怀疑远人:清中前期的禁教缘由及影响

Suspecting the People from Afar:The Prohibition of Preaching Catholicism in the Early and Mid-Qing Dynasty and It's Influence in the Late Qing

中国史学家一般认为在晚清不平等条约时代后才有反基督教运动,而忽略了清中前期长期存在的禁教和反教。本文考察了康熙晚年禁教以后的历朝教案和不断强化的禁教措施,说明了清代在条约时代之前就厉行禁教的事实。康熙朝之后,清统治者有求于传教士处日益减少,对西方文化也缺乏兴趣,传教士没有了像过去那样有效的交换传教许可的手段,随着天主教在中国的发展,统治者担心远人来华传教的政治动机,对传教士怀疑加剧,对西教误解很深。这些都推动了清廷厉行禁教。近代之后,政治上和思想上的反教传统与不平等条约的刺激一起对晚清政教关系的紧张和冲突产生了重要影响。直到戊戌维新和庚子事变后,这种传统才为新的认识所消解。

Chinese historians usually think that the Anti-Christianity Movement in the Late Qing Dynasty was owing to the unequal treaty system, and totally neglect the prohibition of preaching Catholicism in the Early and Mid-Qing. This article surveys the Catholic cases and the gradually strengthened regulations of anti-Catholicism since Kangxi Emperor and proved that there was an Anti-Catholicism Movement before the treaty era. Then it analyses the reason of the Anti-Catholicism policy of that time and argues that after the Emperor Kangxi , the Qing rulers lacked interests in the Western culture and didn＇t need much help of the missionary as the Emperor Kangxi did. The missionary had no way to trade the permission of preaching Gospel. Along with the development of church＇s memberships, the Qing ruler worried about the politi- cal motivation of the missionary in consideration of the national security. Meantime, they hold incorrect perception of the Catholicism and abhorred the foreign religion. All these contributed to the persistent Anti-Church Movement. The combination of the political and ideological anti-church traditions and the stimulation of the unequal treaty in the late Qing Dynasty caused the tension and conflicts between the Qing government, the Chinese society and the foreign religion. The tradition was replaced with the new perception of Christianity only after the Reform movement and Boxers movement.