西部苗族有豐富又多彩的創世故事,這是他們民族分散在廣大的地區並與其他民族接觸的結果。其龐大的神系有需多不同創造天地萬物的神,有的是男神,有的是女神,有的男女神是夫妻而分配創造天地。由於苗族在20世紀起才開始有自己的文字,在此之前他們是以口傳方式延續其創世神話。雖然這些神話故事時有宗教方面的色彩,但是它們本身並無神聖的地位。
希伯來人的創世故事記錄於《聖經》〈創世記〉。它們反映了早期的書寫傳統。他們的神是男神,也是唯一的神。因為這些故事的地位神聖,被視為是其唯一正統的創造故事,因此被留傳下來的版本被賦與不可改變或附加其他內容的神聖地位。
兩個完全不同的創世傳統可以提供非常豐富的對比研究。筆者對兩個創世傳統所反映對神、對宇宙結構與對道德的觀念特別有興趣。透過研究發現,這兩個表面上完全不同的創世傳統,深入探討後,發現二者竟有許多相似之處。共同的概念包含天地被至高無上之神創造、混沌的原始世界、創造好的完美世界被死亡與疾病破壞、樂園的失去、普世的洪水氾濫、泥土造人、善與惡的對立等。筆者假設以上的共同概念,再加上無故土的西部苗族很容易認同歷史上亡國的希伯來人,導致其對基督教的接受度有比較高的傾向。 / The Western Miao have an abundance of rich and colorful creation myths. This is the result of their living scattered over a large area, and interacting with other ethnic groups. Their large pantheon contains many different kinds of creator gods. Some are male, some are female, and some are male/female couples. Because the Miao did not have their own alphabet until the early 20th century, any passing on of their myths was done orally. Although these myths sometimes hint of religious influences, they do not have sacred status in themselves.
The Hebrew creation myths are recorded in the Bible, in the book of Genesis. They reflect an early written tradition. Their God is male, and He alone is God. Because of their sacred status, these stories are seen as the only legitimate creation stories. Thus, in passing down these stories, no changes or additions can be made.
Two such very different creation traditions provide rich opportunities for comparison. The author is especially interested in examining how these stories reflect different concepts of god, of the structure of the universe, and of morality. This study revealed that while on the surface, these two creation traditions appeared to be very different, a deeper probe revealed many similarities. These included the concept of a supreme creator God, original chaos, a perfect world marred by the introduction of sickness and death, the loss of paradise, a universal flood, man made from clay, the dual opposites of good and evil, etc. The author postulates that these similarities, plus the fact that the Miao, without a homeland, could relate to the Hebrews, contributed to their easy acceptance of Christianity.
Key words: Western Miao, Hmong, A-Mong (Hua Miao), Hebrews, Genesis
Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:CHENGCHI/G0892590181 |
Creators | 艾斯翠 |
Publisher | 國立政治大學 |
Source Sets | National Chengchi University Libraries |
Language | 中文 |
Detected Language | English |
Type | text |
Rights | Copyright © nccu library on behalf of the copyright holders |
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