“礼”范畴发展进程中的五种内涵

Five Connotations of the Ritual Development

中国上古、中古时代的礼制是儒学的母体。'礼'是儒学的核心范畴,其内涵在演进过程中经历了四次嬗变,包含五种主要形态:其一,早期神性礼学,即为祭祀礼拜鬼神的器物、仪式及相应的与神交感的心灵体验;其二,孔子增加'仁'的理性内涵的礼学,是一种既能替代传统宗教观念,又保留有传统礼制道德水准的新思想体系;其三,代表新兴专制王权统治秩序的礼学,其将礼规范为新兴帝王承天景命而创制的最优化的原理规则;其四,宇宙论的神圣化礼学,其将儒学纳入'天人相与之际'的宏大体系中;其五,以理为本的理学化礼学。其将礼的本质由有形象的自然、人为事物上升到无形迹的、抽象的形而上层面。通过对'礼'范畴发展进程的考量,可更深入地把握儒学发展的学理脉络。

The ritual system of ancient China is the cradle of Confucianism,while rite is its core.This paper discusses a historical change in the contents and forms,i.e.,early divine etiquette in utensils for worshipping gods,Confucian benevolence,new autocratic monarchy ruling order,the sacred etiquette of cosmology,which incorporates Confucianism into the face of heaven and man and the rationality-based neo-Confucianism and etiquette.The essence of ritual has got raised from nature to metaphysical invisibility and abstraction.That is also the theoretical context of Confucian development.