羅馬聖彼得大教堂：論聖經字義於宗教改革後對基督教藝術的影響及其所扮演的角色

The Role and Impact of the Word in Post-Reformation Christian Art: St. Peter's in Rome

自1606年起，羅馬聖彼得堡的巨大圓頂穹窿上的環形撐壁，便已刻有西方世界最大的銘文之一，刻於金底的巨大藍色字母帶來了極具震撼的藝術衝擊。這個以正統羅馬帝國和早期基督教常用的馬賽克媒材所製成的巨大銘文，是當時歐洲公共場所中的壯觀例子之一。拉丁文是西方教堂建築中的「建築語言」，同時也是歐洲近代早期的國際語言，銘文中寫道：「TU ES PETRUS ET SUPER HANC PETRAM AEDIFICABO ECCLESIAM MEAM… TIBI DABO CLAVES REGNI COELI…（我告訴你，你是彼得，我要把我的教會建造在這磐石上；陰間的權柄，不能勝過他。我要把天國的鑰匙交給你……）」這段文字出自於聖經，更精確地說，是出自於馬太福音書。在其中，耶穌對身為十二使徒之一的選定者西門彼得說的這些話，是教會和教皇權力的基礎。然而，在聖彼得大教堂中，它們脫離了原來的脈絡。這些文字環繞於米開朗基羅的巨大穹窿頂，而其新脈絡為它提供了一個新的功能角色、新的影響力，以及新的意義：傳達出宛如彼得在場的意思，標明了彼得位於穹窿頂之下的墓室。也說明在一世紀中葉從羅馬帝國東部加利利，來到羅馬的門徒聖彼得（原為漁人）的身軀被埋於地下，他被視為首任教皇，傳說在此地遭受釘刑，長眠於梵諦岡的山丘下。這些銘文也表示了穹窿頂之下的彼得之墓，自二世紀以來便被視為是基督教信仰的中心，四世紀時君士坦丁大帝在此建立巨大的巴西利卡式帝國教堂。在四世紀末期，基督教甚至提高地位成為羅馬帝國的國教。爾後，此地成為布拉曼帖（Donato Bramante,1444-1514）建立新聖彼得大教堂計劃的中心，最後由米開朗基羅的穹窿頂所覆之於其上。銘文中的文字並不只是從歷史的角度上傳達彼得的意義。教皇輪替並非朝代更迭，從五世紀以來，基督教的理論便受羅馬法的法律形式所影響：每位教皇皆為直接的繼任者，是聖彼得直接的普遍繼承人。因此，此地成為每次教皇彌撒開始的儀式性空間，當教皇抵達位在聖彼得之墓上的祭壇，「你是彼得……（Tu es Petrus…）」等字便被開始吟頌。傳達了彼得和其每位繼承者之歷史意義的巨大銘文，於1606年公諸於眾。同時，它的存在也反映出西方文明歷史裡其中一次最為深刻的分裂。在1606年，「你是彼得……」一段話特別具有爭議性，它違反了不信奉聖彼得的新教教義，對新教徒而言，教皇並非教會的領袖，耶穌的這些文字也並沒有建立教皇權力－－新教教會強烈反對崇拜聖彼得之墓和其遺物。1606年的歷史情勢是文章標題的開頭－－「論聖經字義於宗教改革後對基督教藝術的影響及其所扮演的角色」，本文以聖彼得大教堂的銘文為討論案例，意圖同時說明此會議的論題「藝術」、「禮儀」、「宗教」、「物質文化」、「精神信仰」及其間的互動關係。

Since the year of 1606, on the immense dome's retaining ring in St. Peter's in Rome, there is one of the Western world's largest inscriptions. The aesthetic impact of the colossal blue letters on a golden background is overwhelming. It is a spectacular example of colossal epigraphy in one of the Europe of those times most public places, made in the classical Roman imperial and early-Christian medium of mosaic. It is 'language in architecture', the language being that of the Western Church, at the same time the international language of Europe in Early Modern Times, which is Latin. The inscription reads: TU ES PETRUS ET SUPER HANC PETRAM AEDIFICABO ECCLESIAM MEAM … TIBI DABO CLAVES REGNI COELI … 'And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven…' The words are from the Bible, more precisely from the Gospel of St. Matthew. There, Jesus says them to Simon Peter, the elected amongst the twelve Apostles. Those are the founding words of Church and Papacy. In St. Peter's, however, they are taken out of their original context. They run around the vast dome of Michelangelo's cupola. Their new context, then, produces a new function and role, a new impact, and a new meaning: addressing Peter as if he were present, they mark his hidden tomb under the cupola. They denote the hidden body of the fisherman and Apostle from Galilea who by the middle of the first century had come to Rome from the Eastern parts of the Empire, he, Peter, the first Pope, of whom tradition said that he had been crucified here and had been buried on the Vatican hill. They denote that place under the dome where there had been the centre of an immense cult of his tomb from the second century onwards, that place which in the fourth century Constantine made the centre of a gigantic imperial basilica, even before towards the end of the century Christendom would rise to the status of state religion of the Roman Empire; that place, which Bramante made the centre of his radical new planning of New St. Peter's and which finally was crowned by Michelangelo's cupola. The words of the inscription are not only addressed to the historical Peter. Papacy is not a dynasty. From the fifth century onwards its theory follows a legal 'figura' of Roman law: Each Pope is the direct successor, that is the direct universal heir of Saint Peter. Hence, as ritual provides, at the beginning of every Papal Mass, when the Pope approaches the altar over Saint Peter's tomb, the words 'Tu es Petrus' are intoned. The colossal inscription addressing the historical Peter and every single one of his successors was unveiled in 1606. At the same time, its existence reflects one of the deepest breaks in the history of Western civilisation. In 1606 the words 'Tu es Petrus' are not least polemical. They are directed against Protestantism which does not share the belief in Peter, for which the Pope is not the head of the Church, for which Jesus with the words 'Tu es Petrus' did not found the papacy - against Protestantism vehemently opposing the cult of Saint Peter's tomb and his relics. This historical situation of the year 1606 is the starting point of my paper entitled 'The Role and Impact of the Word in Post-Reformation Christian Art' which on the case of the inscriptions of St. Peter's intends to exemplify the themes of this conference, namely 'Art', 'Ritual', 'Religion', 'Material Culture' and 'Spiritual Beliefs' and their interaction at the time.