修習底德《伯羅奔尼撒戰爭史》的χάρις

Χάριςin Thucydides’History of the Peloponnesian War

本文以修習底德《伯羅奔尼撒戰爭史》為文本分析χάρις的意義。χάρις是古希臘城邦外交與個人跨社會互動可選擇建立的重要關係，但尚未得到學者足夠重視。本文發現χάρις五個特性：首先，χάρις是專有名詞，指涉特定施恩與受惠關係。其次，在χάρις關係中，施恩者與受惠者的不平等是有限不平等，既非絕對也非固定不變。第三，χάρις有好壞之辯；有正義也有可恥的χάρις。第四，在χάρις關係中信用問題相形重要。最後，χάρις的不平等關係與民主平等原則有一定程度衝突。本文同時說明χάρις關係各方複雜互動；古希臘人擅長操作χάρις遊戲規則，爭取最佳利益。

This paper examines the meaning ofχάριςin Thucydides’History of the Peloponnesian War.χάριςis a technical term that describes the important relationships the ancient Greeks could choose to build when developing city-states diplomacy as well as interpersonal and cross-societal interactions. However, the relationships thatχάριςcharacterizes have not yet received signigicant scholarly attention. As such, this article presents and explores five main features ofχάρις. Firstly,χάριςis a proper noun that indicates a specific reciprocal relationship between the benefactor and the beneficiary. Secondly, the inequality inherent inχάριςbetween the benefactor and the beneficiary is temporary rather than absolute and permanent. Thirdly, whileχάριςencompasses both positive and negative reciprocities, it emphasizes disputes over justice, the common good, and unrighteousness. Fourthly, the notion of trust and credibility inχάριςis more important and more critical as compared to other reciprocal relationships. Lastly, the termχάριςis negatively perceived in the domestic affairs of Athens when its inequality contradicts the equalitarian principle of Athenian Democracy. This paper explicates the complex forms of interactions from multipleχάρις-relations and argues that the ancient Greeks’proficiency in manipulating the set of rules ofχάριςresults in their pursuit of best interests.