聖約釋經法
The Covenantal Hermeneutic
作者： Keith A. Mathison   譯者：誠之
https://tabletalkmagazine.com/article/2020/10/the-covenantal-hermeneutic/
https://www.h-land.us/blog/7994e091-0e4e-11eb-bdcc-558086d9b702?fbclid=IwAR0NUH3ME913q_UpBb4WLDgpRkIy0opQstSh3hSgqE2wQBy8vmYdnznqF6o
 
登山寶訓是否可以直接應用在今天的基督徒身上？安息日的誡命是否仍然有效？基督徒是否應該給嬰兒施洗？我們如何回答這些問題以及其他許多問題，取決於我們在打開聖經之前的解經前提。我們都是帶著某種想法來讀聖經的，但問題就出在這裏。如果我們是帶著這些假設來讀聖經，那麼我們當初是從哪里得到這些假設的呢？我們的假設是來自聖經，還是從聖經外引進來的呢？
Is the Sermon on the Mount directly applicable to Christians today? Is the Sabbath commandment still in effect? Should Christians baptize their infants? How we answer these and many other questions depends on the interpretive assumptions we have before we even open the Bible. We all come to the Bible with certain ideas about how it should be read, but herein lies the problem. If we bring these assumptionstoScripture, where did we get them in the first place? Are we deriving our assumptions from Scripture or bringing them in from the outside?
 
在我們談論我們用來解釋聖經的方法和原則時，我們所討論的就是詮釋學（hermeneutics）。我們每個人每天都在練習詮釋學，但我們通常都沒有意識到這一點。如果我們讀的是用我們自己的文化、自己的母語，以及在自己的時代所寫成的作品，我們通常不必再考慮詮釋的規則。例如，如果我們拿起一本以「很久以前......（once upon a time）」開頭的書，我們就知道我們不應該像閱讀百科全書的文章那樣來閱讀它。我們會自動認識到這句開場白是表明這篇文章屬於「童話故事」的類型。我們也熟悉自己文化中對人、地、物的稱呼方式。如果我們讀到一個作者說他去過「大蘋果（the Big Apple）」，我們（美國人）就知道他指的是紐約市，而不是一個巨大的水果。紐約市就是作者用這個比喻的字面意思。
When we talk about the methods and principles we use to interpret the Bible, we are talking about hermeneutics. All of us practice hermeneutics every day, but we are usually unconscious of it. If we are reading works written in our own culture, in our own native language, and in our own time period, we usually don’t have to give a second thought to the rules of interpretation. If we pick up a book that begins with the words once upon a time . . . , for example, we know that we should not read it as we would read an encyclopedia article. We automatically recognize that opening line as an indicator that this writing belongs to the genre of “fairy tale.” We are also familiar with our own culture’s way of referring to people, places, and things. If we are reading an author who says he visited “the Big Apple,” we know he is referring to New York City and not a giant piece of fruit. New York City is what the author literally means by using this figure of speech.
 
但是，當我們拿起一本幾千年前用不同語言寫成的書，會發生什麼事呢？如果我們在一張脆弱的莎草紙卷上看到這本書，上面寫著古代語言的原始字母，我們可能會停下來，意識到在我們準備閱讀它之前，必須先做一些準備工作。我們將不得不學習這種語言。我們將不得不瞭解一些關於它的寫作文化。我們必須瞭解它是什麼類型的文學作品。當我們看到一幅古卷時，我們就會意識到它和現代小說不是同一種東西。但是，如果那個古卷已經被翻譯出來了呢？如果它已經被翻譯出來，並且以現代書籍的形式出版，且有漂亮的皮革封面呢？如果你是和那本書一起長大的，對內容有些熟悉呢？這樣的熟悉感可能會讓你誤以為，我們要用閱讀當代文字作品的文化假設來閱讀這本書。
But what happens when we pick up a book written thousands of years ago in a different language? If we were to see this book on a fragile papyrus scroll with the original letters of the ancient language in which it was written, we might stop and realize that we will have to do some work before we are prepared to read it. We will have to learn the language. We will have to learn something about the culture in which it was written. We will have to find out what genre of literature it is. When we see an ancient scroll, we recognize that it isn’t the same kind of thing as a modern novel. What if that ancient scroll has already been translated, however? What if it has been translated and published in a modern book format with nice leather covers? What if you grew up with that book and were somewhat familiar with the contents? Such familiarity could lull you into thinking that this book is to be read with the same cultural assumptions we bring to contemporary written works.
 
這些都是我們閱讀聖經時必須思考的一些問題。《聖經》是一本由眾多古代書卷集合而成的書籍，最初是用希伯來語、亞蘭語和希臘語寫成的。《舊約》聖經的書卷是由眾多的作者寫成的，他們生活在古近東世界，有自己的習俗和假設。《新約》聖經的書卷則是在羅馬帝國最鼎盛的時期寫成的。這些都不是我們現今生活的世界。如果我們不瞭解聖經中的書籍種類，就很容易誤認其文學體裁，從而導致歷史-語法釋經學（historical-grammatical hermeneutics）的誤用。我們可以忽略這些事情，因為我們的《聖經》已經從古文中翻譯出來了。我們的《聖經》也已經按照我們所繼承的某些釋經學體系來教導我們，我們也這樣來閱讀，其中有些體系比其他體系更忠實於原始文本。知道我們帶著其中的哪一種假設來閱讀聖經，以及為什麼這樣做是很重要的。
These are some of the issues we have to think about when we read the Bible. The Bible is a collection of ancient books, originally written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. The books of the Old Testament were written by numerous authors who lived in the ancient Near Eastern world with its own customs and assumptions. The books of the New Testament were written during the height of the Roman Empire. Those are not the worlds in which we have lived our lives. If we fail to understand the kind of books found in the Bible, we can easily misidentify genres, which leads to a misapplication of historical-grammatical hermeneutics. We can forget these things because our Bibles have already been translated out of the ancient languages. Our Bibles have also already been taught to us and read by us along the lines of certain hermeneutical systems we inherited, and some of these are more faithful to the text than others. Knowing which of these we bring to Scripture and why is important.
 
在過去的一個半世紀裏，有兩種釋經系統，即聖約神學（covenant theology）和時代論（dispensationalism），它們是福音派基督徒中占主導地位的選項。聖約神學在教會教父的著作中是以種子的形式出現的，但它在十六和十七世紀有了重大的發展。它是由於認識到聖經揭示了神以盟約的方式與祂的子民交往而得到發展的。它最基本的教導是：盟約（covenant）是立約雙方或多方之間的正式協議。具體的協議取決於各種因素。每種類型的盟約都涉及一方或雙方的義務。有些盟約還涉及正式的宣誓，有些涉及儀式，有些則有外在的記號。所有的盟約都會使立約當事人之間產生某種關係。
Over the last century and a half, two systems of interpretation, covenant theology and dispensationalism, have been the dominant alternatives among evangelical Christians. Covenant theology was in seed form in the writings of the church fathers, but it saw significant developments during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. It grew out of a recognition that the Bible reveals God as dealing with His people by means of covenants. At its most basic, a covenant is a formal arrangement between two or more parties. The specific kind of arrangement depends on various factors. Every type of covenant involves obligations for one or both parties. Some covenants also involve formal oaths, some involve ritual ceremonies, and some have external signs. All covenants effect some kind of relationship between the parties.
 
聖約神學強調創世記一到三章對我們理解全本聖經的重要性。它強調人的墮落所引起的根本性改變。在墮落之前，神按照某種正式的安排與人建立關係的。聖約神學稱這種安排為「行為之約」（covenant of works）或「生命之約」（covenant of life）。墮落之後，為了拯救祂的子民，上帝建立了一種新的安排，盟約神學將它稱為「恩典之約」。當上帝為差遣彌賽亞（基督）做準備時，祂在整個救贖歷史中設立了各種盟約（如亞伯拉罕之約、摩西之約和大衛之約），所有這些盟約都為彌賽亞和新的約（new covenant）的到來奠定了基礎。所有這些盟約都是神在恩典之約（唯靠恩典，唯獨藉著基督的工作）下的總體救贖計劃的一部分（譯按：傳統的聖約神學會稱這些盟約是這個涵蓋一切的恩典之約在救贖歷史不同時期中的“施行或治理方式[administrations]”）。這裏強調的是更正教信徒（Protestant）堅持的事實，即墮落之後，罪人得救的唯一途徑是單單藉著對基督的信心。聖約神學只是宗教改革五大唯獨（five solas）的產物。
Covenant theology emphasizes the importance of Genesis 1–3 for our understanding of all of Scripture. It emphasizes the radical change caused by man’s fall. Before the fall, God related to man according to a certain formal arrangement. Covenant theology speaks of this as the “covenant of works” or “covenant of life.” After the fall, in order to save His people, God established a new arrangement, which covenant theology refers to as the “covenant of grace.” As God prepared for the sending of the Messiah, He established various covenants throughout redemptive history (e.g., the Abrahamic covenant, the Mosaic covenant, and the Davidic covenant), all of which laid the groundwork for the coming of the Messiah and the new covenant. All these covenants were parts of God’s redemptive plan under the one covenant of grace—the one overarching plan of salvation by grace alone through the work of Christ alone. The emphasis here is the Protestant insistence on the fact that after the fall, the only way for sinful man to be saved is by faith alone in Christ alone. Covenant theology is simply an outgrowth of the five solas of the Reformation.
 
一個多世紀以來，時代論一直是福音派中廣泛流行的釋經學體系（譯按：受到倪柝聲弟兄的「聚會所」（或『地方教會Local Church』）神學的影響，這種釋經理論也在華人教會中大行其道）。雖然它最著名的是其獨特的末世論觀點（譯按，即前千禧年論，許多華人教會教導的「災前被提」論），時代論最重要的元素是它區分了上帝的兩群不同的子民，即以色列和教會。
For more than a century, dispensationalism has been a widespread and popular hermeneutical system among evangelicals. Although it is best known for its distinctive eschatological views, dispensationalism’s most important element is its distinction between two separate peoples of God: Israel and the church.
 
由於理解到神對兩群不同的子民有兩個不同的計劃，所以時代論將救贖歷史分為幾個不同的時期或時代。在每一個時代中，神都在考驗人類。在每一個時代中，人都沒有通過考驗，因此開啟了新的時代。大多數時代論者認為有七個不同的時代。目前的時代，即教會時代，是獨一無二的，因為它是救贖歷史中的一個「括號」，在此期間，神把祂的注意力從以色列轉向了教會。時代論者聲稱他們的體系是建立在前後一貫的字面解釋方法（literal method of interpretation）之上的。實際上，這種說法本身是建立在一種非常武斷的字面定義上，而這種定義是有選擇地應用的，沒有考慮到這些古代書籍中的文學類型。
Because of its understanding that God has two distinct plans for two distinct peoples, dispensationalism divides redemptive history into several separate time periods or dispensations. During each of these dispensations, God tests humanity. In each of these dispensations, man fails the test and a new dispensation is inaugurated. Most dispensationalists believe that there are seven distinct dispensations. The present dispensation, the church age, is unique because it is a parenthesis in redemptive history during which God turns His attention from Israel to the church. Dispensationalists claim that their system alone rests on a consistently literal method of interpretation. In reality, the claim itself rests on a very arbitrary definition of literal that is applied selectively and fails to take into account the kind of literature found in these ancient books.
 
這些釋經學體系影響了我們閱讀和解釋聖經的方式。例如，聖約神學認為全本聖經有著更多的連續性。它也拒絕神有兩群不同子民的想法。另一方面，時代論則看到更多的不連續性。它認為，聖經許多地方只適用於以色列，而不適用於今天的基督徒。這從根本上影響了我們讀聖經的方式。這也影響了聖經的講道。我記得我的一位時代論神學院教授對我們班上的同學說，當我們從舊約中講道時，我們應該能夠在猶太人的會堂裏講這篇講道，而不會引發爭議。只有當我們不提耶穌或福音時，才有可能做到這一點。然而，《新約》的作者是這樣處理《舊約》的嗎？當然不是。
These hermeneutical systems affect the way we read and interpret Scripture. Covenant theology, for example, sees much more continuity across all of Scripture. It also rejects the idea that God has two separate peoples. Dispensationalism sees much more discontinuity, on the other hand. It argues that much of Scripture applies only to Israel and not to Christians today. This radically affects the way we read the Bible. It also affects the preaching of the Bible. I recall one of my dispensationalist seminary professors telling our class that when we preach from the Old Testament, we should be able to preach that sermon at a Jewish synagogue without anyone raising an eyebrow. That is only possible if we do not mention Jesus or the gospel. Is that the way the authors of the New Testament dealt with the Old Testament? Certainly not.
 
近幾十年來，一些對舊有的選擇不滿的浸信會神學家提出了其他的選擇，他們認為這些選擇提供了一條介於時代論和聖約神學之間的中間道路。例如，從20世紀80年代和90年代開始，一些時代論者開始倡導「漸進時代論」（progressive dispensationalism）。漸進式時代論比傳統的時代論更看重聖經的連續性。它認為各個時代是漸進發展的，推動著神的計劃。漸進時代論者繼續保持以色列和教會之間的區別，但這種區別不像傳統的時代論那樣激進。
In recent decades, a number of Baptist theologians who were dissatisfied with the older options have offered alternatives that they believe provide a middle way between dispensationalism and covenant theology. Beginning in the 1980s and 1990s, a number of dispensationalists, for example, began advocating “progressive dispensationalism.” Progressive dispensationalism sees more continuity in Scripture than traditional dispensationalism does. It sees the dispensations as progressively developing and advancing God’s plan. Progressive dispensationalists continue to maintain a distinction between Israel and the church, but the distinction is not as radical as one finds in traditional dispensationalism.
 
另一種在一些改革宗浸信會中發現的選擇是「新聖約神學」（New Covenant Theology）。顧名思義，新聖約神學強調的是新的約（new covenant）的嶄新性。支持者以重新評價十誡，特別是安息日的誡命而聞名。他們傾向於質疑或拒絕區分道德律、禮儀律和民事律的用處，特別是質疑安息日誡命是否是上帝永恆不變的道德律的一部分。在那些自稱為「新聖約神學家」的人中，仍然存在許多分歧。有些人否認墮落前有任何行為之約，而有些人則肯定這個教義。有些人否認基督的主動順服。有些人則肯定它。這個體系還在不斷的發展變化當中。
Another alternative that is found in some Reformed Baptist churches is New Covenant Theology. As the name implies, the emphasis is on the newness of the new covenant. Proponents are known for their reevaluation of the Ten Commandments, specifically the Sabbath commandment. They tend to question or reject the usefulness of the distinction between moral, ceremonial, and civil law and specifically question whether the Sabbath commandment is part of the eternal unchanging moral law of God. Many differences remain among those who call themselves “new covenant theologians.” Some deny any covenant of works before the fall, while others affirm it. Some deny Christ’s active obedience. Others affirm it. This system is still evolving.
 
「漸進聖約論」（Progressive Covenantalism）則是一種較新的觀點，已經開始贏得一些信徒。這種觀點與「新聖約神學」有一些相似之處，但其支持者明確地肯定了他們所說的神與亞當立的創造之約。他們也一致肯定了基督主動順服的必要性。根據這種觀點，聖經中的諸約逐步揭示了上帝的完整救贖計劃。他們在肯定神與以色列和教會立了不同的盟約的同時，也肯定神的子民只有一個。這種區別的主要意義在於漸進聖約論者肯定，神的舊盟約子民包含了信徒和非信徒，而神的新盟約子民只包含信徒。這就支撐了漸進聖約論者堅持信徒受洗（believer’s baptism）的基礎。
Progressive Covenantalism is a more recent view that has begun to gain some adherents. This view has some similarities with New Covenant Theology, but its proponents clearly affirm what they would call a creation covenant with Adam. They are also unanimous in affirming the necessity of Christ’s active obedience. According to this view, the covenants in Scripture progressively reveal God’s one plan of salvation. While affirming a covenantal distinction between Israel and the church, they affirm that there is only one people of God. The primary import of the distinction is the affirmation among Progressive Covenantalists that the old covenant people of God contained believers and unbelievers and the new covenant people of God contains only believers. This undergirds Progressive Covenantalism’s insistence on believer’s baptism.
 
在研究這些不同的釋經學體系時，必須牢記的主要問題是，它們的主要原則是來自聖經，還是把這些主要原則讀進到聖經裏。我們沒有篇幅去徹底研究每一個系統的每一個爭議點。我的目標是比較卑微的，即讓讀者更意識到他們讀經時所透過的詮釋學鏡片。
The main question that must be kept in mind when examining these various hermeneutical systems is whether they derive their key principles from Scripture or are reading them into Scripture. We do not have the space to thoroughly examine each system on every disputed point. My goal is more modest—namely, to make readers more aware of the hermeneutical lenses through which they are reading Scripture.
 
雖然我們不可能徹底研究每一個有爭議的問題，但我們必須簡單地看一個問題，即以色列和教會的關係。時代論的激進區分是取自聖經還是把這種區分讀進去聖經？《新約》聖經所提供給我們的答案似乎很清楚。例如在羅馬書十一章17到24節中，保羅把神的子民以色列說成是一棵橄欖樹，不信的猶太人的枝子已經被折斷，只剩下真正的以色列人。信主的外邦人的枝子已經被嫁接到這棵已經存在的橄欖樹上，也就是現在的教會。如果不信主的猶太人悔改信靠基督，他們就可以重新被嫁接到這棵橄欖樹上。請注意，橄欖樹只有一棵。如果時代論是真的，保羅的比喻就必須有很大的改變。他必須講到神在舊的橄欖樹（以色列）旁邊種上一棵新的橄欖樹（教會）。神必須從以色列的樹上取下信主的猶太人的枝子，從其他外邦樹上取下信主的枝子，然後把這些枝子嫁接到新的教會樹上。然而，就目前而言，只有一棵好樹，就是真以色列樹。這就是為什麼保羅可以對以弗所大體上是外邦人的教會說，他們過去在以色列的諸約之外（弗二12）；保羅也對加拉太大體上是外邦人的教會說，如果他們是屬基督的，他們就是亞伯拉罕的後裔（加三16，29）。任何假設神的兩群不同子民的釋經學系統，都是把外來的東西帶到了聖經裏。
Although we cannot thoroughly examine every disputed question, we must briefly look at one—the relationship between Israel and the church. Is dispensationalism’s radical distinction taken from Scripture or read into it? The New Testament answer would appear to be clear. In Romans 11:17–24, for example, Paul speaks of the people of God, Israel, as an olive tree from which unbelieving Jewish branches have been broken off, leaving only the true Israel. Believing gentile branches have been grafted into this already existing olive tree that is now the church. If unbelieving Jews repent and trust Christ, they can be grafted back into this olive tree. Note that there is only the one olive tree. If dispensationalism were true, Paul’s analogy would have to change dramatically. He would have to speak of God’s planting a new olive tree (the church) alongside the old olive tree (Israel). God would have to take believing Jewish branches from the Israel tree and believing branches from other gentile trees and graft those branches into the new church tree. As it stands, however, there is only one good tree—the true Israel. This is why Paul can say to the largely gentile church in Ephesus that they used to be separated from the commonwealth of Israel (Eph. 2:12) and to the largely gentile church in Galatia that if they are Christ’s, they are Abraham’s offspring (Gal. 3:16, 29). Any hermeneutical system that posits two separate peoples of God is bringing something foreign to the Bible.
 
聖約釋經法從聖經的前提出發，承認它是何種類型的書，強調它所強調的東西。它認識到神對祂子民的計劃，有一種優美的潛在連續性，同時也認識到在這個計劃中，有合乎聖經的發展和各樣區別。最重要的是，它承認並宣告了耶穌基督完整的福音，以及唯獨靠著恩典、唯獨藉著信心、唯獨在基督裏的唯一救恩之路。
The covenantal hermeneutic begins with the Scripture as it is given, recognizing the kind of book it is and emphasizing what it emphasizes. It recognizes the beautiful underlying continuity of the plan of God for His people while also recognizing the biblical development and distinctions within that plan. Most importantly, it recognizes and proclaims the one gospel of Jesus Christ and the one way of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
 
馬蒂森博士（Keith A. Mathison）是位於佛羅裏達州桑福德的宗教改革聖經學院（Reformation Bible College）的系統神學教授。他是多本著作的作者，包括《主的晚餐》（The Lord's Supper）。