最近在讀《聖經》,在《創世紀》中讀到一則令我很震驚的故事:羅得(Lot)一家父女三人亂倫。《聖經》新世界英文譯本原文記錄如下:
And the firstborn said to the younger: 「Our father is old, and there is not a man in the land to have relations with us according to the custom of the whole earth. Come, let us give our father wine to drink, and let us lie down with him and preserve offspring from our father.」
So that night they kept giving their father wine to drink; then the firstborn went in and lay down with her father, but he did not know when she lay down and when she got up.
Then on the next day, the firstborn said to the younger: 「Here I lay down with my father last night. Let us give him wine to drink tonight also. Then you go in and lie down with him, and let us preserve offspring from our father.」
So that night also, they repeatedly gave their father wine to drink; then the younger went and lay down with him, but he did not know when she lay down and when she got up.
So both daughters of Lot became pregnant by their father. The firstborn gave birth to a son and named him Moab. He is the father of the Moabites of today. The younger also gave birth to a son, and she named him Ben-ammi. He is the father of the Ammonites of today.
GENESIS 19:15-35
大意是羅得的兩個女兒把親生父親灌醉,然後同床最後懷孕生子。用我們現代人的觀點,這絕對是亂倫行為,這也是我為什麼會感到震驚的原因。只是聖經中的確如此記錄,這是為什麼呢?後人出於自己不同的目的作出了相應的解讀。我個人覺得這可能與當時的情形有極大的關係:為了繁衍後代。
在當時的情況下,人口數量遠比現在少,每個女人最大的使命是儘可能多的生兒生女,繁衍後代。當時,羅得和他的兩個女兒逃到山洞裡後,兩個女兒以為這世上已經沒有其他男人了,於是便產生了和父親發生關係留下後代的想法,並且付諸於行動。
逃走中的羅得一家(Peter Paul Rubens作品,繪於17世紀)來源:維基百科
但她們也知道直接與父親說這個想法的話,她們的父親不會同意(這是不是說明已經存在倫理觀?),所以才用酒把父親灌醉,然後發生了我們覺得是亂倫的事情,羅得能跟女兒發生性關係,顯然並非爛醉如泥。鑑於這兩個女人當時還是處女,難以表明她們的行為是現代人「亂倫」觀念中的縱慾享樂行為。
只是,這樣繁衍出來的後代難道不會出智力等生理上的缺陷?也許我們不能用現代生物和科學研究的觀點去推敲《聖經》中的細節。但可以肯定的一點是,在現代社會裡,這種亂倫行為無論是從倫理還是生物學上來說,都是絕對不應該出現的事情。後世不少藝術創作者,還是將羅得亂倫這個故事在繪畫中給予了相當多的關注(不適合在工作場所觀看)。
需要說明的是,我只是就事論事,絕對沒有褻瀆《聖經》和冒犯基督徒的想法,上述觀點如有錯誤的地方,也請相關基督徒批評指正。
更新:Genesis 38這一章節,出現了猶大(Judah)和他兒媳婦(Tamar)亂倫的事情:大兒子作惡被上帝幹掉,父親猶大讓二兒子與大兒媳婦行房生子,二兒子射在地上,被上帝幹掉。於是公公將大兒媳婦遣送回娘家,忘記接回來,大兒媳婦化妝成妓女與公公行房最終生子。