试论西欧中世纪基督教史学的历史地位

A Tentative Study of the Historical Status of Christian Historiography in Western Europe in Middle Ages

西欧中世纪是基督教处于“万流归宗”的历史时期,浸没在神学中的西欧史学取代了古典史学,成为宣扬上帝主宰人类命运的宣传工具。但是,这并不意味着中世纪历史学的全面倒退,相反,基督教史学通过改造西方古典史学使之在许多方面的思想都具有创始性。它所开创的世界整体史观,历史进步史观以及历史时间观等史学新观念,对近现代西方史学的发展都产生了深远的影响。正是基于这种认识,我们认为基督教史学在西方史学史中应具有承上启下、继往开来的历史地位。

Middle ages in Western Europe is a historical period when 'all the streams of Christianity came to one.' Immerged in theology, historiography of Western Europe replaced classical historiography and had become a propaganda tool that advocated that the fate of humanity was at the mercy of God. This, however, does not mean that historiography in middle ages was going backwards. On the contrary, through the reform of classical historiography, Christian historiography had obtained more creative ideas, some of which, such as the holistic view of the world, the view of historical progress, and the view of historical time, had exerted a far-reaching influence on the development of modern or present-day western historiography. It is just based on this view that we believe Christian historiography in the history of western historiography had played a connecting role of the preceding and the following and a role of carrying forward historiography into a new period.