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中文提要：本文将主要从初期道教与基督教诞生时的时代精神特质、创立者的信仰与政治态度两个方面，审视它们所表现出的现世性与超越性的差异。道教在起源上承袭了巫术、神仙术、五德终始说、讖纬所内含的现世性，这和基督教诞生时人们对弥赛亚的盼望所体现出来的超越性的精神特质形成鲜明对照。初期基督教虽然不否定肉体生命的价值，但是，在福音书作者的心目中，耶稣所宣讲的却是人不能只靠物质性的东西而活，还要靠上帝的话。上帝的话，乃是上帝的灵呼吸的结果。换言之，初期基督教是要把人引向上帝属灵的国度。此外，初期基督教并不像道教那样，以建立现世的之国为目标。
Worldliness and Transcendence, the difference of Daoism and Christianity in Their Primitive Development Dr. Zha Changping
Abstract:
This paper studies the difference of the worldliness of Daoism and the transcendence of Christianity during their primitive development according to the ethos of their era when they came into being, and the faith and political attitudes of their founders. Daoism inherited originally the worldliness in the traditional sorcery, witchery by the immortals, the philosophy of history which explains the development of the ancient Chinese history through the circulation of the five constant virtues including benevolence, righteousness, propriety, knowledge and faith corresponding to the five primary elements---metal, wood, water, fire and earth, the books about the occult. This clearly contradistinguishes from the ethos of the transcendence of Christianity during its primitive development embodying in that both many Jews and the gentiles in Palestine were eagerly hoping for Messiah. Although the primitive Christianity did not deny the value of the fleshy life, in the mind of the evangelists what Jesus proclaimed was that one does not live by bread alone, but by every God’s word coming from God’s Spirit breathes. In another word, the primitive Christianity is to lead its believers into God spiritual kingdom. Furthermore, unlike the primitive Daoism, its aim is to build the worldly kingdom in the present age. The creators in the primitive Daoism longed for the fulfillment of the earthly kingdom where everybody could be alive for ever and ever, therefore they uprose against the government of the kings in the Weijin Dynasties. They had a hostile political position against the governments in their ages. On the contrary, the creator of Christianity, Jesus of Nazareth, answered the Roman governor Pilate, ‘My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here’( NRS John 18:36). He obeyed to the judge of Pilate, not making insurrection against the worldly Roman government. Jesus’ obedient action and attitude towards the real politics gave the feature of transcendence to the primitive Christianity.
初期道教，指公元二世纪末（东汉末年）至六世纪末（南北朝【420－589】前）的道教。其核心教义为“长生不死”、“肉体飞升”或“肉体成仙” |
