權力的聖禮：憲法宣誓的意義

在規範層面，談憲法宣誓就是談憲法忠誠。國家是一個建立在忠誠的道德原則基礎上的存在實體，只有在存在的意義上才能真正理解國家的本質，也才能理解政治忠誠的意義。不同的國家形態，其政治忠誠的模式不同，現代立憲國家的政治忠誠集中體現為憲法忠誠。除非憲法成為國家的公民宗教，否則共和國就不具有最有力的精神紐帶。憲法宣誓被普遍用於保證憲法忠誠，因為宣誓是一種神聖的言語行為，其神秘的力量和功效蘊藏在誓言的結構之中。憲法宣誓是憲法信仰的一個儀式。我國憲法宣誓制度的實行可視為我國憲法文化的一個突破，意味著權力仰賴人民的賜福，顯示了權力溫順的一面。

This paper attempts to explicate the normative meanings of the constitutional oath-taking, which was newly established in China. In the normative sense, to speak of constitutional oath is to speak of constitutional loyalty. This paper puts forward the following four propositions in a logically progressive manner: First, the nature of the state and its moral basis of political loyalty can only be really understood and appreciated in the existential sense. Second, the models of political loyalty vary with the forms of state. In the modern representative democracy, political loyalty is embodied in constitutional loyalty. Third, unless the constitution is turned into its civil religion, the republic is lacking in spiritual bond. Fourth, the constitutional oath is globally taken as a guarantee of constitutional loyalty, for it is a sacred linguistic act of mystical power which is embedded in its linguistic structure. Therefore, as a ritual of constitutional faith, the practice of constitutional oath-taking in China signifies a significant change of its constitutional culture. It reveals the possibility of the taming of power.