: ?; N, ]6 ^9 `- _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。 : ~8 l3 z# R0 I5 {7 d7 k$ r" p7 c1 C6 F6 y+ {" a1 [' 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。 6 h. W5 m; z6 N2 u ]! \$ \4 ^0 w: a3 A0 ]9 x, k
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。 1 X" z8 c4 |: y1 d; q, W" |2 \& F5 K! @; u4 v$ ?. N6 a
看看东王这些问题,是不是很有些英国诗歌的感觉? ! v# ^, H5 o( w+ L e 2 a/ e* e$ \% Z& n$ A$ V; [' \How tall God is, or how broad? / Y5 Z5 x; x4 I$ P5 q& Q% OWhat his appearance or color is?* f! j( u+ _9 @! s7 e. R' t
How large his abdomen is? ! f* \. V& m, WWhat kind of beard he grows? . K% x% q B( v. n9 ]# LHow long his beard is? - W( c0 k- V7 z/ g- P: I% [What cap he wears? + v- Q$ S! `" H% XWhat kind of clothes he wears? 5 }# L) |% I8 R) f* X9 z% p+ IWhether his first wife was the Celestial mother, the same that brought forth the Celestial elder Brother Jesus?6 _$ `* [' [ u
Whether he has had any other son born to him since the birth of Jesus his first born?; i, ], ?5 }4 Z" h$ {5 f- u+ N1 H
Whether he has had but one son, or whether, like us mortals, a great many sons? ' C& j: ]( z- J+ n: a6 U% e% zWhether he is able to compose verse?9 K/ z3 t) u" U2 Y/ x
How rapidly can he compose verse? 8 h9 S" u+ r4 k* a* ^5 j$ [: @) ^How fierce his disposition is? G$ i$ ~; O. F' JHow great his liberality is? 8 d* p5 d8 d$ }1 M) s-Your nations having worshipped God and Jesus for so long a time, does any one among you know,1 K. a. o" _3 G6 l
How tall Jesus is, or how broad?" L) M2 F* e+ |2 a Z
What his appearance or color is? 6 V6 q8 j: C+ F n) t& [. JWhat kind of beard he grows? * q! _# \1 K" j7 j% G6 ]( k% I5 QOf waht color his beard is?7 g/ K# N$ G7 U9 y- V7 _1 W5 X
What kind of cap and clothes he wears?( |5 d4 L! @. q% e! v6 U4 d! j
Whether his first wife was our elder sister?' c+ N! m. t7 b. M: h/ t4 k9 \) j& m" C
How many children he has had?* d; s t2 v8 ?1 P
Of what age is his eldest son? 2 v1 e0 ?. z9 _- b* J& cHow many daughters has he had? % |9 f, e' r, oOf what age is his eldest daughter?9 H/ Q' M2 _# G: o) }
How many grandsons has God at this moment?6 e* w* {4 j7 K: G7 s
How many granddaughters has God at this moment? : M$ B1 t0 q4 ]+ M# NHow many heavens are there? : X9 ]9 ]# p; r" g8 f; C/ l8 b1 ]9 gWhether all the heavens are of equal height?2 m" X2 D. A' ?0 ]
What the highest Heaven is like? " O$ b7 ?! ]: ]2 F 8 E+ F+ |/ x @. K: A5 R$ v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。 : H4 U! Y3 R1 A# K7 `. \9 R, S" u* c: i' u
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, 1 J5 [- m& z6 W- B* D& W$ K5 d % j) Q9 R/ n& \+ o% ?; S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。0 C+ p$ ~; [* r9 P. P& e2 f
% |' R( E' S9 q7 I& b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。 / [9 N' |! G# S & ^$ a6 c2 S( x% @! k敢于把门打开的人,总是勇者。 : b6 k; w) s; C& X/ L 6 e) L1 k) \% {$ E( I) N( D[完]& H' z% g [! Y: }5 C( `
/ y V7 c2 o/ b9 ~& L" w( P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?——2 v# q$ f7 e9 n