一座太长太远的桥？——对圣保罗与孔夫子的比较性思考

A Bridge too Far? Comparative Reflections on St Paul and Confucius

本文旨在反思基于沟通中国与欧洲不同思维方式的一个学术生命的信仰基础。借助思考两位伟大的导师——圣保罗和孔夫子的生命及其智慧，探索了两个不同文明的根源。文章反思了他们如何准备其生命的终点，也就是一种他们的使命似乎未能最终实现，自己也无从预料会留下长远遗产的境遇。文章并进一步比较了两位先哲核心理念之异同，作者认为，正是这些核心理念激发了他们各自富于社会责任和进步的学术追求。

This essay was written as a reflection on the spiritual underpinnings of a life of scholarship that has tried to bridge the different thought worlds of China and Europe. It explores the roots of the two worlds by reflecting on the lives and ideas of two great teachers, St Paul and Confucius. It reflects on howthey prepared themselves for the end of life, in a situation where it seemed their mission could not be accomplished and they could not know the long lasting legacy they would leave behind, and compares the their core messages which showed howboth would inspire a scholarship that is socially responsible and indeed transformative.