古代希臘小說與旁經使徒行傳

本文係對羅馬帝國在進入鼎盛時期所出現之希臘小說與基督教旁經使徒行傳之間的關係進行探索。這兩種文類在古代多少都受到忽略，而對其之學術研究也是近幾十年來才逐漸改觀。研究它們之間的關係將讓我們見證到在古典世界轉換到基督教晚期古代，在社會價值上，特別是身體、婚姻與家庭上重要的轉折。希臘小說的故事結構基本上是一對彼此承諾的未婚或已婚的菁英階級男女，被迫分離，歷經種種三角戀情以及冒險旅行的考驗，終於團圓。這是一個以圓滿婚姻或再度肯定婚姻做結束的愛情故事，堅持婚姻及家庭是「城邦的捍衛碉堡」，以及古典異教文明延續的保證。另方面，旁經使徒行傳也以三角戀情的故事為主題，涉及皈依的女主角、她的異教徒丈夫以及使徒情人。它也經常有冒險、考驗以及神蹟，最後以使徒殉道、婚姻破裂和家庭崩潰而結束。皈依的女主角決心堅持基督教信仰中所隱含的貞潔訊息，因為貞潔可以帶來個人的救贖，甚至「增能」的經驗。它徹底否認希臘小說中所肯定的婚姻及相關的社會價值。在社會價值上，旁經使徒行傳可說是希臘小說的反命題。這兩種文類就性及性別的議題上產生強烈的對比。就時間、風格以及其他種種相似因素，我們有道理看待旁經使徒行傳的產生是種對希臘小說的模仿諧擬以及刻意取用行為，因為後者是受歡迎的通俗文學，取用諧擬它有利於基督教信仰的宣傳推廣。旁經使徒行傳取用通俗文類的成功，令正統教會階層多所關切，特別是旁經所強調的貞潔、拒婚及棄世訊息。從權力論述的修辭角度來看，旁經使徒行傳在面對希臘小說及《新約》牧靈書的立場時，這其中的挑戰可能是以女性身體以及禁慾的議題為論述的場域，實際上其中的關鍵還是關乎論述權力及社會秩序的掌控。

關鍵字

希臘小說；旁經使徒行傳；女性；早期基督教；婚姻；貞節

並列摘要

This is an attempt to map out the relationship between Greek novels and Christian Apocryphal Acts in regard to chastity and marriage. This is plausible because there exists an apparent appropriation of Greek novels by the apocryphal acts in terms of themes and structure. A research into the intertextuality between these two genres would give us an insight into an important switch in the social values centered on the use of female body, the institution of marriage and family in the 2(superscript nd) and early 3(superscript rd) century of the High Empire. This formed part of a more fundamental change that witnessed the turn from the classical pagan tradition of the High Empire into a Christian one in the Late Antiquity. The plot of Greek novel is basically the adventure of a elite young couple in love, with a firm pledge to each other, forced to be separated, facing all kinds of ordeals, falling into traps of triangular love but finally reunited. It is a love that ends with marriage. It is a genre that tried to tame a potentially anti-social private sentiment into a socially useful union and therewith asserted the values of marriage and household as the ”citadel of polis,” a guarantee for the continuation of classical civilization. The genre of apocryphal acts, on the other hand, has enough features that render it as a parody of Greek novels, often, likewise, centered around a triangular love affair among the converted woman, her pagan husband and her apostolic ”lover.” This also often goes with adventures, ordeals and miracles, all of which ends with martyrdom of apostle, breakdown of marriage and collapse of household because the heroine was determined to embrace, at all costs, the value of virginity and chastity her Christian faith implies. This new faith, with its cult of virginity and its denial of institution of marriage and family, advocates a complete overhaul of what is valued in the Greek novels and in the pagan world at large. It uses a popular genre to convey a radical and revolutionary message. It can be further suggested that such an act of appropriation of a classical genre on the part of apocryphal acts is to use woman body as something ”good to think with” for a more fundamental contention for the control of discourse and social ordering.