Are the illuminati real? - Chip Berlet

譯者: Xiaowei Dong 審譯者: Helen Chang

The year was 1776.

那是 1776 年。

In Bavaria, new ideals of rationalism, religious freedom,

在巴伐利亞，新理想的 理性主義、宗教自由

and universal human rights

及普遍人權，

competed with the Catholic church’s heavy influence over public affairs.

與對公眾事務有著 重大影響的天主教相抗衡。

Across the Atlantic,

在大西洋的另一頭，

a new nation staked its claim for independence on the basis of these ideas.

一個新國家秉持著這些理念， 成功邁向獨立。

But back in Bavaria,

但在巴伐利亞，

law professor Adam Weishaupt’s attempts to teach secular philosophy

法學教授亞當·魏薩普的世俗哲學，

continued to be frustrated.

頻繁受挫。

Weishaupt decided to spread his ideas through a secret society

魏薩普決定通過一個 秘密社群來傳播思想。

that would shine a light on the shortcomings of the Church’s ideology.

這樣才能讓人們看清， 天主教思想的弱點。

He called his secret society the Illuminati.

他給這個秘密社區起名為「光明會」。

Weishaupt modelled aspects of his secret society off a group called the Freemasons.

魏薩普光明會的理念來源於 一個叫做「共濟會」的組織。

Originally an elite stoneworkers’ guild in the late Middle Ages,

共濟會原本是中世紀 晚期的傑出石匠工會。

the Freemasons had gone from passing down the craft of masonry

但它從最初的傳承石匠工藝，

to more generally promoting ideals of knowledge and reason.

演變為廣泛宣揚知識和理想。

Over time, they had grown into a semi-secret, exclusive order

久而久之，這個組織成長為 一個半秘密、高級的會社。

that included many wealthy and influential individuals,

許多富豪和有影響力的人 都是該社社員，

with elaborate, secret initiation rituals.

也有複雜、秘密的入會儀式。

Weishaupt created his parallel society while also joining the Freemasons

魏薩普則創立了一個平行會社， 他在加入共濟會的同時，

and recruiting from their ranks.

也從中為光明會招募會員。

He adopted the code name Spartacus for himself,

他給自己的代號是「斯巴達克斯」，

after the famed leader of the Roman slave revolt.

以此致敬羅馬著名的奴隸起義。

Early members became the Illuminati’s ruling council, or Areopagus.

早期光明會成員組成了 裁決委員會，或稱「亞略巴古」。

One of these members, Baron Adolph Knigge, was also a freemason,

其中一名成員，阿道夫•科尼格， 也是共濟會成員之一，

and became an influential recruiter.

後來成為十分具有影響力的招募者。

With Knigge’s help, the Illuminati expanded their numbers,

有了科尼格的協助， 光明會迅速成長，

gained influence within several Masonic chapters,

在共濟會幾個地方分會的 影響也日漸上升，

and incorporated Masonic rituals.

許多共濟會的儀式也被囊括其中。

By 1784, there were over 600 members,

到 1784 年，光明會已經有 超 600 名社員，

including influential scholars and politicians.

其中很多是有影響力的 學者和政客。

As the Illuminati gained members,

隨著光明會日益壯大，

the American Revolution also gained momentum.

美國大革命也汲取了動力，

Thomas Jefferson would later cite Weishaupt as an inspiration.

魏薩普的思想日後 也啟發了湯馬斯·傑弗遜。

European monarchs and clergy were fearful of similar revolts on their home soil.

歐洲王朝與牧師十分擔憂在他們的 地盤上發生類似的革命事件，

Meanwhile, the existence of the Illuminati had become an open secret.

與此同時，光明會的存在也成為了 一個人盡皆知的秘密。

Both the Illuminati and the Freemasons drew exclusively

光明會和共濟會幾乎清一色

from society’s wealthy elite,

都是社會財富精英，

which meant they were constantly rubbing shoulders

也就意味著，他們與

with members of the religious and political establishment.

宗教人士和當權者有著密切接觸。

Many in the government and church believed that both groups

不少宗教人士和官僚認為

were determined to undermine the people’s religious faith.

這兩間會社都有損人們 對宗教的忠誠度。

But these groups didn’t necessarily oppose religion—

但光明會和共濟會未必反對宗教——

they just believed it should be kept separate from governance.

只是認為政教不應合一。

Still, the suspicious Bavarian government started keeping records

儘管如此，好疑的 巴伐利亞政府還是備存了

of alleged members of the Illuminati.

光明會公開成員的記錄。

Just as Illuminati members begun to secure important positions in local governments

正在光明會成員開始佔有當地政府

and universities,

及大學要職時，

a 1784 decree by Duke Karl Theodor of Bavaria banned all secret societies.

1784 年，卡爾·西奧多公爵 頒布法令，禁止所有秘密結社。

While a public ban on something ostensibly secret might seem difficult to enforce,

儘管公開禁止秘密結社看似很難，

in this case it worked.

但它在此處成功了。

Only nine years after its founding,

成立後僅九年，

the group dissolved, their records were seized,

光明會解散，相關記錄被沒收，

and Weishaupt forced into exile.

魏薩普也不得不流落他鄉。

The Illuminati would become more notorious in their afterlife

光明會的名聲日漸敗壞，

than they had ever been in their brief existence.

比存在的那九年還糟糕。

A decade later, in the aftermath of the French Revolution,

十年後，在法國大革命的餘波中，

conservative authors claimed the Illuminati had survived their banishment

保守黨派寫手聲稱光明會 從禁令中倖存，

and orchestrated the overthrow of the monarchy.

並一手策劃了顛覆王權。

In the United States,

而在美國，

preacher Jedidiah Morse promoted similar ideas of an Illuminati conspiracy

傳教士傑迪代亞·摩士 也宣揚了類似觀點，

against the government.

認為光明會企圖推翻政府。

But though the idea of a secret group orchestrating political upheaval

儘管這樣的陰謀論仍然大行其道，

is still alive and well today, there is no evidence that the Illuminati survived,

現已沒有證據證明光明會得以倖存，

reformed, or went underground.

經歷改革，或是轉變為地下黨派。

Their brief tenure is well-documented in Bavarian government records,

巴伐利亞政府有著關於 他們短暫活動時期的清晰記錄，

the still-active Freemasons’s records,

也有對現今仍然活躍的 共濟會的記錄，

and particularly the overlap between these two sources,

尤其關注兩者間是否有無互通，

without a whisper since.

然而連有關他們的傳聞 都沒再出現過。

In the spirit of rationalism the Illuminati embraced,

秉持著光明會慣有的 理性主義精神，

one must conclude they no longer exist.

我們認為光明會應是不復存在了。

But the ideas that spurred Weishaupt to found the illuminati still spread,

但當年魏薩普成立 光明會的理念廣為傳播，

becoming the basis for many Western governments today.

成為當今不少 西方政府的成立根基。

These ideas didn’t start or end with the Illuminati—

這些理念不是從光明會開始 或與它一起結束，

instead, it was one community that represented a wave of change

而是反映當時的變革浪潮，

that was already underway when it was founded

在光明會成立時已經發生，

and continued long after it ended.

而且在變革結束很久之後仍在持續。