阿甲按：为方便不能看视频的读者直接了解视频内容，将中英文字幕以文字形式附在后面。Enjoy!

早期教会若按罗马帝国境内和境外来划分。在罗马帝国境内，罗马天主教出自于西罗马帝国，以讲拉丁语为主；希腊东正教出自于东罗马帝国，以讲希腊语为主，在1453年君士坦丁堡陨落后，莫斯科自诩为第三罗马，这种思绪导致笔者曾听闻说，俄罗斯教会是东正教得了真传，是东正教的最高形态，甚至可以说巅峰（笔者当然不看好这种极端吹捧的说辞）。可见，“正统”教会与罗马帝国相关程度不是没有由来的。

而当时罗马境外的教会却长期遭到忽视，被境内“正统”教会“判”为“异端”，这就是笔者所推崇的与中国有联系的叙利亚教会。可以毫不夸张地说，叙利亚教会占据了罗马境外教会一大半的角色，并且很多其他罗马境外的教会都因叙利亚教会的宣教精神得到滋养和惠及，中国就是一例。

中国虽然与叙利亚传统（唐代称为景教，元代是也里可温教）有近7世纪的接触，但中国教会对该传统的认识却极其有限，现今学术研究出版仅隶属于热门的敦煌吐蕃学。从信徒，家史的角度研究景教的实在太少了。本文推荐近代叙利亚大学者（有学者称他是近代所有叙利亚学者的导师）布洛克（Sebastian Brock）对叙利亚传统的简要概论。

按布洛克视频中的意思，简单来说，拉丁传统注重法律，组织和教规，希腊传统注重哲学和神学思辨，而叙利亚传统注重象征和诗歌。当然拉丁和希腊传统也有诗歌，并且也很好。但叙利亚传统尤其擅长以诗歌象征来表神学。

关于如何评价叙利亚教会（暗示其是否正统）？布洛克指出，他认为让教父们对今日的学者和我们说话，而不是强迫他们来按我们的意思来言说和理解。这（即读叙利亚教父们的原著）是首要，而且是最重要的。这展现了我们对教父们的尊重和责任，因为他们不能活过来跟你说，你理解错了，其实（很多时候）是我们理解错了。第二点就是，要阅读教父们的原著（至少是译作），而不是看二手材料，读二手材料时要注意选择，有些是很好的，有些就不是很好。读二手材料的一个缺点是人会太相信一些学者的著作，而忽略了读原著，这是一种思想的放任。

另一个重要的点是要让这些叙利亚教父的文献能普及大众，而不仅仅是学者。布洛克推荐了Popular Patristics Series，这个系列提供了基本的学术信息，为大众阅读经典文献提供了便利。

笔者以为，虽然操的是叙利亚语，但叙利亚教父的思维模式和精神却与中国有着极高的类似性。叙利亚传统擅长以诗歌，象征，图像，圣经的语言来表述神学，这点非常值得推崇，对于中国基督徒而言，这种进路将带来一种全新的神学表述方式和理解。

视频（提供中英文字幕）

油管

中英文字幕文件如下：

Brock论叙利亚教会

Q1：You’d research Syriac fathers,

问：您研究了叙利亚的教父，

what are they place among many many fathers that lived in Byzantine and Rome,

和许许多多住在拜占庭和罗马的教父相比，

what the place of these fathers, Syriac fathers?

叙利亚的教父的地位如何？

Brock：

Well, I’d like to see,

好的，我希望看到的是

Christian traditional is having not just Greek east Latin west,

基督教传统其实并不像大多数人认为的，

which is how most people see it,

只有“东方希腊世界西方拉丁世界”这两部分，

but having three different elements.

而是共有三个不同的组成部分。

And the 3rd would be what I call the Syriac Orient.

第三部分就是我所说的“东方叙利亚”。

And each of these traditions has its own particular quality,

而每个传统也都有其自身的特质，

or emphasis which the others don’t always have.

或者是别的传统并不总具有的侧重点。

And so each particular emphasis on each of these three traditions is the value to all the others.

所以，这三种传统各自所具有的特点对彼此而言都是有价值的。

And that’s why I think the Syriac tradition is particularly important

这就是为什么我认为叙利亚的传统尤其重要，

and if you can put in very simplistic terms

简单来讲的话，

the Latin tradition is very good on the legal side

拉丁传统更侧重于法律层面，

the canon law side

尤其是教会规条。

and the Greek tradition on the more of philosophical side

而希腊传统则更偏重于哲学方面。

And I would say the Syriac tradition is much more on the symbolic and especially the poetic side

而我想说叙利亚传统更具有象征意义，尤其在诗歌方面。

Of course

当然，

you find it in Greek and Latin poetry

在希腊和拉丁的诗歌中，

wonderful things

你也能找到很多美好的东西，

which are equally fine

同样也很好，

But I think the, as a word, the predominance of poetry as a vehicle for theology

但我认为，一言蔽之，叙利亚传统以诗歌作为神学媒介的卓越之处在于，

is something that the Syriac tradition especially with Saint Ephrem

其著名神学家“圣·艾弗冷同时也是一位顶尖水平的诗人。

who beside being a first class poet is also a really important theologian.

And it’s that aspect that I think is absent from or forgotten in the other traditions

这方面在其他传统中，我认为是缺失或者是被遗忘了的。

that theology can be expressed in poetry just as validly as in prose.

神学可以用散文（按：特指押韵的散文）的形式来正确地表述，也可以用诗歌的形式表达出来。

Q2:

Can you tell us briefly about the difference between Byzantine Christology,  Athens Christology and modern Syrian Christology?

您可以简明地给我们解释一下拜占庭和雅典基督论以及现代叙利亚的基督论

这二者之间有什么不同吗？

Brock:

Well, as Syria Christology there’s no single tradition,

好的。就叙利亚基督论而言，并没有单一的传统，

really one could say that it’s historically the case,

真的可以说是一个历史个案，

that the Syriac tradition has three different

叙利亚传统实际上有三个不同的

or it’s a transmitter of three different Christological traditions.

或者说它传播了三种不同的基督论。

The Chalcedonian tradition which of course is the same as the Byzantine tradition

包括和拜占庭传统相同的迦克墩传统，

and until the seventeenth century

而直到公元十七世纪，

Syriac was one of the languages of patriarchate, Chalcedonian, patriarchate of Antioch

叙利亚语是安提阿教区和迦克墩教区的官方语言之一。

and that’s often forgotten

这经常被遗忘。

so Syria has a Chalcedonian tradition

所以，叙利亚确实有迦克墩传统，

but then you have the eastern tradition of the church of the east

但之后东方[亚述]教会的传统，

and the tradition of the Syrian Orthodox

叙利亚东正教的传统，

and the other Oriental Orthodox churches

以及其他“旧东部派”教会都掺合了进来。

And simply because I’ve had to read texts from all these three traditions

坦白说因为我不得不研读所有三种传统的文献，

I have I suppose what you could say the privilege

你可以说我算是有这种恩赐，

of realizing that once you get underneath what they say on the surface

能意识到一旦深入他们的言语表面[所传达的信息]，

and the verbal conflict, two nature one nature and so on

他们口头上的争执，基督的神人二性等等，

They are all trying to express the same thing

他们实际上都是想表达同一个意思，

but with different starting points that

但出发点各有不同，

each tradition is afraid of one particular heretical position

每个传统都惧怕一种异端的姿态，

and so reacts in a certain way

所以都以某种方式来回应。

and also in a particular

而在特殊情况下，

one could say that they belong to a particular theological understanding of certain terms

他们可以说那属于对某些术语在神学上的特殊理解，

and in particular term, hypothesis and fysis (φυσις),

而一些特殊词汇，[例如]位格，本性，

these are terms which are clearly understood in different ways

这些术语已经以不同方式清楚地理解了。

And once you realize this,

一旦你意识到这点，

you can see how the conflict has arisen and also how it should be resolved

你就能明白冲突是如何起来的，而又该如何解决。

and indeed it has been resolved by theologians in modern dialogue

实际上现在这些问题已经被神学家们通过对话解决了。

but unfortunately that hasn’t as well gone further

但不幸的是，对话也没能更进一步，

because when you solve the theological problems,

因为当你解决神学问题的时候，

you find that the ecclesiological problems.

你发现了教会建制[层面]的问题。

But as I say basically

但我觉得基本上来说，

the Christological problems and the differences are soluble

基督论的问题和那些分歧都是可以解决的，

and indeed have been solved in modern dialogue.

并且的确已经通过现代的对话解决了。

Q3：

Where, in the world maybe, the study and research can get the best education the best experience of understanding Syriac fathers？

如果说世界范围的话，现在在哪里能够接受到最好的关于叙利亚教父的教育和经验呢？

Brock：

That’s a difficult question

是个很难的问题

and at any one point it may be different

但在任何一点上，这可能会不一样

at the moment

现今，

here’s my chauvinism

可能我有点沙文主义了，

I would say Oxford is a very good place

但我会说牛津是一个非常好的地方，

not because I’m here

不是因为我在这里，

but because my successor David Taylor is very good

而是因为我的接班人，大卫泰勒，他非常棒。

and he was one of my best students

他曾是我最好的学生之一。

and he has very wide knowledge

他博学多才，

is very good scholar

是个非常棒的学者

he’s very open

他很开放

and I think he will go far

我认为他能走得很远

In a way

在某种程度上，

the troubles in western academic world

西方学术界的麻烦在于，

is in such a difficult position at the moment in the humanities

在现今的人文学科上所处的困难境地，

As this great uncertainty

在这种非常大的不确定性下

and whole universities don’t know what’s going to happen to the humanities in this country

整个大学都不知道这个国家的人文学科会发展成什么样子。

If you ask the vice chancellor

如果你去问副教授，

he says we don’t know we should be

他会说我们应该知道但我们不知道。

the Government should tell us what they’re going to do

政府应该告诉我们他们打算怎么办，

We don’t know, and so everything is uncertain.

我们不知道，一切都是不确定的。

so it’s a matter of finding where there are good people

所以要紧的事是找到哪里有好的人，

sympathetic people at a particular time

在特定时期能表示赞同的人。

France is quite strong at the moment

法国现在很强

Italy is quite strong at the moment in certain places

意大利现在在某些方面也很强

and Holland

荷兰也是

but different people have different aspects of interest

但不同的人有不同的兴趣方向，

So it’s a matter of exploring to find where is the best

所以要紧的事情是探寻到哪里是最好的

But what I can say is that Oxford has the only taught masters course in Syriac studies

但我能说的是，现在牛津只讲授叙利亚研究的硕士课程

I started this off about twenty years ago

这门课程是我二十年前开设的，

and found it extremely useful for getting people really into the subject

我发现这门课极其能让学习者深度沉浸在学科里。

We have very intensive reading throughout

我们始终有非常密集的阅读，

there’s no thesis

虽然不写论文

but four exam papers with essays

但会有四篇测验的短文。

So

所以，

you get… at least I hope people get

你会学到，或者至少我希望学生能学到

a good basic knowledge of the tradition

非常好的关于这个传统的基础知识，

so that they can move on to do research in one particular field

这样他们能够继续从事某一特定领域的研究，

that they will authored that they choose for

并能进一步在他们选择的领域创造出成就。

because there are very few places where you can study Syriac as an undergraduate

因为本科生很少能有地方学习到古叙利亚语，

and it’s always as a subsidiary subject

毕竟这一直是一门附属课程，

So you’re doing it with other things

一般都是顺带学习。

so, this course, this MA course

所以，这门文科硕士的课程

master of studies and Syriac studies

叙利亚的硕士研究学科

it’s unique outside India

在印度之外是很特别的

India has in Kerala

印度在喀拉拉邦有这门课程

there’s a good place

那儿有一个很好的地方

It’s much cheaper than Oxford

学费也比牛津便宜的多

but the standard isn’t of course quite the same

当然他们的标准和这边不太一样

but that is another possibility

但也提供了另一种可能性

They have good classes

他们有很好的课堂

good people

不错的学生

good library

很好的图书馆

the St. Ephrem Ecumenical Research Institute (SEERI) in Kottayam Kerala

在印度喀拉拉邦的戈德亚姆，圣艾弗冷普世研究院。

So these are the only two places in the world at the moment

所以现今世界上就只有这两个地方

that have the Syriac …

能提供古典叙利亚语课程

and not at an elementary level

并且不止是初级水平。

Q4：

What can the researcher of Syriac fathers give to modern Orthodox？

叙利亚教父的研究学者能给现代东正教带来些什么呢？

Brock：

I would put it in two ways

我从两个方面来阐释这个问题，

personally

从个人方面来讲，

the two great Syriac writers that I have learnt so much from

有两位伟大的叙利亚作家让我受益良多，

one is St. Ephrem might mentioned, the poet of the fourth century

一位就是前面提到过的圣艾弗冷，公元四世纪的诗人，

his theology is, I think, very meaningful for modern humanity

他的神学对现代人类富有深意。

He’s very ecological in his approach to the relationship between humanity and the world

他对人类和世界之间关系的研究是非常生态的，

and that’s obviously something very important

这显然是非常重要的事情。

But he sees it not just on a physical basis of the physical world

但他看到的不仅仅是物质世界的物质基础，

it’s also the he sees the essential, as an essential link between

humanity and the spiritual

他也看到了肉体与灵性的本质联系。

ecosphere, the word what could say

“生态圈”，可能可以用这个词来说。

and then the other great Syriac writer

然后，另一位伟大的叙利亚作家，

whom I’ve learned a great deal from is St. Isaac

让我受益良多的，就是圣以撒，

the Syrian St. Isaac of Nineveh

来自尼尼微的叙利亚人圣以撒。

So he is a totally different writer from the monastic tradition

从修道传统的角度而言，他是一位很不一样的作者

And of course he got into Greek quite earl-yon

当然他[的著作]很早期就到了希腊(即：有了希腊译本)，

so he has influence of the Byzantine tradition very profoundly

所以他深深地影响了拜占庭传统。

And of course he’s widely read today

当然现今他的作品也广为人知。

now what seems to, as a way, separate Isaac out from

那么，似乎有一种方法可以将以撒

at least many Greek Byzantine monastic writers

至少从那些希腊拜占庭修道院作家区分出来，

is that his writing in a tradition that’s not…

就是他写作的方法并没有受到……

well, this is too stronger word

呃，这个用词可能有点过了，

not fettered by the Greek rhetorical tradition

他没有受到希腊传统修辞手法的“束缚”。

so he’s writing much more as it were from a biblical style

他的写作更多的回归到了圣经的风格。

even though, you will find that Isaac,

即使你会发现以撒…

I mean, if you compare to the Septuagint it’s very different

我的意思是如果和旧约七十士译本比较的话还是有很大不同的，

that what I’m trying to say is that his approach and the way he puts things

我想表达的是，他的写作方法，

is much more, should we say pictorial in a way

在某种程度上可以说更加的有画面感。

and he works by images rather than concepts

比起概念，他更依靠图像来写作。

and the images as it were our vehicles for concepts

图像可以说是我们理解概念的媒介。

And I think that’s something, that’s very much present in Ephrem too

我认为这非常了不起。当然艾弗冷也经常呈现类似的东西。

But I would say this applies to both of them.

但我想说这对他们两个都适用。

Q5:

Nowadays, we can see a centre like the resurrection of optimistic styles in Russia,

现今，我们可以看到像俄罗斯的“复活乐观主义”这样的风潮，

What can you wish to our researchers,

您对我们的研究员有什么期许吗，

what mistakes they should avoid on their ways?

他们该如何避免一些错误？

Brock:

That’s a difficult question

这又是一个很难的问题

I think it’s very important to let the Church Fathers speak to the researchers and to us today

我认为现今很重要的事是，让教父们向我们今天的研究人员说话，

rather than imposing what we think they should say

而不是把我们的想法强加于在他们[的话语上]。

that’s the first most important thing

这是最最重要的事情。

It’s a responsibility that we have to them

这是我们对他们的责任。

They can’t answer back and say that you’re wrong

他们不可能回怼说“你错了”，

or we are wrong

或者“我们错了”。

So that I think is one of the most important things

所以我认为这是最重要的事情之一。

I think such a lot is written about the church fathers today in the West

现在西方关于教父的文章有很多了，

I would say that is perhaps more important to read the church fathers

我想说比起阅读二手文献，直接阅读教父的著作，

than to read the secondary literature

或许更加的重要。

and be selective in what you read of the secondary literature.

二次文献的阅读也应该是有选择性的，

And some of it’s extremely good

有一些非常非常不错，

some of it’s very illuminating

有些很有启发性，

But one can be bogged down

但是人很容易深陷其中，

one can be drowned by so much of it

被海量的[二手]文献所淹没。

Another thing I think would, and this is a great opportunity

借这个很好的机会，我还想说的是，

There are a lot of important texts which are unpublished

有很多重要的著作（即一手文献）现在并没有出版，

He has a wonderful chance for make them available

有很好的机会可以将这些公诸于世，

and also very important is to make these texts available to ordinary people

向大众开放这些著作也是非常重要的，

it’s not something just for scholars

[这些著作]不应该仅限于学者们。

And what I think is one of the wonderful things that St. Vladimir Seminary Press does

而我认为圣弗拉基米尔神学院出版社做的很好的一件事是，

They have this popular patristic series

他们出版了一系列的教父学书籍。

These are accessible translations with introductions

这些书籍采用通俗的翻译，并附有注释，

that aren’t too technical,

阅读门槛比较低，

they give the essential information

提供基础的信息,

and as it were act as a bridge from today to the ancient writers

可以说是架起了我们和古代作者沟通的桥梁。

And I think this is a very important role for all academics who work on patristics,

我认为对于所有研究教父学的学者来说，这都是一个很重要的角色

because these are not, as well, private ancient documents just for us

因为这些文献不是什么单独留给我们私人的古代文献，

they’re for everyone

而是属于每个人的。

And maybe in the form of anthologies or translations of single works

或许以精选集的形式，或者单独的译本，

it’s a matter of choosing things that are going to speak to a much wider public,

重要的是选择能够向大众传播得更广泛的内容，

and there are plenty of things.

这样的内容有很多。

So that I think would be what I suggest.

这差不多就是我的建议。

Q:

Thank you

谢谢

Brock:

Well, not at all

不客气

Thank you

谢谢你。