六级阅读：基督教　　Christianity1

　　Christianity began life as a Jewish sect. Far from attempting to find a new religion, the first Christians viewed themselves as Jews following the teachings of the Jewish Messiah . It was only later, after many non-Jews converted, that Christianity became a religion distinct from Judaism2

　　Although Christianity shares much with Judaism, these two faiths differ significantly with respect to such fundamental issues as God’s relationship with humanity. The central motif through which this relationship has been understood in both traditions is that of a covenant or contract. In Hebrew scriptures ( the old Testament3) , God offers a special relationship with his chosen people — the Jews through a contract that specifies the terms of this relationship . The details of this arrangement have been modified and expanded from time to time, in a series of covenants with Noah, Abraham, and Moses4. The most well known of these contracts is God’s agreement with Moses on Mt. Sinai, the Ten Commandments5.

　　In the Christian understanding of covenant theology, God offers humanity a new contract — the New Testament6— as revealed in the person and teaching of Jesus. Unlike previous covenants, the new covenant refers to the eternal fate of individuals rather than to the worldly fate of the nation of Israel. Also, rather than being offered only to Jews, the new contract is offered to humanity as a whole . Individual salvation7 and the question of how that salvation can be achieved is a dominant theme of traditional Christianity.

　　Salvation, according to this tradition, is necessary because otherwise the individual is condemned to spend eternity in hell8 , a place of eternal punishment. Born into sin, the sentence of eternal damnation is the fate of every person unless she or he is saved from this fate by being“ born again ”through faith in Jesus Christ. All other doctrines are built around a warning of condemnation and a redeeming message of redemption. As the core doctrine, it would be natural that arguments over soteriology ( one’s theory of redemption) would lead to religions schisms. Disagreement over competing notions of salvation led to the split between Catholicism and Protestantism.

　　Given the stark contrast between heaven and hell as eternal abodes of the soul, serious thinkers have had to grapple with the question —What happens to people who, while not saints, nevertheless are generally good people who have never committed any major sins in their lives? Reflection on this problem led to the development of purgatory9, an intermediate realm between heaven and hell. In purgatory, souls are tortured for their sins, but are eventually released and allowed to enter heaven.

　　阅读自测

　　Tra nslate Chinese in to English, to lea rn more a bout th e or igina l sin: God created the heavens, earth and all kinds of animals, including two men —Adam and Eve. They could eat from any tree, except one, in the Garden of Eden. _____________( 在上帝创造的所有动物之中, 毒蛇是最狡诈的。)“Did God really tell you not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?”The serpent asked Eve .“We may eat the fruit of any tree _____________( 除伊甸园中间那棵树上的果实之外) . God had even said,‘You shall not eat it or even touch it, otherwise you die. ’”But the serpent told Eve ,“Of course you will not die! God knows well that the moment you eat of it your eyes will be opened and _____________( 你们就会像上帝一样区分出善恶) . ”Eve saw the tree was good for good, pleasing to the eyes and desirable for gaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it. Then she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate it, too. Then, the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked._____________( 于是他们就把树叶缝在一起, 制成衣服。) When God came, they hid themselves among the trees of the garden.“Where are you?”the God asked.“ I heard you in the garden; but I am afraid. _____________( 因为我没有穿衣 服, 所以我躲了起来。) ”answered Adam. It was just then God learnt that they had eaten the fruit of the tree in the middle . God was very angry and banished them from the Garden of Eden.

　　参考答案

　　Of all the animals that God had made, the serpent was the most cunning. except the fruit of the tree in the middle of the Garden of Eden you will be like Gods who know what is good and what is bad So they sewed leaves together and made clothes for themselves. Because I was naked, I hid myself.

　　参考译文

　　基督教

　　基督教开始的时候只是犹太教的一个分支。最早的基督教徒根本没想过创办新的宗 教, 他们自视为追随犹太教弥赛亚的教义的犹太人。只是后来在许多非犹太人改变信仰之 后, 基督教才脱离犹太教, 自成一体。

　　尽管基督教与犹太教具有很多共同点, 但这两个宗教在像上帝与人的关系等基本问题 上差别明显。在基督教和犹太教这两种传统中, 理解上帝与人的关系需要依赖圣约, 或“ 约 书”中的主旨。在希伯来人的经典著作《旧约全书》里, 上帝与他的选民——— 犹太人之间通 过约书保持着特殊的关系, 这本约书详细说明了这种关系的条件。这一安排的具体内容在 一系列与诺亚、亚伯拉罕和摩西达成的圣约里不时地被更改和扩充。这些约书中最出名的 是上帝与摩西在西奈山上达成的协议———《十诫》。

　　基督教徒对圣约神学的理解是, 上帝赐给人类一份新约书———《新约全书》, 该约书通 过基督本人以及他的教诲得以昭示。不像从前的圣约那样,《新约》讲述的是个人永恒的 命运, 而不是以色列国世俗的命运。同样, 新约的接受对象不再只是犹太人, 而是全人类。 个人的救赎以及灵魂如何能被拯救是传统基督教的主题。

　　按照这一传统, 救赎对基督教教徒非常必要, 因为如果不对灵魂进行拯救, 人就会被打 进地狱, 永世不得超生, 在地狱永远都要受到惩罚。人生下来就有罪过, 每个人都注定要永 远受到惩罚, 除非我们信仰基督耶稣, 才能获得“ 重生”, 摆脱这种命运。所有其他教旨都 是围绕惩罚的警告和救赎的启示展开的。“ 耶稣救世学”被作为核心教旨, 对耶稣救世学 的争论必然导致教会的分裂。对不同救赎主张的争执导致了天主教和新教之间的决裂。

　　考虑到作为灵魂永久居所的天堂和地狱之间鲜明的对比, 一些严肃的思想家只得努 力解决以下问题: 对于那些既非圣人、一生中又没犯过什么大的过失、本性善良的人来 说, 他们怎么办? 对该问题的反思导致了炼狱理论的产生, 炼狱是介于天堂和地狱之间 的中间地带。在炼狱里, 灵魂因人的罪恶受到折磨, 但人最终还是得以赦免, 从而进入 天堂。

　　阅读导评

　　基督教与西方文化有着密不可分的关系, 自中世纪以来, 基督教对西方人的思维方式、 价值判断、艺术理念等方面产生了潜移默化的影响。基督教的经典著作《圣经》也以其博 大精深的思想内涵和丰富多彩的叙事模式, 为西方艺术提供了取之不尽的精神资源。可以 说, 基督教作为一种文化精神, 已经沉淀在西方人的灵魂里, 溶化在血液中。所以, 只有对 基督教以及《圣经》有了基本的了解以后, 我们才能更深刻地理解西方文学、西方文化, 乃 至西方人的思维方式。

　　阅读导释

　　1. 基督教。世界上最大的宗教。公元1 世纪产生于亚细亚的西部地区, 后来从犹太教中分 裂出来成为独立的宗教。该教奉耶稣为救世主, 公元4 世纪成为罗马帝国的国教, 并逐 渐成为中世纪欧洲封建社会的主要精神支柱。基督教主要分为三大派系———天主教 ( Catholicism) 、新教( Protestantism) 和东正教( Orthodox Church) 。

　　2. 犹太教。主要在犹太人之间流行, 奉耶和华为唯一的神, 基督教的《旧约》原是它的 经典。

　　3.《旧约》。《旧约》是基督教经典著作《圣经》的一部分。《旧约》包括律法书、先知书、历 史书和杂集四类, 共39 卷, 其中记录了天地起源、犹太人的来源和历史以及古代犹太人 的文学作品。

　　4. 诺亚、亚伯拉罕和摩西。诺亚是方舟( ark) 的建造者。亚伯拉罕是希伯来人的始祖。摩 西是公元前13 世纪以色列人的宗教领袖和民族英雄, 在上帝的帮助下, 他率领以色列人 逃出埃及, 来到流着奶和蜜的迦南( Canaan, 今巴勒斯坦) 。

　　5. 《十诫》。希伯来人在埃及沦为奴隶, 摩西奉上帝之命进行拯救, 带领同胞来到西奈山 下, 上帝通过摩西向希伯来人传谕了“ 十诫”, 标志着上帝与民众签订了严格的道德契 约。随着基督教的传播,《十诫》已成为各教派最基本的伦理诫条, 成为教徒的“ 金科玉 律”。

　　6.《新约》。《新约》包括福音书、历史书、使徒书信和启示录四类, 共27 卷, 主要记述了耶 稣及其门徒的言行。

　　7. salvation n. 灵魂得救, 救赎。基督教中有原罪和救赎说。据《圣经》记载, 人类始祖亚当 ( Adam) 和夏娃( Eve) 在伊甸园( Eden) 里偷吃了禁果( forbidden fruit) , 犯下了人间第 一桩罪过。基督教把这种“ 罪过”说成是代代相传的, 称之为“ 原罪”( original sin) , 认为 他们犯下的原罪使世俗社会充满罪恶, 人降生即具有恶的一面。既然人具有原罪和自身 之罪过, 需要救赎, 故上帝派其独生子耶稣基督降临人世, 创立基督教。人们唯有信仰救 世主耶稣, 才能获得救赎, 求得死后永生。

　　8. 这里反映了基督教的天堂地狱说。《圣经》认为, 现实世界是罪恶的“ 渊蔽”, 人在这个世 界上的苦楚是无法摆脱的。只有信仰耶稣, 顺从神的安排, 死后才能升上天堂, 否则就要 受到末日的审判, 被抛入地狱, 肉体和精神都要受到无穷尽的折磨。 9. purgatory n. 炼狱, 又称涤罪所, 是基督教教徒暂时受苦之地。