建構信仰的共同體──元明二徐真人信仰與扶箕團體的互動

Constructing a Community of Belief: The Cult of the Xu Immortals and Planchette Altars during the Yuan and Ming Dynasties

本文透過文獻的細讀重新省察南宋至元明時期二徐真人信仰的發展歷程，嘗試跳離《徐仙翰藻》和《徐仙真錄》─由二徐真人自述所提供的信仰圖像，改從當地文士或地方官員所撰的《贊靈集》切入，希望由此更貼近靈濟信仰發展的實況，同時挖掘此一過程參入的各式宗教質素。文中以為靈濟宮二徐真人信仰的原貌可能為當地叢祠的龍神或蛇神，因為向官方爭取正統的敕額，才將神祇形塑為一人格神。二徐真人信仰的確立，在於元代至元年間因洪恩靈濟宮重修，透過扶箕興起的信仰復振運動。從相關箕文來看，可發現二徐真人與宋代的靈濟神祠與靈濟王有相當的相近性，相當程度是借鏡了宋代江南流行的祠山張大帝信仰。而推動二徐真人信仰的主要有洪恩靈濟宮與靈濟祖廟兩處，但兩個信仰團體的方向似乎有所不同，洪恩靈濟宮的扶箕團體所形塑出的二徐真人形象為文士神祇、閩地文昌；相對來，靈濟祖廟的方氏家族則傾向更民間醫療式的判符藥，而到明代之後，方氏家族取得了靈濟宮的主導地位。最終在這種疊加關係中，共同形構了二徐真人兼具儒、道雙重屬性的形象。元代以至明清時期，越來越多祠廟和神祇透過扶箕來建構、重塑神祇信仰的發展史，二徐真人信仰為其中的一個典型案例，未來或可透過更多的個案研究來發掘其中的宗教義涵和模式。

The present article re-examines the development of the cult of the two Xu徐immortals from the Southern Song to the Yuan and Ming dynasties through a close reading of relevant literature, namely attempting to break away from the image of the cult as described by the two Xu brothers themselves in Xu xian hanzao徐仙翰藻(Literary Writings of the Xu Immortals) and Xu xian zhenlu徐仙真錄(True Records of the Xu Immortals) by instead using Zan ling ji贊靈集, a collection written by local literati and officials. In this way, actual developments of the Xu immortal cult as well as the various qualities therein can be better expounded. This article indicates that the original appearances of the two Xu immortals may be the dragon or snake god worshipped locally. But because the people strove to procure imperial legitimacy, the deity was transformed into one in the image of a person. The establishment of the cult surrounding the Xu brothers was due to the reconstruction of the Hong’en Lingji Palace洪恩靈濟宮in the Yuan dynasty, and planchette writing largely gave rise to its revival movement. Judging from relevant planchette writings, it can be found that the two Xu immortals are quite similar to shrines at the Lingji Temple靈濟廟and to King Lingji靈濟王in the Song dynasty. Moreover, to a considerable extent, the cult imitates that of Emperor Zhang張大帝, which was popular in Jiangnan during the Song.
The two main places that promoted the worship of the Xu immortals were the Hong’en Lingji Palace and the Lingji Ancestral Temple靈濟祖廟.The orientations of the two belief systems, however, seem to be different. At the Hong’en Lingji Palace, the image of the two Xu brothers, namely being the deity of scholars and Wenchang in Fujian, was shaped by the planchette altars; in contrast, the Fang方family of the Lingji Ancestral Temple tended to use popular medicinal practices, and by the Ming dynasty, gained a dominant position in the Lingji Palace. Ultimately, this competition and superposition formed the image of the Xu immortals with the dual attributes of Confucianism and Daoism. From the Yuan dynasty to the Ming-Qing period, an increasing number of temples and deities used planchette writing to construct and reshape the history of the cult worship of certain gods. The cult surrounding the two Xu brothers, which can be regarded as a typical case, may thus assist in exploring the religious implications and patterns of other cases moving forward.