“황사영백서” 안의 신앙과 충(忠)의 혼재

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to reveal that the "Hwang-SaYoung BaekSeo(백서, 帛書, a letter written on silk)" is a mixture of Catholic faith and existing Neo-Confucianism. Through this, I would like to reveal Hwang-SaYoung's idea that cannot be divided only from a theological position that emphasizes freedom of faith and a position other than theology that defines it as an act of betraying the state. Hwang-SaYoung was born into a Confucian family and passed the GwaGeo(과거, 科擧, the highest-level state examination to recruit ranking officials during the Goryeo and Joseon Dynasty). This means that Hwang-SaYoung has a solid knowledge of Neo-Confucianism. Although he became a Catholic after marriage, his long-held knowledge of Neo-Confucianism could not be replaced by Catholicism at once. For this reason, there are many expressions similar to those of Neo-Confucianism in the "Hwang-SaYoung BaekSeo." In particular, it focused more on criticism of the strong political faction than on the royal authority, not on resistance to the king. In other words, the "Hwang-SaYeong BaekSeo" contains the faith of Catholicism and the loyalty of Neo-Confucianism. This aspect is also revealed in the criticism of vested interests toward Hwang Sa-Young. The establishment criticized Hwang-SaYoung for being a believer in socialism. And it was much later than when the "Hwang-SaYoung BaekSeo" incident took place that criticized Hwang-SaYoung for plotting to reverse the plot. This means that the core of Hwang-SaYoung's criticism was that vested interests were also heresy believers rather than treason. The reason why the evaluation of Hwang-SaYoung is divided is that the modern concept of loyalty or freedom of religion is applied as it is. If you look at the context of the time in a balanced way, you can see a new side that is different from the dichotomous view toward Hwang-SaYoung.