海外文化:英美民俗 魔鬼

【英文原文】

摘要：魔鬼在犹太教和基督教里又称撒旦，是上帝和天使的敌人。一般认为魔鬼也就是路济弗儿，一位因反叛上帝而被打入地狱受罚的天使

The Devil, also known as Satan in Judaism and Christianity, is an evil spirit that opposes God or good spirits. It is usually identified with Lucifer, an angel who tried to rebel against God and so fell from heaven to hell to suffer there forever. He is considered as the ruler of the underworld, or hell, where he has many followers to help him in spreading evil throughout the world. His followers, called devils, were lesser angels who fell with Lucifer. The Devil tempts people to be wicked. He is the chief Tempter. Sometimes the religious belief in devils is combined with folklore about ghosts and demons.

In many works of art and literature, Satan and other devils are pictured with goat’s horns, bat’s wings, split hooves, and a barbed tail, to show that the Devil is like a beast, cruel, gross, and savage. Many modern theologians consider the Devil to be a symbol of the power of evil, of the worst qualities of human nature, or of the destructive forces in the universe.

【中文译文】

魔鬼在犹太教和基督教里又称撒旦，是上帝和天使的敌人。一般认为魔鬼也就是路济弗儿，一位因反叛上帝而被打入地狱受罚的天使。魔鬼是地狱之王，在那里他有很多喽罗帮他在世界上传播邪恶。他的喽罗们也曾是天使，由于追随魔鬼而与他一同被打入地狱受罚。魔鬼总是引诱人们作恶。有时这种基督教徒对魔鬼的看法会与民间关于鬼魂的传说混淆起来。

在文学艺术作品中，魔鬼通常被描绘成一个怪物，长着一对山羊角，蝙蝠的翅膀，分瓣的蹄子，带倒刺的尾巴，表明他野蛮、残酷、贪欲十足。许多现代神学家则将魔鬼视为邪恶势力的象征，他集所有人类之恶于一身，或者将它视为宇宙中的毁灭力量。

题外话：要想了解魔鬼如何与上帝为敌，可读密尔顿的《失乐园》。密尔顿的魔鬼形象很有趣，正如莎士比亚笔下的很多人物，有两面性，既有高贵、人性的一面，又有卑鄙、兽性的一面。