Salvation through a Literary Education: Biblical Interpretation and the Trivium in Piers Plowman

Abstract

本論文透過研究中古的文科教育及聖經詮釋來解讀《農夫皮爾斯（B版本）七至十二節中藍能(Langland)所呈現的理想基督教教育。本論文討論藍能如何探試各種聖經詮釋方法於不同場合，面對不同群眾，在教導救恩論時的適用性。此適用性的斷定也特別考量中古未受教育之平民的需要和威克里夫信徒之挑戰。論文中藉比較維爾(Will)在故事中段的教育歷程和開希歐多羅斯(Cassiodorus)、聖文德(Bonaventure)、和聖維多休(Hugh ofSt. Victor)等中古教育家的教育藍圖來解釋維爾所習得的聖經詮釋方法如何幫助他瞭解聖經中的救恩論－幫助他找到行善、行美善、行至善三法門之途，並幫助他瞭解一個聖經學者該有什麼訓練和考量。本論文結論如下：第一、藍能相信研究聖經者必須先堅信教會所教之基礎教義並向神存謙卑及信德。第二、藍能鼓勵傳教者根據傳教的主題之難易來選擇聖經詮釋方法，而不是根據受教的場合或受教者的知識程度來擇定聖經詮釋方法。第三、藍能未完全遵循天主教會立場：他允許所有人研讀聖經，但也堅持所有研讀聖經的人必需接受完整的傳統文科訓練。藍能相信：如果研讀聖經的人不完成完整的傳統文科訓練，就不能成為合格而充滿愛心的傳教者，如果他們不力行所傳之道，不瞭解自己之不足並盼望憐憫之神的救贖和獎賞，他們就不能真正活出得救的生命。

This paper studies Passūses VII to XII of Piers Plowman, B version, and seeks to understand what Langland considers as an ideal Christian education through a study of medieval literary education and biblical interpretation. The paper starts with a discussion of how Langland tests the validity of different methods that are used to interpret the Bible on various occasions to teach audiences of various intellectual capacities the doctrine of salvation, with a concern for the ignorance of the laity and the heresy of Wycliffites. In the paper, Will’s education in the middle passuses is read against the educational schemes of Cassiodorus, Hugh of St. Victor, and Bonaventure to see what interpretive methods Will learns, how these methods are used to help him understand the doctrine of salvation in the Bible-to find Dowel, Dobet, and Dobest, and what trainings and concerns Will, a student of the Bible, is taught to have. This paper argues that Langland believes that those who study the Bible for the doctrine of salvation need first to be firm believers in the rudimentary doctrine taught by the Church and humble and faithful students before God. This paper also argues that Langland encourages the uses of different kinds of biblical interpretation according to the level of the lesson taught, neither to the occasions for the instruction nor to the intellectual capacities of the students. Lastly, this paper argues that Langland does not exclude anyone from biblical studies, as the Catholic Church did, but insists that all students of the Bible go through the traditional literary training. The paper explains how Langland argues that students of the Bible cannot expect to live a saved life if they do not follow the demanding curriculum, become qualified and loving preachers, and practice their own sermons, with an understanding of their own deficiency and a hope for salvation and rewards granted by the merciful God.