) m7 }4 B/ C. T; l- @6 q$ eJonathan D. Spence的《God’s Chinese Son》一书,记录了东王问题的英文版本# E z+ S8 I9 a; S3 x
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1853年,杨秀清曾经向来访的英国舰长盖勒麦询问了一些有关基督教的问题,而对方也进行了积极的回应,结果 – 仍然是鸡同鸭讲……$ r+ o% t+ L+ c) v
! C/ S0 a) D, M4 f' u0 C) x0 @- k在太平天国的历史上,杨秀清和盖勒麦船长的书信往来只是颇有些戏剧性的一页。由于对话中双方立场和价值观相去甚远,让人觉得整个对话更像一个玩笑。有些话,比如“上帝原配是我们天母,即生天兄耶稣这个老妈否?”“耶稣元配是我们天嫂否?”听来很有些郭德刚的风格,于是,有人认为这种事儿闹不好是满清弄出来,丑化太平天国形象糊弄老百姓的。 ! I3 ]4 b A( z; |. r+ j" O $ L0 P( M+ }/ P. B& z6 Q不过,参考外文文献,会发现这事儿真实发生的可能性很大,除非清政府神通广大,能够驱使英国人为自己做宣传工作。 n" J& w7 D" S( B9 M; j7 | G& C/ Z7 z+ r9 q- q3 Z' m
在英国出版的《God's Chinese Son》一书中,用英文记录了当时的问答,要是翻译过来,东王的问题和流传下来的中文版本基本是一致的,只是三十问以后英方没有完整记录。' p; ]1 v1 y, g/ O. [
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看看东王这些问题,是不是很有些英国诗歌的感觉? 1 q( T" D# C A0 A6 Y2 c & @7 i. b2 p6 f! YHow tall God is, or how broad? - a* ~% M2 S8 EWhat his appearance or color is? * u( Z7 r2 x/ M: w$ j1 uHow large his abdomen is? * [! I; U$ B1 h; zWhat kind of beard he grows? Q) }* O9 t$ b% D8 `
How long his beard is? l9 ~/ [0 B+ y7 h ]0 q( qWhat cap he wears?9 Z5 o/ n, ]0 c. a2 r1 @
What kind of clothes he wears?2 f6 N6 P! R8 x2 b2 O+ Q+ d
Whether his first wife was the Celestial mother, the same that brought forth the Celestial elder Brother Jesus? 3 _* U% }6 B# ^9 x7 S" R0 N/ lWhether he has had any other son born to him since the birth of Jesus his first born? # r0 V. D+ b9 w0 q- tWhether he has had but one son, or whether, like us mortals, a great many sons? 1 n" d+ z- c8 F; P) p2 W0 MWhether he is able to compose verse? % ]! Y# A1 l+ M; [% g" o& q, }9 hHow rapidly can he compose verse? 9 S# n9 L+ k; I; I1 @: Z! f8 aHow fierce his disposition is? 8 }; Z* Q$ Q, {. k; _How great his liberality is?! b$ h( ^5 e c: a( b8 p; K
-Your nations having worshipped God and Jesus for so long a time, does any one among you know, # o, U4 i1 q4 v4 a( s8 z- {How tall Jesus is, or how broad?. g* o# L) U1 w) z9 Q$ |. \" y3 d
What his appearance or color is? 4 z2 _. A1 J0 x3 e- I* a8 rWhat kind of beard he grows?/ p8 Q. _% G; H7 D) h
Of waht color his beard is?' L0 H* u. r1 v4 d# @7 k! K
What kind of cap and clothes he wears? 8 D" D) i1 \' U; Z) ?; CWhether his first wife was our elder sister? : S% s3 W8 l3 ~/ j/ ^9 ?5 WHow many children he has had?( G% Z2 |% \2 z! D O; s
Of what age is his eldest son?( Y% x1 i: n' F% o% s/ @- V2 J
How many daughters has he had? / y; P5 H) {6 n! G, hOf what age is his eldest daughter?& K, y6 V% }6 x# C/ @8 V# A1 {$ L
How many grandsons has God at this moment?( M0 ~' _) D& {- E. w
How many granddaughters has God at this moment? 5 m% q' I% w9 a0 S; HHow many heavens are there? : }, i8 }# Y" nWhether all the heavens are of equal height?- k, c1 Z! |/ F7 X
What the highest Heaven is like?5 t Z9 ~7 [6 o- L) U6 Z
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看完这些问题,估计每个人都会认为东王应该改行去当查户口的,而耶稣他们一家子象是住空置房的。 . N: b' [4 H! b' c5 n" u & e0 N! C+ h9 r除了这些类似查户口的文字,英国人笼统地描述剩下的问题,说它们都是关于“圣神风劝慰师” – 也就是杨秀清在世界上的使命,太平天国奉上帝之命摧毁满清统治,以及对英国在这场战争中采取中立态度的质疑, ! U" V6 ~+ D F7 ^' R9 N9 j# X1 ] * V1 u' M! [% b2 {英国人的回答也大致和记载相同。只是有一个细节 –当时英国军舰上没有人是学习神学的,所的答案是众人一齐努力之后凑出来的。饶是如此,我们也知道了一个这样的事实 -- 这位东王所问的所有问题,面对《新约》和《旧约》,都是莫名其妙的。显然,自称亲奉上帝命令来凡间的太平天国东王,连看看基督教最基础的经典这样的表面功夫,也是没有作过的。' ?1 ~' }7 k& N
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然而,我们因为这个就可以嘲笑杨秀清吗?我认为是不应该的。因为在那个时代,封建王朝的皇帝对外国人也是持敬而远之的态度的,一般士大夫,要么盲目排外,要么俯首屈膝,真正能够平静地,睁着眼睛面对洋人的凤毛麟角,掌国大臣中不过是清政府有李鸿章,太平天国有杨秀清而已。尽管杨秀清的水平有问题,试图和英国人沟通的方法也不对头,没有做到知己知彼,但有和“洋人”交往的勇气和行动,而不是将其视作魔鬼,躲得越远越好,已经是满了不起的了。5 o9 ?( e7 i# J# i4 E3 l, ]
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敢于把门打开的人,总是勇者。 $ g" Q; B" o0 l ! ~; p/ Y" C0 Q& @" z$ L3 j; g2 C[完]0 u. j- Q5 `0 w
! }/ b" b: L" A 作者: 魔术师 时间: 2012-6-9 09:54
估计英国人看了这些问题以后该这样了吧?——* _( ^* Q: [( b1 f# }# \9 ?
( M7 a+ X' g# r" t; T. I + {6 o0 `: A* \1 K8 K- ~* _/ B 作者: kenlee 时间: 2012-8-24 20:25
感觉杨秀清是故意的。那时,东王府不至于如此无人。 ; n! U: |& C& v& J% {# U8 u S1 d& L9 `7 m
上帝对他而言,跟以前那条白蛇,和以后那个老马,都是同一作用的东西。