依撒克．牛頓的古代宗教史研究

Isaac Newton's Research on the Ancient Religious History

唐科(Tang Ker)

《漢語基督教學術論評》 26期 (2018/12) Pp. 43-71

摘要

牛頓對古代宗教史的研究極富特色。他認為世界各民族都是挪亞的後代，其宗教也都是從挪亞時代流傳下來的，各民族的神實出同源。牛頓對宗教史的研究寄託了他追求純潔宗教的理想，他認為各種宗教在其早期都是純潔而簡單的，而後才添加了各種腐敗的儀式和教義。牛頓的史學研究表現出相互矛盾的兩種特徵，其一是他常常表現出「神話即史」的傾向，即將神話，特別是聖經的記載作為信史來採用。然而，他又非常重視實證史料的搜集和辨析，這使他對聖經文本又時常流露出不自覺的懷疑。通過對那個時代一般層次的知識和信仰的考察，有助於理解牛頓神學思想中的這種張力。

關鍵字

牛頓 ； 神話即史 ； 聖經 ； 挪亞

並列摘要

Newton's research on ancient religious history was very distinctive. He believed all nations were descendants of Noah, and their religions came from Noah's age, too, therefore gods of all nations came from the same origin. Newton expressed his ideal of the pure religion in his research on religious history, he believed all kinds of religions were simple and pure in their early ages, while added with the corrupted doctrines and doctrines in later ages. Newton's research on the religious history indicated two contradictory characteristics, on the one hand, it reveals the inclination of ＂euhemerism,＂ which means he thought of the ancient mythologies, especially the Bible, as the credible realities. While, on the other hand, he attached much importance to the empirical historical materials, which often made him doubt on the Bible unconsciously. This kind of tension in Newton's idea of theology can be understood better by surveying of the general knowledge and faith in that times.

並列關鍵字

Newton ； euhemerism ； Bible ； Noah

參考文獻

Bossuet, Jacques Bénigne. An Universal History: From the Creation of the World to the Time of Charlemagne. London: Bagster, 1810.

Buchwald, Jed Z., and Feingold,Mordechai. Newton and the Origin of Civilization. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2013.

Cudworth, Ralph. The True Intellectural System of the University. London: Royston, 1678.

Diodorus, Siculus. The Historical Libiary of Diodorus the Sicilian. Vol. 1. London: Davis, 1814.

Edwards, John. Some Brief Critical Remark on Dr. Clarke's Last Papers. London: Burleigh, 1714.