- 學位論文
加爾文《基督教要義》中論基督徒生活
John Calvin's Teachings of Christian Life in His Institutes of the Christian Religion
摘要
約翰‧加爾文作為創建基督新教教會體制的先鋒者，在宗教改革扮演著極為重要的角色。從他的神學名著《基督教要義》就可以發現，他的思想對後世基督徒影響多麼深遠。這著作不僅可以作為基督徒學習系統神學的典範，也可作為改革教會的基礎。然而，有些學者認為，加爾文不僅改革了教會，他更進一步推動社會體制的改革。加爾文將信仰與生活融合為一，由此發展在政治、經濟、公共等體制上。無疑，他的神學思想是歐洲歷史長河中影響最為深遠的，不僅在宗教改革上具有重大貢獻，更是催生塑造後世西方世界的形成。 本文所關注的是加爾文在《基督教要義》所闡釋的「基督徒生活」。這個基督徒生活來自加爾文對《聖經》的重新理解，有別於天主教所解釋的生活方式。其中加爾文最大的突破即是將「屬靈」和「屬世」的生活連結在一起，他不僅關注「屬靈國度」的生活，亦關注在地上「屬世國度」的生活。他反對「屬靈和屬世」二分的觀點，亦反對「神聖」和「俗世」的區別。加爾文認為俗世的各個領域，政治、經濟、公共等體制都有其神聖的價值，這都需要有一個終極的、神聖的「形而上」理念來支撐教會體制或基督徒行為的邏輯性。因此，這使得加爾文所理解的群體生活開始有了新的意義。基督徒不應該消極逃避群體生活，而是應該積極投入。基督徒有必要善用個人自由來展現一種「積極」的生活態度，並在俗世社會群體中榮耀上帝。 加爾文強調的基督徒生活是從上帝所賦予個人的屬靈「呼召」進而展開群體性（社會性）的俗世呼召。這種生活是來自於兩個國度的雙向拉扯所揭示節制自身慾望的生活方式，亦是一種稱為「在世而不屬世」的生活方式。加爾文認為基督徒生活必須平衡在兩個國度之間，不論是在永生（屬靈）或在今生（俗世），都是以節制禁慾作為基督徒的生活態度。基督徒不是脫離社會，亦不是只關注屬靈事物而進入修道院的生活，基督徒是積極與眾人生活在社群、城邦、國家的群體生活。基督徒不是消極抽離於社會群體之外，也不是單單在教堂內生活；基督徒是積極參與俗世的各個領域，更是在社會群體中榮耀上帝。
並列摘要
John Calvin (1509-1564), a pioneer of establishing the Protestant system, plays a very important role in the Protestant Reformation. The influence of his thoughts on the afterworld Christian can be found from his theological masterpiece Institutes of the Christian Religion. This book not only has been taken as a Christians’ learning model of the systematic theology but also has been used as the foundation of the reformed church. Moreover, some scholars believe that Calvin not just reformed the church system but further improved the social systems. He combines faith with life and derivatively influence on the development of political, economic and public systems. There is no doubt that his theological thinking has been brought extensive influence in European history. His significant contributions in religious reform composed of and shaped the formation of the future generation in Western world. This dissertation is focusing on the “Christian life” which interpreted in the Institutes of the Christian Religion. Here the “Christian life” is from Calvin’s new understanding on the Bible; it is different from the interpretations of lifestyle from the Catholic Church. Calvin’s biggest breakthrough is the combination of the “spiritual” and “worldly” life; he not only concerned about the life with "spiritual kingdom" but also talk about the life with "worldly kingdom". He was opposed to the disconnection between “spiritual” and “worldly” things, and contradicted the differences between "sacred" and "secular". Calvin believed that the earthly fields such as political, economic, public and other institutions had its own sacred values which needed to have an ultimate and divine "metaphysical" concept to support the church structure or Christian behaviors logically. Therefore, it brought a new meaning for Calvin’s understanding on the community life. Christians should not escape from community, but be actively involved in. It is necessary for Christians to make the best of individual’s freedom to reveal a "positive" attitude to life and honor God in the secular community. Calvin emphasized that the Christian life begins from the personal spiritual calling from God to the earthly calling in (social) community. This kind of life comes from the pushing and pulling between the “spiritual” and “worldly” kingdoms which reveal the way of life of their own desires in moderation. It is also called “in the world but not of the world”. Calvin assumed that the Christian life must seek the balance between the two kingdoms and regard abstinence as the attitude of the Christian life, no matter they are in the eternal life (spiritual) or in the present life (secular) Moreover, Christians are not isolated from the society or only involve in the monastic life with the concern of spiritual things; instead, they should have a group life with people in the community, the city-state and the national state. In other words, Christians should not be passively detached from the society nor be alone in the church life. In contrast, Christians should be actively involved in various earthly fields, and become the glory of God in the society.