been an accurate record, since the period spanned was only three patriarchal lifetimes: Adam to Methuselah to Shem (Genesis 5:3–32; 10:25; 11:10–16).