我為什麼應該相信耶穌真的從死裏復活了？WHYSHOULD I BELIEVE THAT JESUS ROSE FROM THE DEAD?
作者：Michael Horton譯者：駱鴻銘
為了回答這個問題（我為什麼應該相信耶穌真的從死裏復活了？），回到「事實本身」是有幫助的。這裏，猜測是沒有用的。我們是怎麼想的，一點都不重要：無論我們是否相信有三十個神明，還是一個也不信。我們是否相信這對我們有幫助、有意義、內心會感到充實，也無關緊要。這也和提升靈性或道德無關。歷史上發生過的事，我們不能將它洗白。它要麼發生了，要麼沒有發生，但是這個宣稱不是毫無意義的，或無法查考的。讓我們看看事實的本身。
In
answering this question, it’s helpful for us to return to the “facts of the
case.” Here, speculation is useless. It does not matter what we thought reality
was like: whether we believed in thirty gods or none. It doesn’t matter what we
find helpful, meaningful, or fulfilling. This is not about spirituality or
moral uplift. Something has happened in history and we cannot wish it away. It
either happened or it did not happen, but the claim itself is hardly
meaningless or beyond investigation. Let’s look at the facts of the case.
最早的基督徒親身見證了復活所宣稱的一些元素，甚至為此殉道。
The
earliest Christians testified to the following elements of the resurrection
claim, even to the point of martyrdom:
耶穌基督活過、死了，並且被埋葬了
Jesus
Christ lived, died, and was buried.
即使連不信聖經的批判學者，「耶穌研究會」（Jesus Seminar）的共同創始人馬克斯·博格（Marcus Borg）也不得不承認，基督被羅馬人釘死在十字架上，是「關於歷史的耶穌最確鑿的事實」。從古代猶太人和羅馬人的許多資料都可以找到眾多關於這些事實的證明。根據《巴比倫塔木德》（Babylonian Talmud）的記載，「約書亞」是一位在逾越節晚上被掛在十字架上的假先知，因為他行了巫術，並且褻瀆上帝。傑出的猶太學者克勞斯納（Joseph Klausner）在《塔木德》裏指認出以下的一些資料是指著耶穌說的：耶穌是個拉比，他的母親，馬利亞（Miriam）嫁給了一個木匠，但是他不是耶穌的生父。耶穌和他的家人到過埃及，又回到猶大地，並訓練門徒，用巫術行了許多神蹟，使以色列人偏離正道，並且在受審時被人棄絕，沒有人為他辯護。在逾越節當晚被釘死在十字架上。
Even
Marcus Borg, co-founder of the skeptical “Jesus Seminar,” concedes that
Christ’s death by Roman crucifixion is “the most certain fact about the
historical Jesus.” There are numerous attestations to these facts from ancient
Jewish and Roman sources. According to the Babylonian Talmud, “Yeshua” was a
false prophet hanged on Passover eve for sorcery and blasphemy. No less a
towering Jewish scholar than Joseph Klausner identifies the following
references to Jesus in the Talmud: Jesus was a rabbi whose mother, Mary
(Miriam), was married to a carpenter who was nevertheless not the natural
father of Jesus. Jesus went with his family to Egypt, returned to Judea and
made disciples, performed miraculous signs by sorcery, led Israel astray, and
was deserted at his trial without any defenders. On Passover eve he was
crucified.
羅馬史家蘇多尼（Suetonius，75-130 AD）寫到，猶太人在主後四十八年從羅馬被趕逐出去。有一次是因為有一小撮人敬拜一個人，「某個名叫Chrestus的人」（Claudius 25.4）。第一世紀晚期，塔西佗（Tacitus）——偉大的羅馬史家——提到耶穌在比拉多手下被釘十字架（Annals 15.44）。小普林尼（Pliny the Younger），時任今日土耳其的帝國總督，大約在主後110年寫信給羅馬皇帝圖拉真（Trajan），報告說基督徒在禮拜天聚集在一起，向耶穌禱告，「把他當成神」，聽他指派的職員閱讀並解釋一些書信。早期教會領受一頓餐飲，他們相信基督親自主持這個筵席（Epistle 10.96）。
The
Roman historian Suetonius (75-130 AD) wrote of the expulsion of Jews from Rome in
48 AD. One incident arose because a sect was worshipping a man, a “certain
Chrestus” (Claudius 25.4). Late in the first century, Tacitus—the greatest
Roman historian—referred to the crucifixion of Jesus under Pontius Pilate
(Annals 15.44). In a letter to the Emperor Trajan around the year 110, Pliny
the Younger, imperial governor of what is now Turkey, reported that Christians
gathered on Sunday to pray to Jesus “as to a god,” to hear the letters of his
appointed officers read and expounded. The early church received a meal at
which they believed Christ himself presided (Epistle 10.96).
我們從古代的一些資料也知道，羅馬人在十字架的酷刑上有多麼成功。福音書記載，士兵將槍矛扎進基督的肋旁，隨即有血和水流出來，這與羅馬軍事史家對十字架的刑罰的一般記載是吻合的，也和現代對這個報導的醫學檢驗吻合。所謂的「昏厥理論」（swoon theory）猜測，耶穌並沒有真的死了，而是被治好了，恢復了健康，並且壽終正寢，死於自然的死亡。然而，如果鮑威爾（Doug Powell）所觀察到的，除了能從槍矛扎進祂的心臟、刺進祂一邊的肺臟逃過一死之外，耶穌還「必須單單靠意志力，控制有多少血從傷口流出來」。
We
know also from ancient sources how successful the Romans were at crucifixions.
The description in the Gospels of the spear thrust into Christ’s side and the
ensuing flow of blood and water fit with both routine accounts of crucifixion
from Roman military historians as well as with modern medical examinations of
the report. The so-called “swoon theory” speculates that Jesus did not really
die, but was nursed back to health to live out his days and die a natural
death. Yet, as Doug Powell observes, in addition to surviving the spear
piercing his heart and one of his lungs, Jesus “would have had to control how
much blood flowed out of the wound by sheer willpower.”
伊斯蘭教的《古蘭經》教導（在Surah 4:157），羅馬人「從來沒有將他殺害」，而是「誤以為他們確實將他殺了」。並沒有任何證據可以支持這個猜測，而且一個明顯的問題會產生：我們真的會相信，羅馬政府和士兵，以及猶太人領袖和耶路撒冷百姓，真的會「誤以為」，他們已經將耶穌釘死在十字架上，而事實上他們並沒有？
In
Surah 4:157, Islam’s Qur’an teaches that the Romans “never killed him,” but
“were made to think that they did.” No supporting argument for this conjecture
is offered and the obvious question arises: Are we really to believe that the
Roman government and military officers as well as the Jewish leaders and the
people of Jerusalem “were made to think that” they had crucified Jesus when in
fact they did not do so?
此外，當我們有第一世紀的基督徒和羅馬時代的文件證實基督確實死了、被埋葬了，為什麼我們卻要相信一份在事件發生後六個世紀才寫的文件？這份文件有任何的信用可言嗎？羅馬負責執行十字架刑罰的官員很清楚，受刑人是什麼時候死的。連自由派的新約學者羅賓遜（A. T. Robinson）也總結說，耶穌被葬在墳墓裏，是「最早、最得到確證的，關於耶穌的事實之一」。
Furthermore,
why should a document written six centuries after the events in question have
any credence when we have first-century Christian, Jewish, and Roman documents
that attest to Christ’s death and burial? Roman officers in charge of
crucifixions knew when their victims were dead. Even the liberal New Testament
scholar John A. T. Robinson concluded that the burial of Jesus in the tomb is
“one of the earliest and best-attested facts about Jesus.”
四福音書都提到，耶穌被葬在亞利馬太的約瑟的墳墓中（太廿七57；可十五43；路廿三50；約十九38～39）。這是一個具體的細節，讓我們相信這個記載是可信的。此外，這是一個門徒不太可能會偽造的、令他們感到羞恥的細節。畢竟，根據四福音書的記載，門徒們當時都逃走了，而彼得甚至否認他認識耶穌。然而卻有一個富有且大有權勢的猶太公會領袖，來到比拉多面前，請求他將耶穌葬在他自己的墳墓裏。
The
burial of Jesus in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea is mentioned in all four
Gospels (Mt 27:57; Mk 15:43; Lk 23:50; Jn 19:38-39). This is a specific detail
that lends credibility to the account. Furthermore, it’s an embarrassing detail
that the disciples would not likely have forged. After all, according to the
Gospels, the disciples fled and Peter had even denied knowing Jesus. Yet here
is a wealthy and powerful member of the ruling Jewish Council (Sanhedrin),
coming to Pilate to ask for permission to bury Jesus in his own tomb.
根據約翰福音十九章38～42節的記載，在這個令人難堪的事情上，還要再加上約瑟是由另一個法利賽人領袖的協助，也就是尼哥底母（約翰福音第三章記載他曾經私下和耶穌會面），埋葬了耶穌。約瑟的地位一定很高，以至於比拉多會願意將耶穌的尸體交給他，而這事是發生在百夫長確認耶穌已經死亡之後（可十五44～45）。
Adding
to the embarrassment, according to John 19:38-42, Joseph was assisted in the
burial by another leader of the Pharisees, Nicodemus (who met with Jesus secretly
in John 3). Joseph was of such a stature that Pilate conceded to deliver the
body over to him, but only after confirming with the centurion that Jesus was,
in fact, dead (Mk 15:44-45).
耶穌基督的墳墓在三日之後成為空墳
Jesus
Christ’s tomb was empty after three days.
今天連這個宣稱也不應該有爭議，因為這是羅馬人、猶太人都承認的，第一世紀的基督徒也承認這點。當然，對此有許多不同的解釋，但是在這點上，有一個令人驚奇的共識。猶太人領袖宣稱，耶穌的尸體是被門徒偷走的（太廿八11～15）。
Not
even this claim should be controversial today since it was acknowledged by
Romans and Jews as well as by the first Christians. Of course, there were
widely divergent explanations, but there was a remarkable consensus on this
point. The Jewish leaders claimed that the body was stolen by the disciples
(Matthew 28:11-15).
其他人宣稱，「復活節經歷」（Easter Experience）是一個精神上的幻覺，或者是悲傷過度、失去盼望的門徒的美夢。另外還有人說，復活是隨著時間，以及與原來事件的距離逐漸加大而被誇大的故事，就像是「大魚的故事」或「打電話」的遊戲。
Others
claimed that the “Easter Experience” was a spiritual hallucination or the
wish-fulfillment of saddened and hopeless disciples. Still, others have said
the resurrection was exaggerated with time and distance from the original
events, much like a “big fish story” or the game “telephone.”
一位名叫猶太學者皮格斯? 賴彼得（Pincheas Lapide）真的認為耶穌從死裏復活了，但是祂不是以色列人所盼望的那一位。所有這些理論都沒有掌握事實的真相。許多人想用其他方式來解釋復活，這個事實反而證明了，空墳是一個歷史事實。
The
Jewish scholar named Pincheas Lapide actually thought that Jesus was raised
from the dead, but that he was not the one for whom Israel had hoped. All of
these theories grasp at anything but the facts of the case. The very fact that
so many have sought alternative explanations for the resurrection demonstrates
that the empty tomb was a historical fact.
我們現在該怎麼辦？
What
Now?
保羅對雅典城的哲學家宣告基督的復活：「世人蒙昧無知的時候，神並不監察，如今卻吩咐各處的人都要悔改。因為祂已經定了日子，要藉著祂所設立的人按公義審判天下，並且叫祂從死裏復活，給萬人作可信的憑據。」（徒十七30～31）
Speaking
to the philosophers in Athens, Paul proclaimed Christ’s resurrection: “The
times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to
repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in
righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given
assurance to all by raising him from the dead” (Ac 17:30-31).
在聽過這個報導後，我們都必須面對一個抉擇。「眾人聽見從死裏復活的話，就有譏誚他的；又有人說：『我們再聽你講這個吧！』於是保羅從他們當中出去了。但有幾個人貼近他，信了主，其中有亞略巴古的官丟尼修，並一個婦人，名叫大馬哩，還有別人一同信從。」（32～34）
Having
heard the report, we are all faced with a decision. “Now when they heard of the
resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, ‘We will hear you again
about this.’ So Paul went out from their midst. But some men joined him and
believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named
Damaris and others with them” (vv. 32-34).
今天，和自從第一個復活節之後的每一天一樣，有些人會譏誚，其他人表示願意進一步討論，而還有一些人則擁抱復活的基督，和多馬一同喊叫，「我的主！我的神！」（約廿28）耶穌即將要使拉撒路從死裏復活時，祂應許馬大：「你兄弟必然復活」。馬大對祂說，「我知道在末日復活的時候，他必復活。」雖然她的回答是正確的，但是馬大也許是認為，這時候討論神學問題是很尷尬的時刻。
Today,
like every day since the first Easter, some mock, others express openness to
further discussion, while still others embrace the Risen Christ, exclaiming
with Thomas, “My Lord and my God!” (Jn 20:28). When Jesus was about to raise
Lazarus, he promised Martha, “Your brother will rise again.” “Martha said to
him, ‘I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.’”
Though she answered correctly, Martha may have thought it was an odd moment for
a theological quiz.
不過，這事還沒完。耶穌是要迫使馬大不只是承認這個教義，更是要她能信靠祂：「耶穌對他說：『復活在我，生命也在我。信我的人雖然死了，也必復活，凡活著信我的人必永遠不死。你信這話麼？』 馬大說：『主啊，是的，我信你是基督，是神的兒子，就是那要臨到世界的。』」（約十一23～27）
Yet
there was something more. Jesus was pressing Martha not only to assent to the
doctrine but to put her faith in him: “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the
resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he
live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe
this?’ She said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son
of God, who is coming into the world’” (Jn 11:23-27).
那天並不是末日。耶穌還沒有為拉撒路的罪被釘死在十字架上，也還沒有為他的稱義復活，成為整批莊稼的初熟的果子。拉撒路的復活只是暫時的，而不是罪和死亡所觸及不到的「得榮耀」，那是只有在耶穌復活之後才會接著發生的。有一天，馬太的兄弟——和馬大自己——會生病、死亡，但是很可能不是在他們領受了這些話之前，也就是「來世（the age to come）會隨著神的兒子的復活而出現」（也許他們親身見證了這個句話）。透過信靠基督，祂是復活、也是生命，你也會與馬大和拉撒路，在那大喜的日子一同復活。
It
was not the last day. Jesus had not yet been crucified for Lazarus’s sins and
raised for his justification as the first fruits of the harvest. Lazarus’s
resurrection was only temporary, not the glorification beyond the reach of sin
and death that could only follow in Christ’s wake. One day, Martha’s
brother—and Martha herself—would become ill and die, but likely not before they
received word (perhaps were themselves witnesses) concerning the advent of the
age to come with the resurrection of the Son of God. Through faith in him, who
is the resurrection and the life, you too will be raised with Martha and
Lazarus on that festive day.
你相信這個嗎？
Do
you believe this?
祂確實已經復活了！
He is
risen indeed!
按：摘自「祂確實復活了」一文
Adapted
from Michael Horton, "Risen Indeed."
