4 t' M9 P7 z9 V6 Q" Y+ X" @Jonathan D. Spence的《God’s Chinese Son》一书,记录了东王问题的英文版本$ J& y) W& Q- g5 {8 Y. @
( Y6 s4 x# S9 H! Z5 @/ g + x5 ]) D3 p" Q' L1853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…… 9 b6 @. d3 O1 ]* d9 L$ P% n3 Q. f- @; Y$ m( d4 u3 c' e
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。 . w `% ]! {& C4 }$ Z, }4 J \+ A4 ~: H) Z* I/ q7 A# J& s& y
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。4 ]% u& E* w9 D3 m
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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。6 a: O# T5 d( l7 h. Q0 N$ k
2 M! v/ n2 e2 U4 ~ f看看东王这些问题,是不是很有些英国诗歌的感觉?6 \+ w2 D0 |$ l, q- J4 S
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How tall God is, or how broad?! l8 Q8 ?: y, W9 v& Y# k
What his appearance or color is?5 J9 L8 G/ m! C7 w/ b
How large his abdomen is?4 U W; o/ e; E) T5 i4 ]/ N- v
What kind of beard he grows?* |7 Y2 \3 s6 k F
How long his beard is?8 S2 _: ~8 d& c- |- n6 s* E5 y
What cap he wears? - \$ L- l' W) ^) F' V. xWhat kind of clothes he wears? 1 \; c/ B& |9 z: x% N2 jWhether his first wife was the Celestial mother, the same that brought forth the Celestial elder Brother Jesus?& H& c' N _( o1 U/ ^7 b2 y |0 U
Whether he has had any other son born to him since the birth of Jesus his first born? 0 t2 {( ], Z: C2 E* U$ xWhether he has had but one son, or whether, like us mortals, a great many sons?; L7 ?5 T8 k+ L8 G7 B# j# R0 k
Whether he is able to compose verse? . \" k. u, f8 Z6 J' s) n7 y4 v$ kHow rapidly can he compose verse?- r2 N% o5 q2 G# B# N! k6 v8 K5 g' R
How fierce his disposition is?& I* ?' |' D4 y* e( G
How great his liberality is?7 `3 U$ Q9 g+ z6 T* K
-Your nations having worshipped God and Jesus for so long a time, does any one among you know,5 b3 J; Z3 V3 X0 J* G
How tall Jesus is, or how broad?0 Y# A1 I, e) a
What his appearance or color is?8 E H/ L6 q& i3 I8 T7 k+ a
What kind of beard he grows? & D7 @; F& ~! c2 n2 e5 M7 V3 S$ P# yOf waht color his beard is?" P E8 [: j: T7 W
What kind of cap and clothes he wears? ' a6 U. f; O6 e, b, p2 c3 nWhether his first wife was our elder sister?6 T, j- o+ L+ |7 q% h6 I. R
How many children he has had?% V8 x$ E; _; z# {$ D# f3 l! |$ A
Of what age is his eldest son? . R& T6 A# y* I$ D4 WHow many daughters has he had?# e( u% ^5 U2 }4 d3 R! |% h" `( M
Of what age is his eldest daughter? $ W9 C# U8 p z7 h) [' lHow many grandsons has God at this moment? # Q) |% G" t3 K$ U' m2 kHow many granddaughters has God at this moment? 1 R$ ]- W% Q& {5 ~; X2 f# GHow many heavens are there?; U7 `/ Z0 s. Y0 H5 ]2 J
Whether all the heavens are of equal height?; O G8 _4 z5 I2 F
What the highest Heaven is like?. q6 ]6 g4 a- Z1 O) m" A% N
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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。9 p5 h& \8 X. D+ K: u+ I
5 b4 T, x& f( i, i) h0 w+ Z) 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,. ^; |6 G2 G* D: D
4 @' ~% k5 `2 i# Q' ]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。 5 \8 o V) U) T7 z8 h+ z* p - e; Q$ i& ~! W* @; w+ Z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。 * w; M4 W) ^& g& _8 S9 _! j I$ c. X- k$ ^4 r
敢于把门打开的人,总是勇者。+ u* o1 S8 m% H) y3 O
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[完] ' Q( w; h+ k+ ^; z ^* \7 g8 w ^: b " N7 u: S/ b1 S. k$ H% \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?—— " K) C; m2 Q- H7 X |. L4 F& `) Y + D x! O% @9 c% @" T+ | ( @8 K* Q# g% @+ G0 c' J/ b1 [6 ^8 P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。 ( ~; Q5 h* o( }) X& L1 q( } - L' S. w3 a9 H ?/ F1 g! Z2 f3 @1 v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。