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2021-01-13

 

創造和上帝在人類中的形象
Creation and the Image of God in Mankind
作者:Green Baggins  譯者:誠之
https://lisztgreenglove.blogspot.com/2006/08/creation-and-image-of-god-in-mankind.html
https://www.h-land.us/blog/589c1831-396f-11eb-b9ab-1b44644
 
上帝用六天的時間創造了天地。上帝為自己的榮耀創造了宇宙。這就是創造的原因、目標和結局。人類是創造的冠冕,只有人類是按照上帝的形象受造的。然而,問題卻變成了這樣:「什麼是上帝的形象?」「墮落後我們如何談論上帝的形象?」
God created the heavens and the earth in six literal days. God created the universe for His own glory. That was the reason, the goal, the end of creation. Humanity is the crown of creation. Only humanity is made in the image of God. However, the questions become this: "What is the image of God?" and "How do we speak of the image of God after the Fall?"
 
對於這個問題,主要有三個答案。第一個問題是羅馬天主教會的問題。他們說,上帝的形象完全是由選擇的能力組成,再加上一個超級附加的恩賜(所謂donum superadditum),通過這個恩賜,使亞當能夠超越自己肉體的一面,以順服上帝,並控制住肉體的情欲(concupiscence,這裏可以解讀為「任何有形質的東西anything physical」)。當亞當犯罪的時候,他只是失去了這個超級附加的禮物,但他沒有失去其餘的形象(譯按:意指人仍然是中立的,可以向善,也可以向惡)。
There are three main answers to that question. The first question is that of the Roman Catholic Church. They say that the image of God consisted entirely of the ability to choose, plus a superadded gift (the so-called donum superadditum) by which Adam was enabled to transcend his physical side in order to obey God, and keep the concupiscence (read here "anything physical") of the flesh under control. When Adam sinned, he only lost this super-added gift. He lost nothing of the rest of the image.
 
第二個答案是路德宗的答案。路德認為,上帝的形象完全由道德上的優秀組成。只要亞當順服上帝,他就有上帝的形象。因此,當亞當犯了罪,他就完全失去了上帝的形象。
The second answer is the Lutheran answer. Luther argued that the image of God consisted entirely in moral excellence. Inasmuch as Adam obeyed God, he was in the image of God. Consequently, when Adam sinned, he entirely lost the image of God.
 
正如你可能猜到的,答案就在這兩個極端之間。改革宗對上帝的形象的看法是,人類被造時有道德的作用(moral agency;類似於羅馬天主教的看法)和道德的卓越(moral excellence,路德宗的看法)。墮落之後,前者得以保留,但後者則完全喪失。這試圖公正地對待那些似乎暗示我們仍有神的形象的經文(創九6,這是墮落後的),以及那些似乎暗示我們已經失去神的形象的經文(羅馬書一~三章)。我們沒有失去道德的作用,但我們完全失去了道德上的優秀。
As you can possibly guess, the answer lies in between these two extremes. The Reformed view of the image of God is that mankind was created with moral agency (similar to the RCC view) and moral excellence (the Lutheran view). After the Fall, the former was retained, but the latter was entirely lost. This seeks to do justice to passages that seem to suggest that we still have the image of God (Gen 9:6, which is post-fall), and passages which seem to suggest that we have lost the image of God (Romans 1-3). We have not lost moral agency, but we have entirely lost moral excellence.
 
當耶穌基督降世,贖回了上帝在人類中的形象時。但祂所成就的遠不止於此,祂也完成了一個新造的天和新造的地。它們現在就在應許中,但它已經闖入到我們的世界,臨到我們身上。哥林多後書五章17節是這樣說的(筆者的翻譯):「若有人在基督裏,他就是一個新創造。」也就是說,在基督裏就證明有一個新的創造,而我們是其中的一部分。
When Jesus Christ came to redeem the image of God in mankind, He accomplished much more than that: He accomplished a new heavens and a new earth. They are in promise right now. But it has broken in upon us. 2 Corinthians 5:17 reads like this (my translation): "If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation." That is, being in Christ is proof that there is a new creation of which we are a part.
 
當復活發生時,我們不會都在天堂裏處於某種無形無體(disembodied)的狀態,永遠彈奏著我們的豎琴。天堂不是基督徒無形無體的靈魂的寄居地,相反,我們會有新的身體。相反,我們會有復活的新身體(林前十五),會生活在新地上,天與地之間沒有阻隔(像現在有阻隔那樣),天與地之間完全相通。
When the resurrection happens, we will not all be in heaven in some kind of disembodied state forever plucking our harps. Heaven is a holding place for the disembodied souls of Christians. Rather, we will have new bodies (1 Cor 15), and will live on the new earth, with no barrier (like there currently is) between heaven and earth, with full communion between heaven and earth.
 
這讓人想起魯益士(C.S. Lewis)在《最後一戰》( The Last Battle)中所說的舊納尼亞/新納尼亞的對比。我相信,他已經準確地捕捉到了這一點。我們之所以喜歡這個世界,是因為它讓我們看到了未來真實世界的模樣。但未來的世界才是真實的世界。我們只是在影子之地(the Shadowlands),正在經過。
One is reminded of the old Narnia/new Narnia contrast that C.S. Lewis speaks of in The Last Battle. I believe that he has captured it precisely. The reason we like this world is because it gives us a glimpse of what the real future world will look like. But the future world is the real one. We are merely in the Shadowlands, passing through.
 
 

2017-01-12

人具有上帝的形象:我是誰?

摘自:《新譯本研讀版聖經》p. 11環球聖經公會(2013

雖然上帝全然知道人類將會變成怎樣和會做些什麽事(包括墮落罪中),但聖經提及我們的第一件事情(創1:26-27,並在5:19:6;林前11:7;雅3:9中再次提及),卻是有關我們是與上帝相似的,且是其他受造物所沒有的。在希伯來文中,「照著我們的形象,按著我們的樣式」(創1:26)的意思是,上帝使人類成為祂的形象與樣式。我們是「帶有形象的人」,但不僅如此,這個特征是不能與我們分開的;我們在本質上和不可更改地,就是祂的形象和樣式。

至於這是什麽意思,改革宗神學在傳統上一直強調幾項重點。加爾文以保羅的書信為理據,強調成為上帝的形象與成為像基督是息息相關的:「是照著神的形象,在公義和真實的聖潔裏創造的」(弗4:24)。信徒已經「穿上了新人。這新人照著他的創造者的形象漸漸更新」(西3:10)。誠然,我們是損毀的上帝的形象,是被罪所玷汙的,但在基督裏,我們卻重新得著只有在樂園裏的亞當和夏娃才擁有的最原初的美善。其他改革宗神學家則強調,所有人都與神相似,都是個體、有理性、創造力和道德觀念的生物。毫無疑問,這一切見解都是正確而有價值的。

但是創世記第一章2728節緊接著的上下文,也教導我們更多關於上帝的形象。在古代歷史的背景下,成為上帝的形象跟成為上帝的皇族兒子這個觀念相關。古代的帝皇被視為神明的兒子,以確保天命得以在地上實行為殊榮。這種觀念也是上帝在以色列眾王身上所定的計劃的一部分---以色列的君王也被稱為上帝的兒子(代上28:6;詩2:7)。然而,這個對於上帝的兒子或上帝的形象的觀念,在創世記中卻大大地得以擴展:「神的形象」一語被套用在每一個人身上:「他所創造的有男有女」(創1:27)。

因此,按照聖經的觀點,一度只歸與皇族的榮耀與尊貴,其實是賦予所有人的(詩8:3-8)。每個人都被安排在世界上,借著在地上確立祂的旨意,而彰顯出又真又活的神、宇宙的大君王的榮耀。改革宗神學往往把人類擔當的這個角色稱為「文化使命」;它所指的是我們有責任也有這個福分,在基督的帶領下去發展文化(創1:28-30)。這個使命最終在耶穌身上得以實現,祂吩咐得贖的上帝的形象(祂忠信的子民),借著「福音使命」去實踐那個文化使命,方法就是把基督的名傳遍整個世界(太28:18-20)。