啟示與傳道、天國與家國──論宋澤萊中／長篇小說之《聖經》詮釋與文學價值

Apocalypse and Preach, Heaven andHomeland:Song Zelai’s Interpretation of the Bible and the Value ofLiterature in His Novels

本文旨在探討宋澤萊20世紀至今發表之中、長篇小說，如何轉化閱讀《聖經》經驗為創作資源，進而提供解讀之法，對應其所關切之台灣課題。其實讀者並不陌生宋澤萊是一位左手援用佛典，右手挪用《聖經》典故的作家，然而，雖多數研究已揭櫫其小說善用魔幻現實手法與宗教元素，卻相對較少論述著重其讀經／解經之法。職是，本文聚焦整理其小說用典出處，觀其引述「舊約」、「新約」之比例、趨向、深淺，又如何借為修辭策略，表述國族定位、身世認知以及人性善惡等論題。觀察作者創作軌跡，可知其早期善用「舊約」神蹟奇事、先知，「新約」之福音、啟示；近期轉而關注「舊約」神學，並喜好鋪陳「新約」使徒特色，加重恩典、救贖等，或有擬仿經典體裁之表現、或有歷史政治與義理性的省思，足能發現作者讀經深刻度日增。而本文亦側面提出作者改宗與其創作相輔相成之處，最後證成宋澤萊獲得《聖經》啟發，其終極關懷之眼雖常投射於神聖未來，卻仍回眸斯島斯民種種待解之課題。

The main idea of this paper is to explore the novels that Song Zelai’ has publishedsince the 20th century, and how he converts his reading experiences of the Bible into inspirationand provides the analysis to correspond with the issues of Taiwan that he caresfor. Readers are familiar with Song Zelai ’s writing strategy in which to cite the storiesof the Buddhist sutra and the Bible at the same time. However, although most of theresearch has revealed his specialization in using Magic Realistic and religious elements,there is less emphasis on his methods of scriptures reading and interpretation.This paper focuses on the sources of the allusions in Song Zelai’s novels, observationof the ratio, tendency, and depth he quoted from the Old and New Testament, andhow he used the rhetorical strategy to describe the topics of national orientation, ethnicidentity, and human nature. By examining Song Zelai’s writing process, it shows thatin the early stages he was good at employing miracles and prophets from the Old Testament,and gospels andapocalypse from the New Testament. Recently he turns to theOld Testament’s theology. Moreover, he is fond of narrating the apostles’ characteristicsin the New Testament and emphasizing God’s grace and redemption. Song Zelai’s imitationof the Scripture type and reflection upon history, politics and righteousness prove that the depth of his Bible reading has been increasing. In addition, this paper pointsout the connection between Song Zelai’s proselytism and his works and proves that he isinspired by the Bible. Even though his ultimate concern is about the sacred future, he isstill attentive to the unsolved problems of this island and the residents.