改革宗教会教义准则
The Doctrinal Standards Of the
Reformed Churches
大公信经与三联合信条
大公信经与三联合信条
The Ecumenical Creeds & Three Forms of
Unity
目录
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信经和信条简介
写作并宣告信经的做法（信经一词源自 拉丁文credo，意为“我信”），可以追 溯到主的教会伊始。因此，我们在旧约 圣经（申6:4）和新约圣经（太16:16； 林前15:3-4；弗4:4-6；提前3:16）都能 找到上帝圣约子民信仰的总结表述。
The practice of writing and confessing creeds
(from the Latin credo, “I believe”) is as old as the Lord’s church herself. Thus,
we find in both the Old (Deut. 6:4) and New Testaments (Matt. 16:16; 1 Cor.
15:3-4; Eph. 4:4-6; 1 Tim. 3:16) of the Holy Scriptures summary statements of
the faith of God’s covenant people.
古代的基督教信经（即《使徒信经 》、《尼西亚信经》、《亚他那修信经 》）以及三联合信条（即《比利时信条 》、《海德堡要理问答》、《多特信经 》）包含了北美联合改革宗教会的教义 准则，或公开宣告的信仰内容。这些信 仰文件不是我们独有的。古代信经把我 们连结在古代基督教会上，而三联合信 条把我们连结在十六、十七世纪广大的 改革宗传统中。
The
following ancient Christian creeds (Apostles’, Nicene, Athanasian) and the
Three Forms of Unity (Belgic Confession, Heidelberg Catechism, Canons of Dort)
contain the doctrinal standards, or publicly confessed faith, of the United
Reformed Churches in North America. These forms are not peculiar to us. The
creeds unite us to the ancient Christian church, and the Three Forms of Unity
unite us to the broader Reformed tradition of the sixteenth and seventeenth
centuries.
作为基督教会，我们的根基文件是圣经 ，是上帝默示无谬误的话语。圣经中基本的信念——即有且仅有一位上帝，祂 永恒中以三位一体存在，并且耶稣基督 我们的救主是真神真人——由早期基督 教会在《使徒信经》、《尼西亚信经 》、《亚他那修信经》中表达出来。《 比利时信条》说：“我们全心接受三大 信经”（第9条），因为他们是普世的 （ecumenical），已经被基督教大部分 教会接受。
As
Christian churches, our foundational text is the Bible, the inspired and
infallible Word of God. The basic beliefs of the Bible—that there is only one
God, who exists eternally as a Trinity, and that Jesus Christ our Savior is
both God and man—were expressed by the early Christian church in the Apostles’,
Nicene, and Athanasian Creeds. The Belgic Confession says that “we willingly
receive” these three creeds (art. 9), since they are ecumenical (general,
universal) and have been accepted by a large portion of the churches of
Christendom.
作为改革宗教会，我们属于跟随宗教改 革的教会，承认耶稣基督是祂教会的元 首。祂通过祂的圣道和圣灵统治、治理 祂的教会，而不是通过人的独裁。因此 ，尽管我们全部圣职人员签署这些信经 和信条承认它们与上帝的道完全一致， 这些文件的权威永远服于圣经，上帝默 示无谬无误的话。正是在这样的背景下 ，我们的属灵先辈写就了改革宗教会的 三联合信条：《比利时信条》、《海德 堡要理问答》、《多特信经》。各个教 会的牧师、长老、执事要在《签署书》 上签字，承诺他们必定竭尽全力维护并 传扬这些教义准则中所包含的信仰。我 们所用的这份《签署书》是从宗教改革 时期流传下来，只有细微的修订。
As
Reformed churches, we belong to those churches of the Protestant Reformation
that acknowledge Jesus Christ as Head of his church. He rules and governs his
church by his Word and his Spirit, not by the dictates of men. Therefore, the
authority of the creeds and confessions, to which all our officebearers
subscribe as fully agreeing with the Word of God, is always subordinate to the
authority of his inspired and infallible Word, the Bible. It was in that
context that our forefathers wrote the following Reformed confessions, also
known as the Three Forms of Unity: the Belgic Confession, the Heidelberg
Catechism, and the Canons of Dort. The ministers, elders, and deacons of each
congregation sign the Form of Subscription as a promise to preserve and to
propagate the faith contained in these doctrinal standards to the utmost of
their abilities. With minor variations, this form has been used since the
Reformation.
大公信经
Ecumenical
《使徒信经》、《尼西亚信经》、《亚 他那修信经》写作于基督教会的早期。 信经，又被称为“信心的标志”，它们是 信仰核心原则的简要权威的表述。信徒 群体使用这些信经做见证、教导、敬拜 ——这包括阐述基督教真理的规范表达 并用作神学研究的标准。尽管有许多不 同的信经存在，但大公信经在基督教会里被广泛的认可。他们被称为“大公” 是因为他们被绝大部分基督教会承认接 纳。
Creeds
The Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed date from the
early centuries of the Christian church. Creeds, also called “symbols of
faith,” are concise and authorized statements of the essential tenets of the
faith. The believing community employs these creeds for testimony, instruction, and worship—including
setting forth normative expressions of Christian truth and serving as the
standard for theological inquiry. Although many kinds of creeds exist, the
ecumenical creeds have the broadest recognition within the Christian church.
They are called “ecumenical” because they have been approved and accepted by a
large portion of the churches of Christendom.
使徒信经
The Apostles’ Creed
《使徒信经》被如此称呼，并不是因为 它是由使徒们写作的，而是因为它包含 了使徒教导的简要总结。其中一些主要 原则可以追溯到新约圣经里的一些特定 的经文，例如《马太福音 》1:18；16:16；28:19；《路加福音 》1:35；23:43；《哥林多前书》15:35；15:20。菲利普·沙佛（Philip Schaff）说得精彩，《使徒信经》以“ 崇高的简洁，无与伦比的简洁，美丽 的次序，以及礼仪的庄严”阐述了圣经 的教义。这份信经初是用于受洗时的 信仰告白，很可能始于第二世纪，经过 几个世纪的沉淀，在第六、第七世纪发 展成为今天的形式。《使徒信经》的结 构是三一式的，强调上帝为我们的救恩 所做的工作。它比其他任何信经都更配 称为大公的信仰标志。
The
Apostles’ Creed is so called, not because it was produced by the apostles
themselves, but because it contains a concise summary of their teachings. Its
chief tenets can be traced to specific New Testament texts, such as Matthew
1:18; 16:16; 28:19; Luke 1:35; 23:43; 1 Corinthians 15:3-5; 15:20. As has been
well said, it sets forth biblical doctrine “in sublime simplicity, in
unsurpassable brevity, in the most beautiful order, and with liturgical
solemnity.” This creed originated as a baptismal confession, probably in the
second century, and developed into its present form by the sixth or seventh
century, being the culmination of several centuries of reflection. The creed is
Trinitarian in structure and accents God’s operations for our salvation. More
than any other creed of Christendom, it may justly be called an ecumenical
symbol of faith.
尼西亚信经
The Nicene Creed
《尼西亚信经》，或者更准确的说《尼 西亚-君士坦丁堡信经》，是早期基督 教为对抗异端，特别是亚流主义异端， 所发布的一份正统信仰的表述。这些在 第四世纪扰乱教会的异端主要集中在三 一论和基督位格的教义上。不论是希腊 （东方）教会还是拉丁（西方）教会都 尊崇这份信经，尽管双方有一重大分歧 。西方教会坚持在谈论圣灵时加入“和 圣子”这句短语（这被称为“和子” filioque），尽管这句短语一直被东方教会拒绝。按照现今的格式，这份信经 初写于尼西亚大会（325年），并在 君士坦丁堡大会（381年）中被增订。 它以现今的格式在迦克墩大会（451年 ）中被接纳，但“和子”短语直到589年 才被加入。尽管如此，这份信经在本质 上是尼西亚正统信仰精确庄严的总结。 它包括三部分——每部分针对三位一体 中的一个位格——并且以四句话确认了 基督教福音的普世原则。在对抗亚流错 误时，这份信经阐明清楚，圣子在地位 上与圣父相等，因为圣子与圣父是同质 。的确，《尼西亚信经》依旧是三一正 统信仰的标准。
The
Nicene Creed, more precisely called the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed, is a
statement of the orthodox faith of the early Christian church in opposition to
certain heresies, especially Arianism. These heresies, which disturbed the
church during the fourth century, concerned
the doctrine of the Trinity and the person of Christ. Both the Greek (Eastern)
and the Latin (Western) church held this creed in honor, though with one
important difference. The Western church insisted on the inclusion of the
phrase “and the Son” (known as the filioque clause) in the article on the
procession of the Holy Spirit, though this phrase has always been repudiated by
the Eastern church. In its present form, this creed goes back originally to the
Council of Nicaea (325), with additions by the Council of Constantinople (381).
It was accepted in its present form at the Council of Chalcedon in 451, but the
filioque clause was not added until 589. Nonetheless, the creed is in substance
an accurate and majestic formulation of the Nicene faith. It consists of three
sections—one for each person of the Trinity—and concludes with four statements
affirming the universal tenets of the Christian gospel. In combatting the Arian
error, the creed makes it clear that the Son is equal in status with the Father,
since the Son is of the same substance as the Father. Indeed, the Nicene Creed
remains a standard of Trinitarian orthodoxy.
亚他那修信经
The Athanasian Creed
《亚他那修信经》是以那位捍卫三位一 体教义、对抗亚流派攻击的正统派英雄 ，亚他那修（293-373年）的名字命名 的。尽管亚他那修并没有亲自写作这份 信经，这名字却保留下来，因为直到十 七世纪这份信经一直都被归功于他。这 份信经也被称为Quicunque vult，从拉 丁原文的开头一句而来。
The
Athanasian Creed is named after Athanasius (293–373), the champion of orthodoxy
against Arian attacks on the doctrine of the Trinity. Although Athanasius did
not write this creed, the name persists because it was commonly ascribed to him
until the seventeenth century. It is also called the Quicunque vult, derived
from the opening words in the Latin original.
学者们的普遍看法是，这份信经始于第 五或第六世纪。起初，它并不是用来作 为信经或信仰告白，而是作为教导工具 以及对圣职人员正统性的测验。它第一 次被引用是在第四次托莱多大会（633 年）的法典中，并且很显然在欧坦大会 （约670年）上获得信经的地位。到了 十三世纪，它在西方被视为教会的三大 主要信经之一，另外两个是《使徒信经 》和《尼西亚信经》。
The
general consensus among scholars is that this creed was produced during the fifth
or sixth century. Originally it seems to have been used, not as a creed or
confession, but as a tool of instruction and test of orthodoxy for clergy. It
is first quoted in the canons of the Fourth Synod of Toledo (633), and
apparently gained creedal status at the Synod of Autun (ca. 670). By the
thirteenth century, it was regarded in the West as one of the three principal
creeds of the church, along with the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed.
《亚他那修信经》的礼拜仪式功能受限于它的长度，但它依旧定义了西方教会 对三位一体教会的理解，并正面呈现了 迦克墩大会的基督论。它是用来回应关 于耶稣基督位格的后尼西亚争端，特别 是关于道成肉身和基督的神性与人性之 间关系的问题。它提及亚波里拿留主义 ，聂斯多留主义，也可能包括欧迪奇主 义，这些异端分别在君士坦丁堡大会 （381年），以弗所大会（431年）和 迦克墩大会（451年）被定罪。除了开 头和结尾的两句话，这份信经包括两大 部分，每个部分都有一系列的宣告。第 一部分阐述了关于三位一体的正统教义 （3-28条），第二部分主要处理了道成 肉身和基督二性的教义（29-41条）。 在三位一体教义这部分，这份信经反映 了奥古斯丁主义的三一论，提及了圣灵 从圣父和圣子（“和子“短语）所出，并 且强调了神性的合一。上帝的神性是一 ——一个神圣本质或本性——但每个位 格在其中有一个独特的属性，每个人位 格都于另外两位不同。这些属性是圣父 不受生，圣子受生，圣灵出或被差遣。 在基督论的部分，这份信经教导了基督 完全的神性和完全的人性；基督位格的 合一被确认，这一点反对聂斯多留派。 基督的人性是由理性的灵魂和人类的身 体组成。这份信经拒绝了耶稣基督两个 本性的任何相混，确认了上帝儿子取的 是完全的人性，这似乎是在处理欧迪奇 主义和亚波里拿留主义。接下来，信经 提到基督的死和复活，以及末日的大复 活和终审判。这份信经的开头和结尾 宣告对这份信经教导的败坏或否认都不 符合救恩。
The
Athanasian Creed’s liturgical function is limited because of its length, but it
continues to define a markedly Western understanding of the doctrine of the
Trinity and presents positively the Christology of Chalcedon. It was formulated
in response to the post-Nicene controversies regarding the person of Jesus
Christ, specifically concerning the incarnation and the relationship between
Christ’s divine and human natures. It addresses Apollinarianism, Nestorianism,
and perhaps also Eutychianism, which were condemned at the councils of
Constantinople (381), Ephesus (431), and Chalcedon (451), respectively. Apart
from the opening and closing sentences, this creed consists of two parts, each
consisting of a series of declarations. The first part sets forth the orthodox
doctrine of the Trinity (3-28), and the second treats chiefly the doctrines of
the incarnation and the two natures of Christ (29–41). As for the doctrine of
the Trinity, this creed accents the Augustinian teaching on the Trinity, with
the procession of the Spirit from the Father and the Son (filioque) and an
accent on the divine unity. The Godhead is altogether one—one divine substance
or essence—yet each person in it has a particular property by virtue of which
he differs and is distinct from the other two. Those properties are that the
Father is not generated (or begotten), that the Son is generated (or begotten),
and that the Holy Spirit proceeds (or is sent). As for the doctrine of Christ,
this creed teaches the full deity and the full humanity of Christ; the unity
and oneness of his person is also affirmed, contrary to Nestorianism. His
humanity is constituted with a rational soul and a human body. Seemingly
addressing Eutychianism as well as Apollinarianism, this creed denies any
confusion of natures in Jesus Christ and affirms that the Son of God assumed a
full human nature. Next follow statements about Christ’s death and resurrection
and the general resurrection and last judgment. The creed’s introduction and
conclusion assert that the corruption or denial of the teaching of this creed
is inconsistent with salvation.
比利时信条
The Belgic Confession
《比利时信条》是三联合信条里古老 的文件。在十六世纪，这份信条写作的 时期，“比利时”所指的是整个荷兰地区 ，包括北部和南部。这地区后来分成两 个独立的国家：荷兰和比利时。信条的 主要作者是古伊多·德·布利（Guido de Brès），荷兰地区改革宗教会的一位牧 师。在十六世纪，这个国家的教会正在 经历罗马天主教政府的逼迫。德·布利 在1561年写作这份信条，是为了反抗 这残酷的镇压，并向逼迫者证明改革宗 信徒并非如被指控那样是暴徒，而是承 认合乎圣经的基督教教义的、遵守法律 的公民。第二年，这份信条被送到腓力 二世国王（Philip II）手中。与信条一 同呈上的还有一封请愿书，其中请愿者 们表明，他们愿意在一切合法之事上顺 服政府，但他们宁愿“背受鞭笞，舌被 刀割，嘴遭封堵，身投火海”，也不会 否认这份信条中表述的真理。然而结果是，政府下令，德·布利的信条几乎全 部被毁（仅有两份存到今天）。1567 年，古伊多·德·布利亲身应验了他所描 述的殉道之死。
The
Belgic Confession of Faith is the oldest of the Three Forms of Unity. In the
sixteenth century, when the confession was first composed, “Belgic” designated
the entirety of the Netherlands, both north and south, which today is divided
into distinct countries: the Netherlands and Belgium. The confession’s chief
author was Guido de Brès, a preacher of the Reformed churches of the
Netherlands. During the sixteenth century, the churches in this country were
exposed to terrible persecution by the Roman Catholic government. To protest
against this cruel oppression, and to prove to the persecutors that the
adherents of the Reformed faith were not rebels, as they were accused, but
rather were lawabiding citizens who professed the true Christian doctrine
according to the Holy Scriptures, de Brès prepared this confession in 1561. The
following year a copy was sent to King Philip II, together with an address in
which the petitioners declared that they were ready to obey the government in
all lawful things, but that they would “offer their backs to the stripes, their
tongues to knives, their mouths to gags, and their whole bodies to the fire,”
rather than deny the truth expressed in this confession. Nearly every copy of
de Brès’s confession was destroyed by official order (only two copies still
exist). In 1567, Guido de Brès suffered the kind of martyr’s death he had
described.
尽管保护改革宗教会免受逼迫的直接目 的没有达到，以至于成千上万的人为了 信仰失去自己的生命，但德·布利的这 部作品却被存留下来。荷兰地区的政治 情形很快发生了转变，改革宗信仰一跃 成为主流，而《比利时信条》则成为荷 兰教会的教义准则。在1566年，这份 信条的文本被修订并在安特卫普 （Antwerp）的总会采纳，随后各地纷纷跟随，1568年在韦瑟尔 （Wessel），1571年在埃姆登 （Emden），1574年在多特 （Dort），1581年在米德尔堡 （Middleburg）。在多特大会（16181619）上，信条的文本再次被修订， 而修订后的文本被采纳成为荷兰改革宗 各教会的教义准则之一，全体圣职人员 必须签署。
Although
the immediate purpose of securing freedom from persecution was not attained,
and many thousands sealed their faith with their lives, de Brès’s work endured.
The political situation soon changed in the Netherlands, leading to the
ascendency of the Reformed faith there, and the Belgic Confession became a
doctrinal standard of the Dutch churches. In 1566, the text of this confession
was revised and adopted at the local synod held at Antwerp, followed by Wessel
(1568), Emden (1571), Dort (1574), and Middleburg (1581). Revisions to the text
were made again at the Synod of Dort (1618–1619), and the revised text was
adopted as one of the doctrinal standards to which all office-bearers in the
Dutch Reformed churches were required to subscribe.
在写作过程中，作者部分借鉴了两年前 出版的，由约翰·加尔文主笔的法国改 革宗教会的信条。然而，德·布利的作 品并不是加尔文作品的翻版，而是一部 独立写作的作品。
In
its composition, the author availed himself to some extent of a confession of
the Reformed churches in France, written chiefly by John Calvin, published two
years earlier. The work of de Brès, however, is not a mere revision of Calvin’s
work, but an independent composition.
信条时常引用圣经，在文本的下方有许 多经文出处。然而，在脚注中的经文引 用并不属于多特大会上正式通过的信条 文本。它们在这里被加入进来是为了帮 助读者阅读。北美联合改革宗教会 2016年总会修订了第4条，把圣经书卷 名称统一成现代英文，并反映出《希伯 来书》作者的不确定性。此英文译本是 基于多特大会正式通过的法文文本。中 文译本则是基于英文译本。
The
confession’s frequent use of Scripture is indicated with quotation marks in the
text. The Scripture references in the footnotes, however, were not a part of
the officially approved text of the confession as revised at the Synod of Dort.
They are included here to assist the reader. Synod 2016 of the URCNA also revised
Article 4 to modernize the names of the books of the Bible and to reflect the
uncertain authorship of the letter to the Hebrews. The English translation of
the Belgic Confession found below is based upon the official French text
approved by the Synod of Dort.
海德堡要理问答
Heidelberg Catechism
《海德堡要理问答》（1563年）是有 史以来受人珍爱的要理问答之一，它 的第一问为世人所津津乐道：“问： 无论是生是死，你唯一的安慰是什么? 回答：无论是生是死，我——身体灵魂 ——都不属于自己，而属于我信实的救 主耶稣基督。”
The The Heidelberg Catechism (1563) is among the most
cherished catechisms ever written, and is perhaps best known for its first
question and answer: “What is your only comfort in life and in death? That I am
not my own, but belong—body and soul, in life and death—to my faithful Savior,
Jesus Christ.”
从1559年至1576年间，奉当时在德国极具影响力、并统治着普法尔茨的腓特 烈三世的命令，这份要理问答终在海 德堡成文。普法尔茨是当时德国路德宗 和罗马天主教领土内少数几个信奉加尔 文主义的地区之一。传统上认为，乌尔 西努和奥利维亚努是这份新要理问答的 共同作者。乌尔西努（1534-83）既师 从加尔文，也在墨兰顿门下受业。他也 是海德堡大学的神学教授，而海德堡要 理问答的雏形也被认为是脱胎于他所著 的《神学总纲》（Summa Theologicae，共323个问答）和该书的 浓缩版，也就是他自己写的小要理问答 （Catechesis Minor，共108问）。至 于奥列维亚努（1536-87），他也曾拜 在加尔文和贝扎的门下，后担任海德堡 圣灵教会的牧师。虽然他在编写要理问 答这件事上所扮演的角色可能并没有早 期学者所认为的那么重要，但他也确实 参与了对海德堡要理问答终定稿的审 议。
It
was composed in Heidelberg at the request of Elector Frederick III, who ruled
the Palatinate, an influential German province, from 1559 to 1576. The Palatinate
was one of the few pockets of Calvinistic faith among the Lutheran and Roman
Catholic territories of Germany at that time. Zacharias Ursinus and Caspar
Olevianus are traditionally considered coauthors of the new catechism. Ursinus
(1534–83), a student of both Calvin and Melanchthon, and a professor of
theology at the University of Heidelberg, is often credited with providing the
initial drafts of the catechism by means of his Summa Theologicae (323
questions) and in the condensed version of the Summa, his Catechesis Minor (108
questions). As for Caspar Olevianus (1536–87), he had been a student of Calvin
and Beza and served as the pastor of the Holy Spirit Church at Heidelberg.
Although he probably played a less prominent role than earlier scholarship has
suggested, he certainly participated in the deliberations about the final form
of the catechism.
值得注意的是，据说选候腓特烈三世在 1563年1月19日亲自给《海德堡要理问 答》作序。读者被告知，选候确保了要 理问答的筹备工作是“在当地所有的神 学家，以及教会所有的监督和杰出牧师 们的通力合作下进行的”。为此，腓特 烈三世任命了一个由众多神学家组成的 委员会，为《要理问答》的正式文本负 责，并动用了各种后来被证明为有用的 资源。
It is
worth noting what Elector Frederick III himself reported in his preface to the
catechism, dated January 19, 1563. There readers are informed that the Elector
secured the preparation of the catechism “with the advice and cooperation of
our entire theological faculty in this place, and of all superintendents and
distinguished servants of the church.” Therefore, a committee of theologians,
appointed by Frederick III, was responsible for the official text of the
catechism, drawing on resources that proved useful.
《海德堡要理问答》于1563年1月在海 德堡的普法尔茨交教区会议上被通过， 并于2月同前文提到的选侯腓特烈三世所著的序言一同被交付刊印。同年在海 德堡出版了第二版和第三版德文版本， 每一版都有少量增订，同时也有了拉丁 文译本。不久，《海德堡要理问答》就 被划分成52问，这样就可以在一年的时 间里，在主日的讲堂将整个要理问答讲 解完毕。
The
Heidelberg Catechism was approved by a Palatinate synod in Heidelberg in
January 1563 and printed with the abovementioned preface by the Elector in
February. Second and third German editions, each with small additions, as well
as a Latin translation, were published the same year in Heidelberg. Soon the
catechism was divided into fifty-two sections, so that on successive Lord’s
Days a portion of it could be expounded from the pulpit, getting through the
catechism in one year.
1618-1619年的多特总会通过了《海德 堡要理问答》，它很快成为改革宗众多 要理问答和信条当中能体现教会合一 的一本。确实，它是宗教改革时期使用 广泛、受到热烈赞赏的要理问答。
The
Synod of Dort in 1618–19 approved the Heidelberg Catechism, and it soon became
the most ecumenical of the Reformed catechisms and confessions. Indeed, it was
the most widely used and most warmly praised catechism of the Reformation
period.
《海德堡要理问答》，在两个导论式的 问答之后，被划分为三个部分：(1) 人 的悲惨（问答3-11）；(2) 神的救恩， 包括对使徒信经的阐释，以及论称义、 善行、蒙恩管道（问答12-85）；(3) 基 督徒的感恩，阐述为何十诫和主祷文是 基督徒生活的主要组成部分（问答 86129）。
The
Heidelberg Catechism, after two introductory questions and answers, is divided
into three parts: (1) human misery (Q&As 3–11); (2) divine deliverance,
including an exposition of the Apostles’ Creed, as well as justification, good
works, and the means of grace (Q&As 12–85); and (3) Christian gratitude,
which expounds the Ten Commandments and the Lord’s Prayer as chief constituents
of the Christian life (Q&As 86–129).
这里提供的英文译本（是对1976年《 诗篇赞美歌集》Psalter Hymnal版本的 彻底修订）是基于在《海德堡要理问答 》德语译本的第三版。该德语版本被收 录在1563年11月15日颁布的《普法尔 茨教会敕令》当中，是全世界都使用的 “公认文本”。
The
English translation presented here (a thorough revision of the version that
appeared in the 1976 Psalter Hymnal) follows the third German edition of the
catechism.3 This is the German edition that was included in the Palatinate
Church Order of November 15, 1563, and is the “received text” used throughout
the world.
多特信经
The Canons of Dort
“多特总会议对荷兰有争议的五项要点 的决议”被普遍称为多特信经（Canons of Dort，或译为多特法典）。它由多特 大会于1618年至1619年在多得勒支市 （City of Dordrecht）召开的会议上通过的教义声明所组成。虽然这是荷兰改 革宗教会的全国总会，但它也具有国际 性质，因为它还包括来自8个国家的26 名代表。
The
“Decision of the Synod of Dort on the Five Main Points of Doctrine in Dispute
in the Netherlands” is popularly known as the Canons of Dort. It consists of
statements of doctrine adopted by the great Synod of Dort, which met in the
city of Dordrecht in 1618–19. Although this was a national synod of the
Reformed churches of the Netherlands, it had an international character, since
it included twenty-six delegates from eight foreign countries.
多特会议的召开是为了解决荷兰教会中 因亚米念主义的兴起而引发的重大争议 。莱顿大学教授雅各布·亚米念（Jacob Arminius）对加尔文和加尔文的追随者 所教导的一些重要观点提出质疑。在亚 米念死后，他的拥护者在1610年的《 抗辩书》（Remonstrance）中提出了 他们对其中五个论点的看法。在这份文 献以及后来更加明确的著作当中，亚米 念派教导拣选是基于上帝预先看见人有 信心、普遍救赎、非完全的堕落、可抗 拒的恩典，以及人有失去救恩的可能性 。在《信经》中，多特总会否决了这些 观点，并针对这些观点提出了改革宗的 教义。就严谨和准确性而言，信经与以 下这些口号是格格不入的：无条件的选 举、限定的代赎、全人的败坏、不可抗 拒的恩典和圣徒的持守到底（译按：这 就是所谓的“加尔文五要点”，缩略为 TULIP）。这些缩略的短语并没有捕捉 到这些教义的长阔高深。
The
Synod of Dort was held in order to settle a serious controversy in the Dutch
churches occasioned by the rise of Arminianism. Jacob Arminius, a theology
professor at Leiden University, questioned the teaching of Calvin and his
followers on a number of important points. After Arminius’s death, his
followers presented their views on five of these points in the Remonstrance, or
“protest,” of 1610. In this document and in later, more explicit writings, the
Arminians taught election based on foreseen faith, universal atonement, partial
depravity, resistible grace, and the possibility of a lapse from grace. In the
Canons, the Synod of Dort rejected these views and set forth the Reformed
doctrine on these points. In terms of strict accuracy, the Canons fit uncomfortably
under the slogans: unconditional election, limited atonement, total depravity,
irresistible grace, and perseverance of the saints. These abbreviated phrases
fail to capture the breadth of the Canons’ teachings.
信经中五个“标题”（主题），分为四个 部分，分别论述：(1) “神的拣选与遗弃 ”；(2) “基督的死与人类借此得救赎 ”；(3-4) “人的败坏、回转向神与回转之 道”；(5) “圣徒的持守到底”。
The
five “heads” (topics) in the Canons, divided into four parts, treat (1) “Divine
Election and Reprobation,” (2) “Christ’s Death and Human Redemption through
It,” (3–4) “Human Corruption, Conversion to God, and the Way It Occurs,” and
(5) “The Perseverance of the Saints.”
第一项主题，关于无条件的拣选，从人 类堕落的状开始，他们在罪的咒诅下 受到死亡的刑罚。然而上帝照著祂的慈 爱，透过福音的宣讲，拯救一切信靠基督的人（第3条）。尽管人的罪只能怪 自己，但救恩却是上帝白白赐予的礼物 （第5条）。既是白白得来，那救恩就 是建基在上帝照祂的美意，对罪人的恩 典拣选上（第7条）。上帝的拣选是不 变的、永恒的，它在信徒一生当中亲历 这神恩的甘美果实，也就是信靠基督、 为罪忧伤、饥渴慕义时，给他们确据（ 第12条）。《信经》简略地触及上帝对 遗弃的谕旨，就是一种神圣的“越过”， 一种不被拣选的状，因此，上帝任凭 这些人“陷入他们因自己的过犯所造成 的普遍苦境中”（第15条）。如此，上 帝对他们的评注就是任凭他们留在不信 的状中，并且上帝的作为就是因他们 的罪而施以永刑。此外，这一主题旨在 安慰那些孩童早夭的敬虔父母，这样， 按照恩典之约的观点，他们“不应该 疑上帝对这些孩子的拣选和救赎”（第 17条）。
The
first topic, in treating unconditional election, begins with the fallen
condition of human beings, who are under the penalty of death as sin’s curse.
However, God, according to his loving-kindness, saves all who believe in Christ
through the preaching of the gospel. Although man has only himself to blame for
his sin, salvation is the free gift of God. As a gift, salvation is grounded in
God’s gracious election of sinners, which is according to his good pleasure.
Being unchangeable and eternal, divine election provides assurance to believers
as they experience its fruits in their lives, namely faith in Christ, sorrow
over sin, and thirst for righteousness. The Canons briefly touch on the decree
of reprobation as a divine passing over, a nonelection, so that God leaves such
persons “in the common misery into which, by their own fault, they have plunged
themselves.” Divine notation, then, leaves them in their unbelief, and divine
action condemns them eternally for their sin. Moreover, this topic aims to console
godly parents whose children die at a tender age, such that, in view of the
covenant of grace, they “ought not to doubt the election and salvation” of such
children
在第二项主题中，《信经》强调的是基 督献祭的有效性，是对罪完全、完美的 补赎，“具有无限的价值”，“足以补偿全 世界的罪”（第3条）。这种充分性巩固 了信经的教导，即福音必须向所有的人 宣讲。因为罪人因他们的无法满足上帝 公义，从而赚取到救恩，“上帝以祂无 限的怜悯赐下祂的独生子作我们的中保 ，在十字架上代替我们成为罪、受咒诅 ，为的是还清我们的罪债。”（第2条） 有些人留在不信的恶心当中，要完全怪 他们自己（第6条）。从永恒开始，恩 典的根基就只在基督里，基督的死只对 选民是有效的。因着祂永恒的爱，选民 被召聚在一起，成为上帝的教会，“奠基在基督的宝血之上”（第9条）。
The
Canons, in the second topic, accent the efficacious character of Christ’s
sacrifice as a full and perfect satisfaction for sin, “of infinite value and
worth,” “sufficient to atone for the sins of the whole world.” This sufficiency
undergirds the Canons’ teaching that the gospel must be preached to all people.
Since sinners cannot satisfy for their own sins for salvation, “God in his
boundless mercy has given us as a guarantee, his only begotten Son, who was
made to be sin and a curse for us, in our place, on the cross, in order that he
might give satisfaction for us.” The fault that some people remain in their
unbelief resides in them. Grace is grounded in Christ from eternity, and
Christ’s death is efficacious for the elect alone. According to his eternal
love, the elect are gathered together as God’s church, “founded on Christ’s
blood.”
下一个主题将第三和第四项标题连在一 起，讨论到之前提到的一个主题，“人 类的败坏”。人类已经从原始公义圣洁 的状上堕落了，现在遭受着“瞎眼、 可怕的黑暗、徒劳无益、判断错谬；他 的心思意志尽都是邪恶、悖逆、顽梗； 后，他所有的情感也尽都不洁。”（ 第1条）这种败坏已经传承到亚当所有 的后代。因此，所有的人生来都是“可 怒之子，一无良善，倾向于恶，且死在 罪中，成为罪的奴仆”；若不经历重生 和更新的恩典，他们既不愿、也不能与 上帝相交，也无力改正他们的破损（第 3条）。他们甚至无法接受这样的归正 。然而，上帝通过福音的宣讲，藉著圣 灵的运行，施行医治。因此，福音的呼 召对所有听见的人来说都是“认真地”（ 第8条）。而没有留心听从这呼召的， 其罪过和责任都留在罪人身上。另一方 面，悔改相信是上帝的工作，上帝有效 地呼召选民，使他们相信和悔改，并依 靠那“使人重生的圣灵的有效运作”（第 11条）。所以我们要为失丧的人祷告， 因为上帝能叫人从死里复活。
The
next topic, heads three and four together, takes up a subject touched on earlier,
namely human corruption. Man has fallen from his original state, and now
suffers “blindness, terrible darkness, futility, and distortion of judgment in
his mind; perversity, defiance, and hardness in his heart and will; and finally
impurity in all his emotions.” This corruption has spread to all of Adam’s
progeny. As such, all people are “born children of wrath, unfit for any saving
good, inclined to evil, dead in their sins, and slaves to sin”; without the
gift of rebirth and renewal, they are neither willing nor able to fellowship
with God or reform their broken- ness. They cannot even dispose themselves to
such reform. God, however, effects healing through the gospel, by the operation
of the Holy Spirit. As such, the call of the gospel calls “seriously” all who
hear it. The blame and responsibility for failing to heed this call resides
with sinners. Conversion, on the other hand, is a divine work, wherein God
effectually calls the elect to faith and repentance, and that by means of the
“effective operation of the … regenerating Spirit.” Thus, we should pray for
the lost, since God is wholly able to bring the dead to life.
后一个主题考察圣徒的持守到底。信 徒从“罪的辖制和奴仆”境况中得自由， 但他们在今生还没有从“肉体”和“罪身” 中完全得释放。虽然信徒仍然与罪作斗 争，但上帝并没有抛弃他们，以至于他 们必须自己保守自己。相反，上帝继续 以信心坚固并保守信徒，即使他们会经 历许多偏离上帝旨意、陷入大罪的时期 。上帝从来不离弃祂的选民。祂不会容许他们永久离弃恩典。祂总是带领他们 悔改、有信心，好叫他们照著福音而行 。与此同时，赦罪和永生的确信也和信 心有关——以上帝的应许为基础，并通 过信徒的顺服而得到加强。这种确据是 对敬虔的激励。
The
last topic examines the perseverance of the saints. Believers are set free from
“the reign and slavery of sin,” but they are not yet entirely free, in this
life, from “the flesh” and “from the body of sin.” Although believers still
struggle with sin, God does not abandon them, so that they must fend for
themselves. Rather, God continues to strengthen and preserve believers in
faith, even when they experience periods of straying from his will and fall
into monstrous sins. God never forsakes his elect. He never allows them to
permanently forfeit grace. He always brings them back to repentance and faith,
so that they live according to the gospel. Meanwhile, assurance of the
forgiveness of sins and eternal life is also a matter of faith—grounded in
God’s promises and strengthened by the believer’s walk of obedience. Such
assurance is an incentive to godliness.
《信经》之所以具有特殊性质，是因为 它初是在亚米念争端中对所争论的教 义要点所作出的司法裁决。原始的序言 称它为“一项判决，解释了关于上述五 项教义要点之符合圣经的正确观点，而 与圣经不符的错误观点，则予以否决 。”但信经也有它的局限性，因为它们 并未涵盖全部的教义，而是集中在有争 议的五项教义上。
The
Canons have a special character because they were originally a judicial
decision on the doctrinal points in dispute during the Arminian controversy.
The original preface called them a “judgment, in which both the true view,
agreeing with God’s Word, concerning the aforesaid five points of doctrine is
explained, and the false view, disagreeing with God’s Word, is rejected.” The
Canons also have a limited character in that they do not cover the whole range
of doctrine, but focus on the five points of doctrine in dispute.
每个要点都有其积极的一面和消极的一 面，前者是对改革宗教义在这一问题上 的阐述，后者是对相应错误的批判。在 本文中，每项被拒绝的错误都用灰色表 示。
Each
of the main points consists of a positive and a negative part, the former being
an exposition of the Reformed doctrine on the subject, and the latter being a
repudiation of the corresponding errors. In the text presented here, each of
the errors being rejected is shaded in gray.
这里所介绍的《信经》的译文是根据唯 一现存的拉丁语手稿翻译而来的，这些 手稿是在多特总会上被签署的。圣经的 引文是从拉丁原文翻译过来的，因此与 现行译本未必完全相符。虽然在原文中 没有副标题，但在正面阐述的条文和结 论中，增补了副标题，以促进对《信经 》的研究。
The
translation of the Canons presented here is based on the only extant Latin
manuscript among those signed at the Synod of Dort.4 The biblical quotations
are translations from the original Latin, and so do not always correspond to
current versions. Though not in the original text, subheadings have been added
to the positive articles and to the conclusion in order to facilitate study of
the Canons.
（洛杉矶华⼈改⾰宗恩约教会提供）
使徒信经 The Apostles’ Creed
尼西亚信经 The Nicene Creed
亚他那修信经 The Athanasian
Creed
比利时信条The
Belgic Confession (1561) 1561)
海德堡要理问答 Heidelberg
Catechism (1563)
多特信经 Canons of Dort
(1619)
https://yibaniba.blogspot.com/2020/02/canons-and-decrees-of-synod-ofdordt.html（洛杉矶华⼈改⾰宗恩约教会提供）
