曾国藩家族与基督教

Zeng Guofan's Clan and Christianity

湖南在清末民初以反基督宗教而闻名天下。湘乡曾国藩的中兴名臣美誉得自他对打着基督教旗号的太平天国革命的镇压,而对天津教案的处理又使曾国藩名誉扫地。曾国藩对基督教的反感并未在这个以儒教传家的清末最有影响的家族里得到全面彻底的传承,其后人在辛亥革命这样的社会巨变中有几位由儒入耶,改宗基督教。他们赋予基督教以自救救人的功能角色,希冀借助于对西学与西教的接受和传播,实现其先人曾国藩的自强中兴之梦,这种可疑的救国方案彰显了曾经被曾国藩奉为圭臬的儒教在其后人心目中的得失利弊。

During the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China, Hunan province was very well-known for its attitude against Christianity. Zeng Guofan, who comes from Xiangxiang county of Hunan province, got his good fame as ministry of resurgence of Qing Dynasty just because of his crackdown of taiping rebellion which controversially abuse the name of Christianity, but he became bankrupt in reputation among Chinese people also because of his relationship with Christianity--He bowed to France in his dealing with the litigation against Christian church in Tianjin in 1870. Nevertheless, his antipathy against Christianity could not be inherited in his Confucian clan, which was one of the most influential Confucian clans at that time. Some of his descendants converted to Christianity very shortly after the Revolution of 1911, and these Christians believed that Christianity could play the role of salvation of self and nation. They hoped to make Zeng Guofan＇s dream of resurgence of China come true by accepting and preaching Western learning and religion （Christianity）. Research of these Christians＇ choice of faith might be helpful for us to clarify the strongpoint and shortcomings of Confucianism in their mind.