何謂孔子？《論語》作者及成書研究的困局與出路

What is Confucius? The Dilemmas and Solutions for the Studies of the Authorship and Dating of the Lunyu

李貴生(LEE, Kwai Sang)

《新亞學報》 37卷 (2020/08) Pp. 39-99

https://doi.org/10.6743/NAJ.202008_37.0002

摘要

學界對於《論語》與孔子的關係多年以來一直有兩種互不兼容的主導意見，可以分別稱之為「對應論」和「分離論」。對應論認為《論語》的內容大體上其來有自，乃理解孔子的生平和學說最為重要的原始材料；分離論則較為著重《論語》在漢代的編訂和流傳過程，傾向把此書內容的歸屬年代往後推延，並不認為《論語》「文本中的孔子」與「歷史上的孔子」可以直接劃上等號。兩種意見均各有根據，亦各有支持者，令人遺憾的是，二者缺乏對話交流，未能形成最基本的共識，令《論語》的研究仿如分裂出兩個平行時空，彼此各說各話。有見及此，本文擬從學術史的角度分析兩種說法的理據和局限，並從作者功能入手，重新思考《論語》內容的年代歸屬問題。文章最後以仁學為例，初步展示以歷時的類型學探討孔子言行的可能性，試圖在兩種說法的洞見之上，以嶄新的方式重新論證《論語》的先秦來源，突破目前相持不下的困局。

關鍵字

孔子 ； 《論語》 ； 作者 ； 成書時代 ； 經典形成

並列摘要

Two mutually exclusive views concerning the relationship between Lunyu and Confucius have dominated the academia for decades, which can be named the ＂Correspondence theory＂ and ＂Separation theory,＂ respectively. The correspondence theory holds that the contents of Lunyu are the cumulative result of a long tradition, and hence constitute the most important and original source for Confucius' life and teachings. Yet, the separation theory emphasizes the process of compilation and circulation of Lunyu in the Han dynasty and tends to defer the dating of the book to a later time, with the conclusion that the ＂textual Confucius＂ described in the Lunyu is not the same as the ＂historic Confucius.＂ Both views are well grounded and have supporters. Regrettably, neither party is willing to carry a dialogue with the other, with the result that no basic consensus can be reached. The studies of Lunyu thus seem to split into two parallel universes, where both parties carry on with the research with no regard to the efforts of the other side. In view of this, this article aims to analyze the justifications and limitations of the two theories and rethink the issue of the dating of Lunyu's contents in light of the concept of author-function. Taking the doctrine of ren (仁) as an example, the last section of this article offers a preliminary demonstration of the possibility of adopting a sort of diachronic typology in the study of Confucius's life and teachings, with the hope of synergizing the merits of the two theories and using a cutting-edge method to reaffirm the pre-Qin origins of the Lunyu, so as to overcome the prevalent dilemmas in the field.

並列關鍵字

Confucius ； the Lunyu ； Author ； dating ； canon formation

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