“犹太文化的教义反思与经典批判”专题

Does Judaism Have Dogmas

对于犹太教有无教义这个问题,自启蒙运动以来的近现代犹太思想家往往认为没有,即使有也不构成个人拯救的基础。他们做出这一论断,其实是希望引导犹太大众摆脱对宗教权威的盲目依赖,以更好地融入西方社会。尽管如此,此论断从观念史的角度看是需要修正的。迈蒙尼德在12世纪为了确保最大多数的北非犹太人安然生活在穆斯林统治下并获得最终拯救,制定了犹太教的13条基本原则,并将之表述为最严格意义上的教义。这13条原则最终成了犹太社团内获得最广泛接受的信仰声明。面对现代性的种种挑战,犹太教内部的基要主义开始抬头,当前的正统派犹太教正依据这13条原则来否认其他犹太教教派的合法性,这种对待迈蒙尼德遗产的方式如果持续下去,将对犹太教和犹太民族的未来产生深远影响。

Does Judaism have dogmas？ Modern Jewish thinkers in the wake of the Enlightenment tend to provide a negative answer,arguing that even if the dogmas exist Judaism does not ascribe to them any saving power.By arguing in this way,they hoped to emancipate the masses from their blind deference to religious authority and to help them smoothly integrate into western societies.Be that as it may,it needs to be revised in the light of the history of ideas.With the security of his people under Islamic rule and their ultimate salvation in mind,Maimonides formulated his Thirteen Principles as dogmas in the strictest sense of the term,and these principles of faith eventually became the most widely accepted statement of belief.In the face of challenges of modernity,there has been a rise in Jewish fundamentalism since the middle of 20th century.Maimonides＇ principles have been used by today＇s Jewish Orthodoxy as a standard for heresy-hunting,that is,to deny the legitimacy of various claims to Judaism made by other Jewish denominations.If this approach to the heritage of Maimonides continues,the future of Judaism and Jewish people will be affected profoundly.