【何新历史杂记】
何新：中国正史中首次记载的犹太国“如德亚”
明代利玛窦、李之藻绘制之《大明坤舆万国全图》（日本藏本）西亚部分局部之截图：
【何新读利玛窦地图按语】
上图中，“如德亚”之地名下，利玛窦标注谓：“天主降生于是地，故人谓之圣土（即巴勒斯坦）。”
[参看《马太福音》：“当希律王的时候，耶稣生在犹太的伯利恒。”]
又，如德亚之右（东）侧地名曰“西利亚”——即叙利亚。西利亚右侧之“欧法蜡得河”，即幼发拉底河。
如德亚之下有山当即秦山——西奈山，山下有海名“死海”，利玛窦注云：“此海无所产，名为死海，然水性常浮，人溺水其中不沉。”
明末耶稣会来华教士汤若望著《职方外纪》，亦有“亚细亚如德亚”之国名，略云：“天主降生于如德亚白德棱（即bethlehern，伯利恒）之地，名曰耶稣，一言救世主也。”
如德亚，此地即《圣经》所记之迦南地，古代之犹太国，后来之巴勒斯坦（叙利亚语谓“圣地”之意）。
如德亚西方海中之大岛屿，名“止波里”者，即今之塞浦路斯岛也，在地中海东部。
【《明史》所记之犹太国】
《明史·列传第二百十四·外国七》记：
“拂菻，即汉大秦，桓帝时始通中国。晋及魏皆曰大秦，尝入贡。唐曰拂菻，宋仍之，亦数入贡。而《宋史》谓历代未尝朝贡，疑其非大秦也。
元末，其国人捏古伦入市中国，元亡不能归。太祖闻之，以洪武四年八月召见。命赍诏书还谕其王曰：
‘自有宋失驭，天绝其祀。元兴沙漠，入主中国百有馀年，天厌其昏淫，亦用陨绝其命。中原扰乱十有八年，当群雄初起时，朕为淮右布衣，起义救民。荷天之灵，授以文武诸臣，东渡江左，练兵养士，十有四年。西平汉王陈友谅，东缚吴王张士诚，南平闽、粤，戡定巴、蜀，北定幽、燕，奠安方夏，复我中国之旧疆。朕为臣民推戴即皇帝位，定有天下之号曰大明，建元洪武，于今四年矣。凡四夷诸邦皆遣官告谕，惟尔拂菻隔越西海，未及报知。今遣尔国之民捏古伦赍诏往谕。朕虽未及古先哲王，俾万方怀德，然不可不使天下知朕平定四海之意，故兹诏告。’
已而复命使臣普剌等赍敕书、彩币招谕，其国乃遣使入贡，后不复至。
万历时，大西洋人至京师，言天主耶稣生于如德亚(Judea)，即古大秦国也。
其国自开辟以来六千年，史书所载，世代相嬗，及万事万物原始，无不详悉，谓为天主肇生人类之邦。言颇诞谩，不可信。其物产、珍宝之盛，具见前史。”
按“如德亚”(Rudeya ，Judea)，即古叙利亚语（阿拉米语）犹太国之称，此记载当为中国正史首见之犹太国记载。如德亚所在，即《圣经》之以色列，东罗马国统治下之巴勒斯坦，叙利亚。
西方古代称中国为“大秦”即sina（支那）。而西亚大秦之得名，应当来自犹太及西亚人崇拜之圣山——大秦山Har Sinai，即西奈半岛之西奈山——月神山（sin，秦，西亚月神名）。
按：《明史》此记述可圈可点处颇多，兹略析数点如下：
1、大秦即如德亚，即迦南、黎凡特、以色列、巴勒斯坦及古叙利亚所在地。
[何按：清人夏燮(江上蹇叟)著《中西纪事》云：“如德亚，即西人之所称为犹太，其地在大秦之东。”盖以大秦地为东罗马也。]
2、明太祖时大秦与明朝有使节往来，大秦曾经遣使入贡，后不复至。
3、万历时，大西洋人至京师。此大西洋人应即耶稣会士利玛窦、汤若望之属。
4、这些西洋人根据《圣经》吹嘘大秦伪史云：“其国自开辟以来六千年，史书所载，世代相嬗，及万事万物原始，无不详悉。谓为天主肇生人类之邦，言颇诞谩不可信。”
【附录】《明史》拂菻大秦记之英译
（翻译者：让弗朗索瓦·张）
Fulin is Daqin during Han dynasty. During the time of Emperor Huan, people from Daqin first come to China. During Jin and Wei, it was called Daqin also. During Tang, the country was called Fulin, and Song followed this tradition. Will The History of Song didn’t mention that they paid any tribute at any time, it is doubted that it couldn’t be Daqin.
At the end of Yuan, a Fulin merchant called Niegulun( maybe Nicholas, or Nikolaos in Greek) was doing business in China. When Yuan was overthrown, he could not return. Taizu (Hongwu Emperor , Zhu Yuanzhang ) heard about his story, and summoned him on the August during the 4th year of Hongwu (1371), and ordered him to bring the edict of Hongwu to their king. The edict wrote: ”Song lost their leash to reign, and the God finished their regin, Yuan originated in the desert, and had step inside China for more than a hundred years. God was tire of their fatuousness , and finished them. China was in chaos for 18 years. When all heroes rose, I was a commoner from the west of River Huai, and I revolted to save the people. With the bless of God I appointed civil and military servants. I travelled east to the east of Long River, and trained my soldiers for 14 years. I defeated the King of Han Chen Youliang in the west and captured King of Wu Zhang Shicheng in the east. I conquered Min (Fujian) ,Yue(Guangdong) and Ba, Shu (Sichuan) in the sourth and You , Yan( approximately Heibei and Beijing) in the north. Then the wars was over and I regained the former lands of China. I was supported by my ministers to be the Emperor and we chose the name Daming as the dynasty’s name, and my reign was Hongwu and it has been 4 years now. I have sent ambassadors to inform every foreign countries. Except you Fulin was far away and separated by the West Sea, and wasn’t informed promptly. Now I will sent your citizen Niegulun to send the edict. I am no match to the virtuous Emperors of ancient age, and shame to bear the virtue of people everywhere, but I have to let the world know I have conquered and ruled China. And this is my edict to them.” When he returned , a ambassador called Pula led a diplomatic corps and brought their edict and tribute to China, that’s when the country started to tribute. They never come again.
During time of Wanli, people of Atlantic came to the capital. They said Jesus Christ was born in Rudeya (Judea), which was in the territory of ancient Daqin. From the founding of the country, 6000 years had past. The history books had recorded the generations and the origins of everything in the world in detail. It is said that their country was where God gave birth to the whole human beings, and their words were quite absurd and untrustworthy. Its wealth of products and treasures were all recorded in former histories.
