大额我略对《约伯传》的伦理解读

Moral Understanding of Gregory the Great on Moralia on Job

大额我略(Gregory the Great,公元540-604年,一译大格里高利)在被选为教宗(Pope GregoryⅠ)之后的第二年(591年)完成了《约伯传的伦理发微》(Moralia on Job,有时也称Magna Moralia),这部作品主要是基于他在去君士坦丁堡的路上与那些陪伴者们之间的谈话而写成。本文着重阐释《约伯传的伦理发微》中的两个重要的特征:(1)额我略并没有从奥利金的三步释经法来阐释《约伯传》,而是着重挖掘《约伯传》中的伦理意涵,而且,文字的或历史的经文涵义和隐喻的经文涵义都是指向伦理意涵的,以伦理意涵为依归,为宗旨。如若没有后者,那么前两者的意涵也就不圆满。(2)额我略对《约伯传》的伦理阐释具有很深的柏拉图主义色彩。《约伯传》的主题虽然是人的痛苦,但他并不是要处理神义论的问题,即义人的痛苦与神的正义如何得到一种合理的解释?而是关于一个实践的伦理问题,即如何在人的生存处境或存在中理解人的苦厄之意义?经验的生活本身并不是完全清晰分明,甚至令人感到荒谬,因为有的义人或好人在遭受痛苦,而不义的人却安享清福。大额我略认为,我们人只有举心向上,靠着仰赖神那深不可测的智慧,才能走出这种荒谬的人生困境。但是,不同于柏拉图的是,攀升到最高的属灵世界,并不是为了寻求心灵的憩息,一劳永逸地远避尘世的苦厄,而恰恰是通过拥抱尘世的苦厄而获得一种真知和洞见,一种从属神的视域中获得的智慧和领悟,如此,一个人才能够从一种永恒的视角来重新审视在下的现世生命,并肯定历史中的事实。《约伯传》对于那些与自己的命运或痛苦抗争的人来说,它的伦理意涵也就在于对那深不可测的神的智慧的发现和跃入,有此智慧,他虽生于苦厄和忧患,但也成于那不可知的拯救者的力量。

Gregory finished the compilation of his Moralia on Job(also known as Magna Moralia)in the year after he became the pope in 590.This work was mainly based on the talks and discussions with his campanions on the way to Constantinopel about the moral meaning hidden in the Job.This article tries to illuminate the two substantial characteristics of his Moralia on Job:(1)Gregory did not follow the golden three steps of bible exegesis of Origenes to interprete the Job,but excavated its moral meaning out of the belief that the literal or historical and the allegorical meaning of the biblical texts are goal-directed,directed to the moral guiding-meaning.Without the moral dimension,the other two layers cannot be completely fulfilled.(2)Gregory has shown a strong platonic tendency in interpreting the Job.The theme of Job,although,is about the human sufferings,it does not aim at resolving the problem of theodicy,i.e.the sufferings of the righteous can coexist with a just and almighty God.But Job is dealing with a practical moral problem,i.e.how to integrate the sufferings into the human existence.What we have seen in our lives is often chaotic and even absurd,because we see that the righteous live in sufferings while the bad and injust are happy with their worldly things.Gregory thinks that we can go out of this predicament only by relying on or ascending to the fathomless wisdom of God.But under the ascent to the pneumatic or transcendental world he means neither the rest of one’s own mind nor the avoidance of the worldly sufferings for ever,instead it is a quest for true insight and wisdom from the divine realm,a kind of illumination or perception by divine being.