2017-02-17

作者:  Michael S. Horton   譯者/校對者:Maria Marta/誠之  

讀聖經其中的一個困難是聖經本身。不僅是新信徒,就算是舊信徒,也往往覺得很難從創世記開始,步履艱辛地一直讀到啟示錄結束,而不會在中間的某處放棄閱讀。新教改革者從來沒有說聖經是一本很容易明白的書。他們所說的,也正是許多信仰告白所肯定的,聖經中不是所有的事都一樣清楚,但其基本的信息是絕對清楚的。威斯敏斯特信條用一個明智的句子提醒我們One of the difficulties of reading the Bible is the Bible itself. Not only new believers, but old ones as well, often find it tough slogging to pick up the book at Genesis and wind up at Revelation without giving up somewhere in between. The Protestant Reformers never said that the Bible is an easy book. What they said, and the confessions confirm this, is that its basic message is essentially clear, even if not everything in Scripture is equally clear. The Westminster Confession reminds us in a wisely constructed sentence:

「聖經的內容並不是每個地方都同樣清楚也不是對每個人都同樣明白但凡是得救所必須知道、必須相信、必須遵守的事我們總能在聖潔找到而且解釋得非常清楚明白不但有學問的人就是無學問的人不必再用什麼巧妙的辦法只要用一般的方法就能充分理解。」1.7

從創世記到啟示錄上帝對我們的要求和祂在基督裡為拯救我們所成就的事都是顯而易見的。What God requires and what he has done to save us in Christ is evident from Genesis to Revelation.

任何人只要有精力、有耐心並且得到智慧的教導都能明白聖經。正如馬克•吐溫打趣地說,「聖經裡面困擾我的不是我不明白的部分,而是我明白的部分。」 但當我們讀得越多,我們就越欣賞其深度和複雜度。像埃塞俄比亞(或譯為埃提阿伯、衣索匹亞)銀庫總管問腓利怎樣才能明白以賽亞書(譯按:參使徒行傳第八章26-35)——那是當時他在沒有教師指導的情況下正在閱讀的——我們每一個人都需要別人的幫助,那怕這個人只早我們一步。The Bible can be understood by anyone with energy, patience, and wise instruction. As Mark Twain quipped, "It ain't the parts of the Bible I don't understand, but the parts that I do, that trouble me." Yet the more we read it, the more we appreciate its depth and complexity. Like the Ethiopian treasury secretary who asked Philip how he could possibly understand the passage from Isaiah he was reading without a teacher, all of us need to be helped along by people who are even just one step ahead of us.

此外很重要的是我們必須和教會其他成員一起閱讀聖經。牧師、教師和長老是基督所賜、來指導我們的使我們有這個特權來聆聽並閱讀上帝的話語。信條和教理問答是好的開始。畢竟,信條和教理問答是指混亂和爭議的時期所產生的。它們所代表的不是某個單一領袖或學派的特色,而是在實際教會內所鍛造出來的、具有共識的文件,這些文件是當這些教會力求闡明聖經最核心的教導時所鍛造出來的。尤其重要的是儘管教會之間存在著這麼多的分歧和分裂但是正統的基督徒在這麼多個世紀以來一直肯定這些普世教會的信條是對聖經忠實的總結。All the more, it is important for us to read with the wider church. Pastor-teachers and elders are given by Christ to guide us in this privilege of hearing and reading God's Word. The creeds and catechisms are great places to start. After all, they emerged from periods of confusion and controversy. Instead of representing the idiosyncratic emphases of a single leader or school, they are consensus documents forged within actual churches as they sought to clarify the most central teachings of Scripture. It is especially significant that in spite of so many disagreements and divisions, orthodox Christians have for so many centuries affirmed the ecumenical creeds as faithful summaries of Scripture.

聖經是一本書The Bible Is a Book…

聖經是一本書似乎是相當明顯的。然而在實際應用中有時我們卻會忘記這一點。聖經來自上帝,而不是人(彼後一20);它是聖靈所默示的——「上帝呼出的」(提後三16)。在這個意義上,它不同於任何其他的書。然而,聖經本身教導我們,上帝乃是通過一般的渠道作工。因此,我們從來不必在上帝的話和人的話之間作選擇;而是說,聖經是上帝的話,以人類為使者。與伊斯蘭教徒對古蘭經的看法大異其趣的是:基督徒不相信聖經是從天上掉下來、再經地上的使者口述出來的。雖然聖經來自上帝,但先知和使徒的話在各方面都證明它們有人類事工的參與。It seems rather obvious that the Bible is a book. Sometimes, however, we forget this in actual practice. Scripture comes from God, not from human beings (2 Pet. 1:20); it is inspired by the Holy Spirit—"God-breathed" (2 Tim. 3:16). In that sense, it is unlike any other book. However, Scripture itself teaches that God works through ordinary means. So it's never a choice between God's Word and human words; rather, it is God's Word through human ambassadors. Unlike Islam's view of its Qur'an, Christians do not believe that the Bible fell from heaven, dictated by an earthly messenger. Coming from God, the words of the prophets and apostles nevertheless bear the evidence on every hand of their human ministry.

我們不應該對此感到驚訝耶穌基督、上帝永恆的兒子道成肉身取了人的樣式﹐降臨在人類的歷史中。祂繼承了特殊的遺傳密碼,這個密碼包括祂家族的特徵和特性; 祂說的是一種已經發展了幾個世紀的特定語言;祂的行為舉止反映出祂所處的獨特時代與世上特定地點的準則。因此,我們可能會強調基督的神性到一個地步,以致於忘記了祂的人性,或者在某種程度上會像一個老式的天秤:我們越肯定一方,便越否定另一方。不,基督是完全的神,也是完全的人。祂在各方面和我們一樣。「祂也曾凡事受過試探,與我們一樣,只是祂沒有犯罪。」來四15 We should not be surprised at this, since God became flesh in our history and through the eternal Son, Jesus Christ, assumed our humanity. He inherited a specific genetic code, including features and characteristics of his family tree; he spoke a particular language that had evolved centuries before he spoke it; and he behaved in ways that reflected the norms of his unique time and place in the world. We can so emphasize the deity of Christ that we forget his humanity or see it somehow like an old-fashioned pair of scales: the more we affirm one, the less we affirm the other. No, Christ is fully God and fully human. He was like us in every way. In fact, he was "tempted like us in every way, yet without sin" (Heb. 4:15).

同樣聖經可以充分具有人的特性而在它所肯定的事上完全沒有錯誤。當我們看到聖經的人性證據時,我們不應該想像,它不是來自上帝。三一真神奇妙地作工,以超乎歷史之上、行在歷史當中、貫穿歷史的方式與我們接觸。鑒於這一事實,當涉及到權威時,我們不應該把聖經當作其他任何書一樣去閱讀。聖經的起頭、中間和最後一個字都是上帝說的。我們應該將聖經作為上帝的話來默想, 不僅僅因它帶有權威,也因它能給我們安慰和保證。如果我們用這種態度去讀其他的書是不恰當的。然而,當涉及到解釋其含義時,我們的閱讀方法應該像讀其他任何書籍一樣。為了釋聖經的含義,必須了解它在寫作時所使用的同一種語法和風格規則。Analogously, Scripture can be entirely human and yet without error in all that it affirms. When we see evidence of Scripture's humanity, we should not imagine that it is not from God. The Triune God works mysteriously above, within, and through history in a way that connects with us. Given this fact, we should not read the Bible like any other book when it comes to authority. God has the first, middle, and last word. We should meditate on Scripture as God's speech, not only in terms of its authority, but also its comfort and assurance. It would be inappropriate for us to treat any other book in this manner. Yet we should read it like any other book when it comes to interpreting its meaning. The same grammatical and stylistic rules that went into composing these books must be understood in order to interpret them.

聖經更像是個圖書館而不是一本書…But More Like a Library than a Book

人們常常說與其說聖經是一本書不如說它更像一個圖書館。這是很重要的一點。聖經是由許多作者,跨越了十二個世紀所寫成的,並且經歷了許多以色列的王,也經歷了被擄時期,三個異教帝國的統治。當我們從一卷書進行到另一卷書我們會看到它們之間風格的差異學者們甚至也察覺到不同語言的嬗變。每卷書也有不同的側重點這原因有很多。It has often been said that the Bible is more like a library than a book. This is an important point. It was written over twelve centuries with many writers, under many kings of Israel, as well as during exile under three pagan empires. Differences in style and even in the evolution of different languages can be detected by scholars as one moves from book to book. There are also different emphases in each book. There are many reasons for this.

首先每卷書卷是從不同的角度去寫的。即使是舊約的歷史書卷或新約的福音書卷也顯露出各自不同的立場和興趣。一開始我們可能會感到驚訝。如果只有一個信息——一個福音——怎麼可能有不同版本呢?用法庭來作比喻也許可以幫助我們理解。當你擔任陪審團的成員時,你可能會聽到各種證詞之間的差異。然而,法官會告訴你,差異並不意味著矛盾。在還原事件的現場時,每個目擊證人是從特定的時間、某個特定的角度,來理解對這個事件的描述。First, each was written from a different perspective. Even the historical books of the Old Testament or the Gospels of the New Testament reveal different standpoints and interests. At first, that might startle us. If there is one message—one gospel— how can there be different versions? It may help to use a courtroom analogy. While serving on a jury, you may hear discrepancies between various testimonies. Yet, as the judge will tell you, discrepancies do not mean contradictions. Each witness saw the event described from a particular angle and at a particular time in the unfolding of the scene.  

其次不同的強調重點更加重了觀點的多樣性。即使是四福音書——作為目擊者的報告——也是福音書作者們所寫的福音單張。所有的證人都帶著他們自己的偏見和利益來到證人席上。然而,使徒毫不刻意隱瞞自己的偏見。他們確信所看到和聽到的,就是上帝在歷史上救贖世人的作為。因此福音書不是簡單的編年表或記錄。每位作者都將自己和其他人所看到、聽到的細節編織成圖案,宣佈信靠耶穌基督是得救的唯一希望。每位作者特別強調基督多方面的位格和工作中特別的方面,也反映出他們各自的背景、興趣和寫作風格。是的,是聖靈預備每位作者日常的生活,以回應此不尋常的呼召。Second, the diversity of standpoints is compounded by the diversity of emphases. Even the Gospels—as eyewitness reports—are evangelistic tracts. All witnesses bring their own biases and interests with them to the stand. However, the apostles make no effort to conceal their bias. They were convinced by what they saw and heard that God had acted in history for the redemption of the world. The Gospels are therefore not simply chronologies or records. Each writer wove the details of what they and others saw and heard into a pattern that proclaimed Jesus Christ as the only hope of salvation. Each writer emphasized particular facets of Christ's multifaceted person and work, reflecting their own backgrounds, interests, and styles as authors. Yet it was the Spirit who prepared each writer's ordinary life for this extraordinary calling.

一個信息多種體載One Message, Many Genres

貶低聖經人性特質的方法之一是認為它不必受限於解釋不同體裁的正常規則。由於我們由此特權可以看到歷史敘事和四福音書的報告我們會輕易地假設在聖經中一切敘述都是一個簡單的斷言、命題、或一個真正的宣稱這是可以理解的。One of the ways we can downplay the humanity of Scripture is by thinking that it transcends normal rules of interpreting different genres. Because we understandably privilege the historical narratives and Gospel reports, we can easily assume that everything in the Bible is a straightforward assertion or proposition, a true statement.

當我們將詩歌當作散文來讀將啟示錄當作歷史敘事來讀將比喻視為真實的描述或者將這層關係顛倒過來將歷史敘事當作寓言或詩歌其危險是顯而易見的。人們在世俗文學裡已經習慣閱讀不同體裁的作品這使我們處於一個有利的位置來閱讀聖經。The danger is apparent when poetry is read as prose, apocalyptic is read as historical narrative, and figures of speech are treated as literal descriptions—or when the relation is reversed, as when a historical report is interpreted as allegory or poetry. People used to reading different genres in secular literature are in a good position to read the Bible.

聖經是神國的治理憲章Covenant Canon

聖經不同的體裁不只是簡單地被一個統一的故事情節綁在一起而是被一本統一的正典綁在一起。聖經準確地分為舊約聖經和新約聖經,因為每部分有各自的結構,各樣不同的書卷也圍繞著它,適切地組合起來。The different genres are bound together not simply by a unified plot, but by a unified canon. Scripture is rightly divided between Old and New Testaments, because each has its own constitution around which all of the various writings fit.

世上萬國萬民有神明作他們的證人。只有以色列上帝同時是他們國家的首領——皇帝或「大君王」。許多古代近東條約(Near Eastern treaties)都展現共同的特點:(1)開場白(preamble),證實偉大君王將條約強加給較弱的小國。(2)歷史序言(historical prologue 證明偉大君王有主權掌管和執行條約的權利。 3)一些要求(stipulations)來統管附庸國(封臣) 國家。(4)獎懲條款(sanctions)——忠誠的益處和不忠誠的審判。最後,該條約的複本將被存放在聖壇或宗主國與附庸國的國家檔案裡。舊約聖經展示出這些特徵。Other nations had the gods as witnesses. Only in Israel, however, was the deity also the head of state—the emperor or "Great King." Many ancient Near Eastern treaties display common features: (1) a preamble, identifying the great king who is imposing the treaty on the lesser nation; (2) the historical prologue justifying his right as sovereign maker and enforcer of the treaty; (3) the stipulations governing the servant nation; and(4) sanctions—the specific benefits for loyalty and judgments for disloyalty. Finally, a copy of the treaty would be deposited in the shrine or archive of the suzerain and the vassal. The Old Testament displays these characteristics.

首先,在伊甸園裡與亞當立的約有開場白(preamble)「起初上帝......」;有歷史序言(historical prologue),證明上帝對被造的萬物,包括人類所享有的主權;以及誡命,並加上對不順服的警告。然後是應許亞當和夏娃將有一位救主。First, there is the covenant with Adam in the Garden with the preamble ("In the beginning God…"); the historical prologue, justifying God's sovereignty over creation, including humanity; and the command, along with the warning for disobedience. Then there is the promise to Adam and Eve of a Savior.

第二歷史敘事證明耶和華對以色列特別的主權掌管這是一個從亞伯拉罕開始到以撒、雅各和約瑟並且將會伴隨一個新的出埃及的應許。上帝必要將屬祂的人帶回到這地,上帝對亞伯拉罕起誓,要將他們建立為聖潔的國度。Second, there is the historical narrative that justifies Yahweh's sovereignty over Israel, specifically. It leads from Abraham to Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, with the promise of a new exodus. God will bring his people back to this land that God swore to Abraham and establish them as his holy nation.

第三跳到申命記這部國家憲法構成了「摩西律法」的外貌與核心。它可以從出埃及記開始算起,往前一直到利未記。智慧文學顯示出上帝道德律法的普遍性。儘管具體的憲法乃是賜給了以色列人上帝的律法把以色列從列國中區分出來但律法的核心反映出上帝所創造的世界的道德結構而十誡是此道德結構的總結。Third, jumping to Deuteronomy, we have the constitution that forms the core of "the law." It spreads b ack into Exodus and forward into Leviticus. The wisdom literature displays the universality of God's moral law. Although Israel has been given a specific constitution, with laws that mark it off from every other nation, the core of that law reflects the moral fabric of the world that God has made, which is summarized in the Ten Commandments.

第四詩篇是讚美詩集是從以色列的故事中所產生的詩歌曲集。這些歌曲將利未記所吩咐的崇拜視為理所當然。同樣,在整個西奈律法的時代裡,對大衛偉大兒子的期盼所作的應許,也是詩篇的假設。Fourth, the Psalms are the hymnal in which we have the songs that emerged from this story of Israel. The worship commanded in Leviticus is d in these songs. So too are the promises that transcend the era of the Sinai law, looking forward to the greater Son of David.

第五先知是上帝聖約的律師起訴控告以色列。他們援引獎懲條款犯罪的詛咒以及從上帝的聖地被放逐。Fifth, the prophets are God's covenant lawyers bringing his suit against Israel. They invoke the sanctions: curses for transgression and exile from God's holy land.

然而亞伯拉罕的恩典之約沒有因以色列的失敗而被宣告無效因為此約不是建立在以色列人民在西奈山所發誓言的基礎之上。相反,它是一個永恆的盟約,完全取決於上帝的信實:祂要差遣祂所膏立的彌賽亞。預言和啟示一起交錯在先知書中,「神為愛祂的人所預備的,是眼睛未曾看見,耳朵未曾聽見,人心也未曾想到的。」(林前二9 這只有通過這些文學體裁才能做得到,因為它們給我們一些提示,一些突然的洞見、快照,和從遙遠的地方傳來的奇特歌聲。Nevertheless, the Abrahamic covenant of grace has not been set aside by Israel's failure, because it is not based on the people's oath that they swore at Sinai. Rather, it is an everlasting covenant that depends exclusively on God's faithfulness in sending his appointed Messiah. Prophecy and apocalyptic swirl together in the prophetic books, because "eye has not seen nor ear heard what God has prepared for those who love him" (1 Cor. 2:9). Only these genres will do, because they give us intimations, sudden insights, snapshots, and the strange strains of songs from a faraway place.

在新約聖經中依稀可看到同樣的模式。從廣義上講福音是給我們的開場白和歷史序言書信是給我們從這個故事裡產生出來的教義和命令啟示錄是上帝對壓迫其子民的人的訴訟和對新天新地的應許。獎懲條款隨後展開最後的審判。The same pattern is discerned in the New Testament. In broad terms, the Gospels give us the preamble and historical prologue, the Epistles give us the doctrines and commands that arise from this drama, and the book of Revelation is God's prosecution of his lawsuit against the oppressors of his people and the promise of the new creation. The sanctions unfold: it is the Last Judgment.

因此我們不僅應該看到一個從創世記到啟示錄不斷展開的故事情節彷彿它是一個歷史故事我們也必須看到以色列的故事這個扎根在西奈山的舊盟約——像哈姆雷特的戲中戲一樣如何有別於對亞伯拉罕的應許此應許在以色列蔑視上帝、那令人沮喪的時期中仍然在舒展它的旗幟。我們必須看到箴言如何為以色列盟約核心的道德準則的普遍性作見證,詩篇是如何成為聖約崇拜的讚美詩歌。我們必須認識到西奈之約的分明線條,才能讓我們看到舊約中的福音,而不至於將亞伯拉罕的應許與西奈條約獨特的規條、獎懲條款混淆。所以我們現在甚至可以在從錫安來的書信裡讀到誡命,而不只是在從西奈來的書信裡才能讀到。他們不是「在所賜你的地上,得以長久」的條件,而是保羅所稱,我們「以神的慈悲」所當獻上的「理所當然的事奉」(羅十二1 )。So we not only have to see the one plot unfolding from Genesis to Revelation, as if it were one historical narrative, but we have to see how Israel's story—the old covenant rooted in Sinai—is, like Hamlet's play-within-a-play, distinct from the Abrahamic promise that also unfurls its banner throughout the otherwise depressing episodes of Israel's defiance. We have to see how Proverbs serves as a testimony to the universality of the moral code at the heart of Israel's covenant, how the Psalms form the hymnal of covenant worship. We have to recognize the distinct lines of the Sinai covenant, so that we see the gospel in the Old Testament and do not confuse the unique stipulations and sanctions of the Sinai treaty with those of the Abrahamic promise. So now we read the commands even in the Epistles from Zion, not Sinai. They are not conditions for "long life in the land," but what Paul calls "the reasonable service" that we are to offer "in view of the mercies of God" (Rom. 12:1).

聖經不是一本密碼書Hermeneutical Rules

有兩個詮釋聖經的輔助觀念值得一提。首先關鍵的是要區分不同的聖約。我們必須區分福音與律法。這不是說舊約是律法,新約是福音;也不是說律法是壞的,福音是好的;二者都是出自上帝的口。所以,這是要清楚區分當上帝說話時,祂正在做的和沒有做的。祂是在審判還是赦免,是定罪還是安慰,是在啟示對我們生活的道德旨意還是啟示祂救贖的目的?靠律法承受永生的原則和靠應許承受永生的原則是完全相反的。聖經在許多地方對此有明確的陳述,尤其是在加拉太書第三和第四章。其次,重要的是要在基督之光下詮釋整本聖經。在這個不斷展開的故事中,耶穌基督是中心的人物。耶穌和門徒們正是這樣解釋舊約聖經的(參見,例如,約五39-40;路廿四25-27 ;以及使徒行傳的講章) Two more aids to interpreting Scripture are worth mentioning. First, it is crucial to distinguish covenants. We have to distinguish the law from the gospel. This does not mean Old Testament versus New Testament. Nor does it mean that law is bad and gospel is good. Both come from the mouth of God. So it is a matter of distinguishing between what God is doing and not doing when he is speaking. Is he judging or delivering, convicting or comforting, revealing his moral will for our lives or revealing his saving purposes? The principle of inheriting everlasting life by law is totally opposed to the principle of inheriting everlasting life by promise. This is clearly stated in many places, but especially in Galatians 3 and 4. Second, it is important to interpret all of Scripture in the light of Christ. Jesus Christ is the central character in this unfolding drama. This is how Jesus and his apostles themselves interpreted the Old Testament (see, for example, John 5:39-40; Luke 24:25-27; and the sermons in Acts).

我有時會聽到一些講道這些講道在結束時會讓我不禁想要問「他們真的需要這節特別的經文來講這篇道嗎」這篇講道也許在神學上是健全的動機也是為了傳福音。但這些講道者認為,宣講律法與福音,以及從整本聖經中宣講基督,意味著每週要簡單重複同樣的公式。這很容易做到,但對經文卻是不忠心的。有些講道者見林不見樹而另一些則是見樹不見林。I have heard sermons that make me ask at the end, "Did they even need this particular text to preach that sermon?" It may even have been theologically sound and evangelically motivated. But they thought that preaching the law and the gospel and preaching Christ from all the Scriptures meant simply repeating the same formula every week. That is easy, but it is unfaithful to the text. Some lose the forest for the trees; others lose the trees for the forest.         

具體舉例來說「除耶和華以外不可有別神」這個誡命可以聽成是上帝的應許即上帝已經使我們成為屬祂的人而且永遠不會離棄我們。因此,你不能只是列出一大串「律法」和「福音」的經文。To put it concretely, the command not to have any other gods but Yahweh can be heard (by someone trusting in Christ) as the promise that God has made us his own and will never forsake us. You cannot just come up with an omnibus list of "law" passages and "gospel" passages.

我們不會在每段經文中都清楚看到基督正如我們不會在小說或戲劇的每一個場景都會看到主角一樣。一個精彩的故事它部分的魅力就是主角被加在一個似乎是關於其他事或其他人物的上千場景的過程之中。耶穌也啟示出父上帝,祂甚至還啟示了成為人的意義。聖經有大量關鍵的教導,它本身會促使我們尋求三位一體的上帝,上帝的國度,和日常生活的智慧。但是任何一點都不能抽離在基督裡的救贖故事,我們不能靠隨意翻閱經文來得著基督。無論我們是牧者、聽眾或讀者,擺在我們面前的都是一段經文。聖經有如一幅拼圖,可以展示基督是其中心;而每這幅拼圖的每一片都必須恰到好處,才能構成完整的拼圖。你不能為了啟示基督,而隨意安插這些拼圖片。基督是曠野裡的磐石(林前十4 ,但是,這並不能讓我們可以隨意地在每一塊岩石下尋找基督。有一種草率和懶惰型的預表論,為了「破譯」基督而使一段經文成為一個「密碼」,卻忽略了這段經文緊鄰的上下文的內容和意義。We do not see Christ in every passage explicitly any more than the central character of a novel or play appears in every scene. Part of the charm of a good story is that central characters impose themselves in the process of a thousand scenes that seem to be about something or someone else. Jesus also reveals the Father. He even reveals what it means to be human. There is a wealth of key teachings in Scripture, which itself impels us to seek the Trinity, the kingdom of God, and wisdom for daily living. None of them can be abstracted from the drama of redemption in Christ, but we do not get to Christ by leaping over the text. There is a passage in front of us, either as preachers or as hearers and readers. Each piece fits into a puzzle that reveals Christ as the center, but each piece must actually fit. You can't just force it into place in order to "reveal Christ." Christ is the Rock in the wilderness (1 Cor. 10:4), but that doesn't give us license to find Christ under every rock, as it were. There is a hasty—and lazy—kind of typology that ignores the immediate context and meaning of a passage in order to make it a "code" for deciphering Christ.


我們不能在一節經文之外來找這節經文的意思。你的講道不是在講經文的分類而是使用經文所有的分類來宣講基督要從每一節特定的經文來傳講整個故事的中心人物基督。The meaning of a passage is not found above, behind, or beneath the text. You don't preach the categories but use the categories to preach Christ as the central character of the whole story, from every particular text.