Are Chinese Tian (天) & Shangdi (上帝) the Same as the Christian God?
Firstly, it's important to know that "Tian" and "Shangdi" have been synonyms for at least two thousand years. Both Western and Chinese scholars agree on this, but sometimes it's worth providing evidence for those unfamiliar with the topic. I'll start by quoting a Chinese source:
"By the Western Zhou Dynasty, Tian and Di had already become one. They were essentially the same in their religious hierarchies, divine powers, divine characteristics and social functions. In the Western Zhou Dynasty, Tian Di as the greatest god had authoritative, moral, rational and national characteristics. People were very religious and they worshiped and relied on Tian Di."There is, however, some difference in usage that we should address. If Tian and Shangdi are the same than why are there two different terms? A Cambridge researcher has written:
"Tian was not a high god [during the Shang dynasty], but quite literally, the sky. The sky was the location of the Shang Di and the other ancestral spirits, so it came to serve as a euphemism for Shang Di or, more broadly, for Shang Di and all the celestial phenomena and spirits who were under his aegis."
We often say things like "Beijing has decreed" when we really mean "Xi Jinping, president of China, has decreed." We use locations, specifically capitals, as synonyms for government leaders. This may have been part of the original distinction between Tian and Shangdi, but even this difference was lost over time. Christians also use "heaven" as a synonym for God. If a Christian said "only heaven knows" then other Christians would understand that to mean that only God knows.
When Catholics first established themselves in China in the 1200s they decided to translate God as "Tianzhu" ("Heaven Lord," 天主) and when Protestants entered later they chose to translate God as "Shangdi." Historical Christians have recognized the interchangeability of Tian and Shangdi with the biblical God.
Etymologically, I think it's clear that Tian and Shangdi are the same as the Christian God, but do they have the same qualities? I think they do, and I think Tian/Shangdi is actually more similar to the Christian God than other supreme deities like Zeus or Odin. I'll quote the ancient Chinese philosopher Mozi (墨子):
"Moreover, I know Heaven [Tian, 天] loves men dearly not without reason. Heaven ordered the sun, the moon, and the stars to enlighten and guide them. Heaven ordained the four seasons, Spring, Autumn, Winter, and Summer, to regulate them. Heaven sent down snow, frost, rain, and dew to grow the five grains and flax and silk that so the people could use and enjoy them. Heaven established the hills and rivers, ravines and valleys, and arranged many things to minister to man's good or bring him evil. He appointed the dukes and lords to reward the virtuous and punish the wicked, and to gather metal and wood, birds and beasts, and to engage in cultivating the five grains and flax and silk to provide for the people's food and clothing. This has been so from antiquity to the present."
Mozi believed that Tian loves humanity, created things for humanity, and regulates government to preserve justice. The Christian God also loves humanity and establishes human rulers. Most Westerners are familiar with the "Mandate of Heaven (天命)" which decides whether a dynasty rises or falls. Tian sent natural disasters and rebellions to indicate when a dynasty had lost divine favor. Tian was regarded as taking an interest in human affairs and intruding into historical events.
Another indication that Tian is comparable to the Christian God is that he was worshiped. If Tian merely represented natural laws or the force of fate than why did ancient Chinese worship him? Today, we believe in scientific laws and the regular motion of planets around the sun, but we never think to worship these forces despite their incredible power to shape our lives.
I've been to Beijing and visited the Temple of Heaven (Tiantan, 天壇). The emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties would use the temple to pray to Tian for a successful year. They also sacrificed animals to him. If Tian is just the incorruptible force of nature why would the emperors sacrifice animals to it? The people must have believed that worshiping Tian could change events. The Ming emperors would recite these words while carrying out sacrificial rituals:
"To Thee, O mysteriously-working Maker, I look up in thought.... With the great ceremonies I reverently honor Thee. Thy servant, I am but a reed or willow; my heart is but that of an ant; yet have I received Thy favouring decree, appointing me to the government of the empire. I deeply cherish a sense of my ignorance and blindness, and am afraid, lest I prove unworthy of Thy great favours. Therefore will I observe all the rules and statutes, striving, insignificant as I am, to discharge my loyal duty. Far distant here, I look up to Thy heavenly palace. Come in Thy precious chariot to the altar. Thy servant, I bow my head to the earth reverently, expecting Thine abundant grace.... O that Thou wouldest vouchsafe to accept our offerings, and regard us, while thus we worship Thee, whose goodness is inexhaustible!"The emperor was clearly speaking to an anthropomorphized being capable of comprehending his words. He would continue:
"Of old in the beginning, there was the great chaos, without form and dark. The five elements [planets] had not begun to revolve, nor the sun and moon to shine. You, O Spiritual Sovereign, first divided the grosser parts from the purer. You made heaven. You made earth. You made man. All things with their reproducing power got their being."
The emperors perceived Tian as a creator God who was present when the most elemental forces of nature were being brought into existence. This sounds suspiciously similar to the Christian God in the book of Genesis. Unlike the gods of pagan pantheons, but very similar to the Christian God, Tian is an incorruptible omnipresent and omniscient being who controls the world. Also like the Christian God, Tian seems to love humans and respond to their prayers.
Additionally, ancient Shang and Zhou dynasty inscriptions clearly depict Tian as a humanoid with head, body, arms, and legs. This similarity has been maintained somewhat even in modern simplified Chinese. While not conclusive, the three thousand year old inscriptions seem to demonstrate that Tian wasn't originally imagined as simply nature or fate. Tian resembled man in some capacity, and this echoes the Christian God's creation of man "in his own image."
In conclusion, I'd like to admit that there were ancient Chinese scholars who opposed the idea of Tian as a being who interacted with humans. However, these scholars were reacting against the dominant view of the majority of Chinese people, and thus they were exceptions who proved the rule. The first source I cited concluded that the ancient Chinese "were very religious and they worshiped and relied on Tian Di." The common understanding throughout Chinese history was that Tian/Shangdi was a god very similar to the Christian God. I think it's fair to conclude that they are the same, or that they are similar enough to be translated interchangeably. In concluding this, I'm only affirming the perspective that's been dominant among Chinese Christians for over 700 years.
Perhaps the greatest difference between Tian and the Christian God is that Chinese philosophers didn't make as many revelatory claims about Tian as Christian theologians have made about God. Tian was said to reveal his will through natural disasters and fated events, but he wasn't alleged to have had the kind of relationships with humans that the biblical God is recorded as having. In this sense, Tian is like the Athenians' "Unknown God" whom Paul explained in Acts 17. We should probably follow Paul's example when approaching traditional Chinese people today. We don't need to reveal a new God to them so much as reveal what Tian has already done through Jesus (Yesu, 耶稣).