理雅各與基督教至高神譯名之爭

James Legge and the Christian Term Question

本文著重探討理雅各對基督教至高神譯名之貢獻。理雅各以漢文「上帝」一詞相當於希伯來文之 “Elohim”、希臘文之 “Theos” 和英文之 “God”；復認為「上帝」和 “God” 皆相對之詞，不只表示最高神之「在其自己」，亦說明該神和其他存在之關係。理雅各主要論敵文惠廉（William Jones Boone）則採用「神」以迻譯基督教之最高神。理雅各之解決譯名問題，其重大意義有二：一為打破福音派之獨斷，因其拒絕承認真教徒具有 “God” 之概念；二為依世界觀提升儒教之宗教地位。「上帝」之概念可溯源於高級文化之「思想」層次，理雅各對古代中國上帝觀一間未達，常以滲入政治意圍之「意識形態」為論據；但其論辯過程取徑於批判、比較之精神，則有足多者。

This article focuses on James Legge's contribution in solving the Christian term question. The translation of Deity-the highest God-into Chinese has long been controversial. Legge regarded both上帝and God as relative term: both refer not only to the highest God 'in Himself' but also to the relationship between Him and all other beings. Hence he chose上帝as equivalent to Elohim in Hebrew, Theos in Greek, and God in English. William I ones Boone, Legge's main opponent, chose the term神instead. Legge made two significant contributions in solving this term question. Firstly, by using the term上帝, he boldly challenged the Evangelicals' dogmatic view, according to which 'heathens' are unable to conceive of the concept of God. Secondly, by elucidating the Confucian world view, he elevated Confucianism's status in matters concerning religion. The concept of上帝should be traced back to the world of thought in ancient Chinese high culture. Unfortunately, Legge failed to understand this; instead, more often than not, he argued from an ideological perspective, which was intertwined with political intentions. However, the critical esprit and comparative approach characteristic of his research are commendable.