多马福音，又译托马斯福音(The Gospel of Thomas)，是四福音书之外的一部具有争议的福音书，据称是由十二门徒之一的托马斯所写。曾经有不止一位朋友跟我推荐过它，我后悔没有早些听从他们的建议。因此，在这里，我向看到这篇文章的读者郑重推荐它。它的作者是位伟大的智者，具有广阔的胸怀，跟它相比，圣经其余部分显得如此粗暴、阴沉、狭隘、俗不可耐。（此言一出，我估计读它的就基本只有非教徒了，没关系，我的确更在乎那些自由的灵魂。）

 

在我怀着热情评述其中的一些内容之前，先说一些关于它的基本事实。它的科普特语(Coptic)译本在1945年从埃及Nag Hammadi出土，而希腊语本则于1898年从Oxyrhynchus出土。它的真伪当然是有争议的，有的人将其尊为第五福音书，而有的则将其归为次经甚至伪经。这也是很自然的事，因为其他四福音书跟它根本不是一个档次的，是市井小民和人文思想者的区别。

 

真伪的甄别不是我的工作，如果它为真，那么耶稣基督的伟大可直追释迦牟尼，却是被追随者败坏和歪曲了的；如果它为假，不论出于谁手，我向他致敬。这部福音书有强烈的哲学气息和泛神论的气息，耶稣的形象变成了开明的宗教改革者的形象。陀思妥耶夫斯基笔下的耶稣提倡的自由人的宗教便与此类似，顺便推荐《卡拉玛佐夫兄弟》中的最强音：《宗教大法官》。链接在此：http://www.godoor.com/book/library/html/art/klmzfxd/037b.htm

 

这部《多马福音》让我对耶稣大有改观，有些地方甚至令我有五体投地之感。他是哲人，胜过他是先知。我只能按自己的喜好挑选其中一些章节来评述，希望能够为它吸引更多的读者——我的笔记一般为自己而写，但这次例外，若必要，我不惜为之沿街兜售。它的中文版在此 http://gospelthomas.googlepages.com/ ，何建志译。但鉴于他是根据英文译出，因此以下直接引用Thomas O. Lambdin的英文版。http://www.gnosis.org/naghamm/gthlamb.html

 

(2) Jesus said, "Let him who seeks continue seeking until he finds. When he finds, he will become troubled. When he becomes troubled, he will be astonished, and he will rule over the All." 在开头的地方，这段一下就把我抓住了，我知道，后面还有更多不凡的内容。提倡不断的追求真理而非由一时决断而下跪敬拜而从此一劳永逸，没有黑与白的幼稚分野，承认疑惑不安始终存在，这不正是我所谓的没有终点的终点么。难道真理之杯不是由让人无法把握的疑惑组成的么？难道真理之杯不让人深深震动和讶异么？有了这样的大智慧，便可与万物合而为一，达到自由而成万物的主人。

 

(3) Jesus said, "If those who lead you say to you, 'See, the kingdom is in the sky,' then the birds of the sky will precede you. If they say to you, 'It is in the sea,' then the fish will precede you. Rather, the kingdom is inside of you, and it is outside of you. When you come to know yourselves, then you will become known, and you will realize that it is you who are the sons of the living father. But if you will not know yourselves, you dwell in poverty and it is you who are that poverty." 天国在哪里？天国什么样子？是《启示录》里恶俗的黄金城池么？不，天国在你自己的心里。当你认识了自己，你就是上帝之子，你就与父同在；而若你不认识自己，那才是真正的穷困。我在此嗅到了苏格拉底的气息。

 

(6) His disciples questioned him and said to him, "Do you want us to fast? How shall we pray? Shall we give alms? What diet shall we observe?" Jesus said, "Do not tell lies, and do not do what you hate, for all things are plain in the sight of heaven. For nothing hidden will not become manifest, and nothing covered will remain without being uncovered." 关于宗教仪式里的那些虚文，旧约里作了非常详尽的描述，甚至连帷幔做成什么样子都有规定。然而当你仰望夜空，宇宙无限，难道你可以想像创造了这一切的神灵竟然在乎他在地球上某一小片旷野中的一个小神坛上的帷帐焉施？徒然做违反本性的事毫无裨益，在上天的眼中不过是小孩子的拙劣把戏。更有意义的是前面所说的不断追求和认识自己，这样一切才会显明。

 

(13) Jesus said to his disciples, "Compare me to someone and tell me whom I am like." Simon Peter said to him, "You are like a righteous angel." Matthew said to him, "You are like a wise philosopher." Thomas said to him, "Master, my mouth is wholly incapable of saying whom you are like." Jesus said, "I am not your master. Because you have drunk, you have become intoxicated from the bubbling spring which I have measured out." And he took him and withdrew and told him three things. When Thomas returned to his companions, they asked him, "What did Jesus say to you?" Thomas said to them, "If I tell you one of the things which he told me, you will pick up stones and throw them at me; a fire will come out of the stones and burn you up." 这一段可真是，够猛够辛辣，而且颇有禅宗机锋的味道。据传，托马斯是十二门徒里天分最高的一位，以致耶稣在此并不自居为他的师傅，跟他相比，其他门徒都是庸才。而很多东西是庸才所不能够理解的，如果硬要告诉他们，只能激发他们的怒火和暴力，而暴力的火焰会将他们自己吞没，因此耶稣单独传授，而托马斯亦守口如瓶。此处也能看出，为何约翰、马可、马太、路加福音之后会大行其道，而托马斯福音只能深埋于滚滚黄沙，那是因为庸俗的民众只能、也只配庸俗扭曲的宗教，他们不懂得用自己的心灵去追求真理和认识自我，只习惯于遵守既定的戒律，战战兢兢地从牧师的讲道里领会经文中的恩与威，诚惶诚恐地接受精神的鞭打和爱抚。有什么样的民众，就有什么样的宗教。所以，托马斯福音因其不合大众口味，根本无法流传而被长久遗忘。劣币驱良币，古已如此。

 

(22) Jesus saw infants being suckled. He said to his disciples, "These infants being suckled are like those who enter the kingdom." They said to him, "Shall we then, as children, enter the kingdom?" Jesus said to them, "When you make the two one, and when you make the inside like the outside and the outside like the inside, and the above like the below, and when you make the male and the female one and the same, so that the male not be male nor the female female; and when you fashion eyes in the place of an eye, and a hand in place of a hand, and a foot in place of a foot, and a likeness in place of a likeness; then will you enter the kingdom." 婴儿可以进天国，而成人如何得进呢？首先要内外如一，而且要消灭差别——我怎么嗅出佛陀的众生平等的意味？当差别被打破，当浮面的特征被摒弃，人才能成为赤子，如婴孩一样；当心灵成为第一要素，上与下将不再有差别，男人和女人的特征也将隐去，你将成为纯粹的人，这才是天国降临的准备。

 

(51) His disciples said to him, "When will the repose of the dead come about, and when will the new world come?" He said to them, "What you look forward to has already come, but you do not recognize it." 两千年来，基督徒们一直在窃窃私语：“神的国即将降临了”，仿佛末日审判的台子已经搭好，只等耶稣乘着雷霆之威从天而降。就像犹太人翘首期盼英明威武的弥赛亚的降临，却根本不认识也不承认马槽里出生的耶稣一样，人们等待着天国在启示录里描绘的灾难之后的降临，却根本不认识天国就在人的心里，亦不会承认天国早已降临。人的心灵空虚而又败坏，纵使相逢应不识。

 

(56) Jesus said, "Whoever has come to understand the world has found (only) a corpse, and whoever has found a corpse is superior to the world." 当你体察尘世而只找到躯壳的时候，说明你已经超越了躯壳，也超越了尘世。

 

(62) Jesus said, "It is to those who are worthy of my mysteries that I tell my mysteries. Do not let your left (hand) know what your right (hand) is doing." 好一个知人善任的耶稣！他不但了解朝夕相处的门徒，而且了解普遍的人性，并知道其是不容高估的。

 

(69) Jesus said, "Blessed are they who have been persecuted within themselves. It is they who have truly come to know the father. Blessed are the hungry, for the belly of him who desires will be filled." 追求真理必受内心煎熬。这里说的跟第二段里he will become troubled是一致的。而trouble之后，则可以在无比惊异之中认识上帝。不是那一言一行如履薄冰的羔羊，而是在苦痛迷惑中徘徊不安的灵魂可以得见天父。上帝的恩慈不是将俯首于他面前的灵魂放入黄金打造的天国，让他们日夜给自己唱赞歌，而是体恤人类认知的有限，给努力追求而陷入迷城的灵魂一个最终的报偿和解脱。

 

(70) Jesus said, "That which you have will save you if you bring it forth from yourselves. That which you do not have within you will kill you if you do not have it within you." 你要从自己的内心真正拿出东西来，那是你艰苦追求后的成果，不论多么少、多么谬误，因为那是你内心的声音，对自我的认知。空虚的内心才是真正的死亡。

 

(77) Jesus said, "It is I who am the light which is above them all. It is I who am the all. From me did the all come forth, and unto me did the all extend. Split a piece of wood, and I am there. Lift up the stone, and you will find me there." 耶稣是光，上帝也是光，这是托马斯福音的中心要点之一。神无所不在，一切都是神，这是托马斯福音的另一要点。如果这不叫泛神论，什么是泛神论？

 

(83) Jesus said, "The images are manifest to man, but the light in them remains concealed in the image of the light of the father. He will become manifest, but his image will remain concealed by his light." 人类的眼睛只能认识形象，而不能认识光，因为光是需要心灵去寻找和认识的，因此是隐藏的。而上帝的形象躲在他的光的后面。所以，追求光吧。

 

(89) Jesus said, "Why do you wash the outside of the cup? Do you not realize that he who made the inside is the same one who made the outside?" 为什么世人如此着重外在？在世俗生活中，人们看重金钱、地位；在宗教生活中，人们看重祭祀、敬拜这些繁文缛节。为何不转向内心，从内心发现它本有的一切，发现上帝的国呢？

 

(96) Jesus said, "The kingdom of the father is like a certain woman. She took a little leaven, concealed it in some dough, and made it into large loaves. Let him who has ears hear." 造物已经在我们心中植下了向善和追求真理的本能，就如同一小粒酵母，而我们需要努力将其发成一个大面包。哦，当旧约和新约不约而同地用灾难恐吓人们，托马斯笔下的耶稣却轻言细语地说：把酵母拿去吧。当启示录描绘着黄金的城池，托马斯的耶稣却与你揭示朴素的天国。

 

(110) Jesus said, "Whoever finds the world and becomes rich, let him renounce the world." 发现世界的人怎么能不富有呢？而当他在世界中发现了神（泛神）的光辉，他怎能不舍弃这个世界？

 

(114) Simon Peter said to him, "Let Mary leave us, for women are not worthy of life." Jesus said, "I myself shall lead her in order to make her male, so that she too may become a living spirit resembling you males. For every woman who will make herself male will enter the kingdom of heaven." 参见第22段。写旧约的人要疯掉了，他们可是认为女人天性低等，让女人闭嘴的。西门彼得说的正是他们的话。我真的十分讶异耶稣竟出此言，简直是为我等张目啊，呵呵。“变成男人”的意思，当然是指跟男人一样追求心灵，这正是前面所说的泯灭表面的区别，唯见内心。他不是第一个，柏拉图早就说了，天赋的个体差异要大于性别的差异，因此女性也可以作为卫国者训练。但是别忘了这可是彻头彻尾歧视女性的基督教啊……

 

就挑出这么多吧。以上都是我个人化的感想，并不期望他人都与我同样。也并不排除我从自己的角度，在一厢情愿地解读它。自然，我亦难逃断章取义之嫌，个人好恶，在所难免。但我无意误导他人，前面已经给出链接，希望感兴趣的朋友追踪溯源，得窥全豹，这也是本文的目的之一。欢迎转载，但请注明作者和出处。