摘要
唐臨是唐代著名的法官，曾參與《唐律疏議》的編修，後來以撰述《冥報記》聞名於世。唐臨不僅僅因為創造「生人判冥事」，影響後世文學創作深遠；更重要的是，由於唐臨生平豐富的法務經驗，因此對唐代司法運作和官僚體制相當嫻熟，遂將俗世繁冗的官府結構融入地獄審判的書寫，以更增加其說服力、同時唐臨也留下許多法律案件，值得重視。無論如何，唐臨對於地獄書寫的手法影響後世文學著作，進而竟使得更多民間社會對於中國古代法律運作的了解，透過諸多冥判文學作品而得以掌握，以致形塑了人們對法文化認知的另一個側面。
唐臨任職萬泉縣丞時，曾經因「縱囚」而「知名於世」，此事影響日後太宗縱囚事，並使唐臨開始活躍於唐代司法圈。高宗永徽四年（653），唐臨被任命處理睦州女子陳碩真假佛教彌勒信仰以謀反案；同年完成《冥報記》，其間當有關聯。史稱唐臨「所撰《冥報記》二卷，大行於世」，恐背後或有官方推波助瀾。
T’an Lin was an eminent judge during the T’ang Dynasty, who participated in the editing of T’ang-lü shu-i and authored the famous work, “Retribution after Death”. Drawing from his extensive judicial experience, T’an Lin was able to integrate tedious litigation, the workings of the judiciary, and the government bureaucratic system into his book, thereby strengthening the persuasiveness of his argument concerning retribution after death. This approach influenced the development of later literature, resulting in a better understanding of the process of the issuance of Chinese decrees during the T’ang dynasty. As a result of the descriptions of the trial in hell, people showed respect for the law and complied with its ordinances. T’an Lin was also renown for the “Chung-Chiu” commission, i.e. release of prisoners, which influenced the emperor Tai-Chung. The “Chung-Chiu” commission not only exhibits the benevolence of the ruling classes but also demonstrates their prudent impartiality. Buddhists consider this action to embody moral excellence, for example as illustrated in Tun-huang literary work, “The Tour of Tai-Chung Emperor in Hell”. In 653 A.D., the emperor Gao Chung appointed T’an Lin judge of Mu-chou in order to investigate the conspiracy surrounding Lady Shuo-Zhen Chen. T’an Lin succeeded in his investigation, and presented a book on the subject, entitled “Retribution after Death”. Historians believe the governing class was continually pressed to promote the popularity of the book.
關鍵詞
唐代、唐臨、冥報記、地獄審判、判官
T’ang Dynasty, T’an Lin, “Retribution after the Death”, “Judgment in the Hell”, Judge
