第四世紀沙漠教父伊瓦格魯斯的靈性教育   免費試閱

The Spiritual Education of the Fourth Century Desert Father Evagrius Ponticus

本文由宗教史的觀點來探討「靈性教育」，以基督宗教歷史中第四世紀沙漠教父伊瓦格魯斯的作品為基礎，闡釋其所發展出來的靈性教育。伊瓦格魯斯是早期基督宗教歷史當中重要的思想家之一，也是基督宗教苦修與密契傳統中著名的代表人物，其思想深刻地影響了近古晚期以來修道院神學的發展。為了幫助陶成當時同在埃及沙漠中修行的修道士，伊瓦格魯斯曾寫下可觀的作品，檢視其作品將可使吾人對於其靈性教育的方法與實踐有所洞察。故此，本文將依據伊瓦格魯斯的著作，闡述其所展望之：一、靈性教育的發展階段；二、靈性教育的內涵、方法及態度；三、靈性教育的目的，以呈現伊瓦格魯斯為第四世紀埃及沙漠修道士所設之靈性教育的樣貌。

In view of the theme “spiritual education,” the present study will provide a reading on the work of the fourth century desert father Evagrius Ponticus in its historical context, and explicate the kind of spiritual education Evagrius has developed. Evagrius is not only one of the important thinkers in early Christian history, but also a representative figure of Christian asceticism and mysticism. His thought had great impact on the development of monastic theology since late antiquity. Evagrius composed a substantial amount of work for the formation of the desert monks. By examining Evagrius’ work, we may gain insight into the methods and pratices of spiritual education within the fourth century monastic life in the Egyptian desert. On the basis of Evagrius’ writings, the present study will elaborate: (1) the developmental stages of Evagrius’ spiritual education; (2) its content, method, and attitude; and (3) its goal, so as to give a portrayal of Evagrius’ spiritual education for the fourth century Egyptian desert monks.