试论古代中世纪西方圣徒崇拜的社会功能  

The Cult of the Saints and its Social Function during Ancient and Medieval Times

作　　者：林中泽[1] 

机构地区：[1]华南师范大学历史文化学院,教授广州510631

出　　处：《世界历史》2012年第6期4-21,158,共18页World History

基　　金：教育部人文社科项目;广东省哲学社会科学项目"罗马帝国时代基督教通俗信仰研究"的阶段性成果;批准文号:07JA770025及批准文号:07I03

摘　　要：早期基督教圣徒崇拜,在罗马帝国西部主要表现为圣物崇拜,而在东部则表现为圣像崇拜,这一差异是由两地从古代向中世纪社会转变的不同态势决定的。在古代末期和中世纪时期,圣徒们发挥着各色各样的社会功能,他们既被看做其所在教区的庇护者,又被视为基督教信仰的英雄以及世人生活的道德楷模,因此这种崇拜在外表特征上的确类似于古代的多神崇拜。不过从本质上看,由于人们通过圣徒崇拜打通了神与人、生与死之间的联系渠道,缓解了古代社会的阶级和阶层对抗,再造了社会的凝聚力;并改变了社会财富支配的方式,扩大了财富分配的范围。因此,这种崇拜便不只是对于古代英雄崇拜的简单复制,它作为平衡历史落差的缓冲器,在调节纷繁复杂的社会关系方面,具有极其重要的作用。Relic-worship popular in western part of Roman Empire,and Iconolatry prevalent in eastern part,have a common origin:cult of the saints.The divergence of both was brought by different trend by which ancient society changed into medieval one.In the end of ancient times and beginning of medieval times,cult of the saints had exerted many kinds of functions on secular society.Saints were regarded as not only patrons of the people in the diocese which they belonged to,but also heroes of Christian faith and moral models followed by the multitude.Thus it appeared that this cult was similar to the ancient polytheism.As a matter of fact,it was just through this cult that people opened up the channel which connected the gods with human beings,attached the living to the dead,alleviated class confrontation which had been very sharp in ancient times,rebuilt social cohesion,and enlarged scope of distribution of social public wealth.Therefore,cult of the saints was not simply a reflection of ancient hero-worship,and on the terms of reducing historical gaps and adjusting complicated social contradictions,it had exerted an irreplaceable effect.

关 键 词：古代中世纪 圣徒崇拜 社会功能 本质 

分 类 号：K503[历史地理—历史学] B978[历史地理—世界史]