多克托罗《上帝之城》的反“神正论”叙事

Anti-Theodicy Narrative in Doctorow's City of God

多克托罗的《上帝之城》无疑是对奥古斯丁同名作品的影射和反讽,通过对其神正论立场、基督教空间层级观、圣爱的观念作出当代的回应,尤其指出其神正论命题将神意、神律视为社会正义和政治正义的依据和保障,将政治正义与个人生命的终极价值捆绑,建立一个权威而又绝对的文化逻辑系统,却又被人性的纵欲、贪婪、疯狂所操控,不仅导致政治独裁和大屠杀,也危害到神学信仰自身,从而对基督教的历史缺陷和道德匮乏作出了当代的注释。多克托罗在质疑那个超验的彼岸实体对象同时,渴望在一个集众多移民、多元政治、异质文化为一体的在场空间中,在温和而理性的友爱和自我节制框架基础上,建立一种勇于承担自己责任和义务的"宗教性"伦理学。

Doctorow＇ s City of God is doubtlessly an innuendo and an ironic response to Augustine＇ s work under the same name. Through a modern response to theodicy, Christian spatial hierarchy and the concept of Holy love, Doctorow points out that theodicy, by taking the divine will and the divine law as the basis and the guarantee of social and political justice and by combining political justice and the ultimate value of individual life, has established an authoritative and absolute cultural logic system. However, when this theodicy is manipulated by human indulgence, avarice and mania, it will not only lead to political dictatorship and massacre, but also jeopardise people＇ s faith in God. Doctorow＇ s City of God is then a modern annotation of Christianity＇ s historical flaw and moral inadequacy. While doubting the transcendental existence in another world, Doctorow actually hopes to establish a kind of responsible and accountable ＂religious＂ ethics that is built within the presence of various immigrants, political pluralism and heterogeneous cultures, and upon the framework of mild and rational fraternity and self-discipline.