‘節義’와 ‘節義之士’ 그리고 ‘杜門洞 72현’ = ‘Jeolui’, ‘Jeoluijisa’ and ‘Dumundong 72 Hyun’

국문 초록 (Abstract)

‘절의(節義)’는 “신념을 굽히지 않는 꿋꿋한 태도와 사람으로서 마땅히 지켜야 할 도리”를 뜻한다. 고려말 조선초 절의의 상징적 인물은 이색, 길재, 정몽주 등이며, 이들을 ‘절의지사(節義之士)’라고 부른다. 그런데 고려시대 ‘절의’의 용례를 살펴보면, 이런 뜻으로 사용된 경우를 찾을 수 없다. 고려시대 ‘절의자’는 ‘절부(節婦)’와 ‘의부(義夫)’의 합성어로서, 국왕의 진휼 대상이었다. ‘절의지사’는 조선 초 권근이 태종의 정치적 입장을 반영하여 새로운 인재 등용을 위해 ‘절의있는 선비’를 추숭하면서부터 등장한다. 당시 태종의 입장에서는 신왕조 개창에 참여하지 않았지만, 자신을 도와줄 수 있는 새로운 인재가 필요하였다. 이에 ‘불사이군’을 내세워 은둔해 있던 고려왕조의 신료들을 자신의 세력으로 포섭하기 위하여 그들을 ‘절의지사’로 격상함으로써 괸직에 진출할 수 있는 명분을 제공한 것이다.
‘두문동 72현’은 “고려가 멸망하고 조선이 건국되자 끝까지 관직에 나가지 않고 충절을 지킨 72인의 고려 유신”을 뜻한다. 두문동 72현이 세상에 구체적 모습을 드러내며 ‘역사화’ 된 것은 조선후기 영조 16년(1740)이다. 이때 ‘경신처분’으로 정국을 주도하게 된 영조가 ‘의리명분’을 강조하여 왕권을 강화하고 세력을 규합하기 위한 방편으로 ‘두문동 72현’을 ‘절의를 지킨 인물’로 추앙하면서 역사적 존재로 등장하게 된 것이다. ‘72현’은 ‘공자 제자 72현’처럼 상징적인 것이며, 이에 대한 구체적인 명단은 처음에는 존재하지 않다가 조선 후기에 이르러 자신의 조상을 72현의 명단에 넣으려는 후손들의 노력으로 만들어졌다. ‘두문동 72현’의 명단과 관련해서 다양한 문헌 자료가 존재하는데, 이것은 자신의 선조를 ‘절의지사’로 추앙함으로써 현실적인 이익을 취할 수 있는 당파, 가문, 후손의 영향력이 작용한 것이다.

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

‘Jeolui (integrity)’ means “a strong attitude that does not bend the convictions and the moral principles that a person should keep as a person. The symbolic figures in the late Goryeo dynasty and the early Joseon dynasty were Lee Saek, Giljae, and Jeong Mong-ju, and they are called ‘Jeoluijisa’ meaning a scholar of integrity. However, when we examine the usage of ‘jeolui’ in the Goryeo Dynasty, we cannot find a case where it was used in this way. In the Goryeo Dynasty, ‘jeoluija’ was a compound word of ‘Jeolbu (faithful wife)’ and ‘Uibu (faithful husband)’, and was the subject of the relief from the king. The word of Jeoluijisa’ appeared in the early Joseon Dynasty when Kwon Geun praised a ‘scholar of integrity’ to recruit new talents, reflecting the political position of King Taejong. At that time, in his position, King Taejong needed new people with talents who could help him even though they had not participated in the opening of his new dynasty. Accordingly in order to attract the officials of the former dynasty who had been secluded with the principle called ‘Bulsaigun (meaning refuse to serve two kings)’, he praised them by elevating to ‘Jeoluijisa’, which gave them a justification for the political position.
“Dumundong 72Hyun” means “72 Goryeo officials who kept their integrity for the former king without going to the new dynast until the end when Goryeo dynasty fell and Joseon was founded. It was in the 16th year of King Yeongjo (1740) in the late Joseon Dynasty that Dumundong 72Hyun became “historical” by revealing their concrete appearance to the world. At this time, King Yeongjo who led the government through the ‘Gyeongsin-cheobun’ strengthen the royal power by emphasizing ‘Uiri-myeongbun (loyalty and justification)’, and prased ‘Dumundong 72Hyun’ calling ‘those who keep their integrity’, which was a way to attract his power group. As a result, ‘Dumundong 72Hyun’ came to appear as historical. 72Hyun is symbolic like ‘72 Hyun of Confucius’ disciples’, and its specific list did not exist at first, but in the late Joseon Dynasty, it was created with the efforts of descendants who wanted to put their ancestors on the 72 Hyun list. In relation to the ‘Dumundong 72 Hyun’ list, there are lots of literature sources, as there exist various influence by the factions, families, and descendants who want to make realistic profits by honoring their ancestors as ‘Jeoluijisa’.