( o' \- r' z% x0 j$ H; KJonathan D. Spence的《God’s Chinese Son》一书,记录了东王问题的英文版本$ a3 m! K s. U& F: q5 Q3 X s8 b6 R
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+ j0 S2 M6 Y, g9 i( `: o1 T0 K1853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…… ! y+ p0 V$ U# B+ [& a* k 6 v2 t' R5 |* t* X+ A. A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。% ~' M0 |) }0 K) ]( y
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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。& L3 X r6 n6 z$ N3 K6 Y, ^* Y
9 ?# T0 {% A& x2 s P+ ?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。 5 @0 j# p3 J7 f; f 3 E# j, T5 G6 i/ n8 _8 [看看东王这些问题,是不是很有些英国诗歌的感觉? ' \, L) u$ W$ @# L( L& q2 B: z9 O. x( i: X
How tall God is, or how broad? 6 w) s. l! @ @2 c5 R2 KWhat his appearance or color is? ( u4 i9 N) l% F6 \2 J; {7 ^# uHow large his abdomen is? ; p& k9 u5 u$ B2 L7 \What kind of beard he grows? ) l) d. ?6 y `, G9 `: r$ n0 T: H3 mHow long his beard is?1 X9 J, Z. K2 E
What cap he wears? / |) \& r1 D' Y) e+ cWhat kind of clothes he wears? % m4 T w+ E3 m( I1 J/ X* uWhether his first wife was the Celestial mother, the same that brought forth the Celestial elder Brother Jesus?! f, o% U; [( {; H/ P
Whether he has had any other son born to him since the birth of Jesus his first born?4 o2 n: D c9 E4 }
Whether he has had but one son, or whether, like us mortals, a great many sons? ' ?3 a7 O% @" R. UWhether he is able to compose verse?+ m6 j# e& q: d# [) v
How rapidly can he compose verse? 6 z3 [) V$ `, P. h1 IHow fierce his disposition is?2 `; A$ {5 v- P
How great his liberality is? $ H1 G7 n% A5 k; h( `-Your nations having worshipped God and Jesus for so long a time, does any one among you know,; g$ c" ^" {% c3 @3 r& e, o0 w5 O
How tall Jesus is, or how broad? % [) y% ?& T _" s6 z5 p# e, t$ JWhat his appearance or color is? / c0 D/ M+ `% @* a5 RWhat kind of beard he grows? & N3 W0 F* T [: ~7 y7 TOf waht color his beard is? : D# m4 V2 s/ \0 }0 ]' jWhat kind of cap and clothes he wears?" a* y; B% }' J4 ]# T% L0 H
Whether his first wife was our elder sister?; {# |6 G2 X$ e1 D/ \! X- u5 A
How many children he has had?, e- q; D# @6 g& C
Of what age is his eldest son? Y. S. `0 a! Y5 H7 q8 RHow many daughters has he had?6 e# c% V/ [6 E7 o' w9 T
Of what age is his eldest daughter?9 _& A0 J8 C9 z( M
How many grandsons has God at this moment? 8 v' g) e. U. K8 t! t8 @% x$ O8 iHow many granddaughters has God at this moment? ! W4 X' U+ P% R# W% z" y4 a. pHow many heavens are there? ( t8 V" x7 L/ w' ~& X! a* |; }! o* }Whether all the heavens are of equal height?2 W+ z( S1 q! t ]0 k1 ^
What the highest Heaven is like? $ N7 b/ R3 b( m g+ H4 o9 h3 V% {$ @; B2 m& l
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。 7 K D: z- w+ M/ l' k9 t; G% v 1 }+ f# H) k6 T) j% W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, B7 Z% }9 g4 u3 y1 K
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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。) G* c+ b7 K$ h, z7 e5 u
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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。 ! i+ x }0 d- q1 X1 ~, l6 X$ A 5 z. N* {+ G; _敢于把门打开的人,总是勇者。 % j* U2 n3 ~$ Q; z& A: n+ W# L4 n# Y5 a( W* `
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, L7 x6 D, i5 l# |1 \ 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?—— @5 m" `5 G: t! h' d
* m. R2 Z2 \6 v: M2 \% V ) e6 p5 c9 h8 o; |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。 # w. ]. z( T) y7 P4 ]( o, m' l3 v! E* L8 d. |0 y% t
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。